I enjoy the writing in the Atlantic as much as the next guy. (Edit: and to their credit, here is a slightly more interesting story they did on Scientology in 20

I enjoy the writing in the Atlantic as much as the next guy. (Edit: and to their credit, here is a slightly more interesting story they did on Scientology in 2011: http://www.theatlanticwire.com/national/2011/02/scientology-slave-labor-beatings-and-an-fbi-investigation/21198/ http://www.theatlanticwire.com/national/2011/02/scientology-... ) That said, it's not hyperventilating to point out that prohibiting dissenting comments on articles, even if they are shameless (and paid-for) advertising, is pretty much bullshit. I mean, The Atlantic is a private company, they have the right to do whatever they want, squelch whatever discussion they like. The First Amendment doesn't apply to posting on websites. But they get to deal with the fallout that comes with it, and it looks like they either didn't anticipate exactly how badly their shameless cash grab would be taken, or they didn't think there was anything wrong with essentially putting their good name and credibility behind something as controversial (charitably speaking) as scientology.