The Daily Beast’s Best Longreads, January 18, 2014

The Most Dangerous Sentence in U.S. HistoryGregory D. Johnsen, BuzzFeedWritten in the frenzied days after 9/11, the Authorization for the Use of Military Force was intended to give President Bush the ability to retaliate against whoever orchestrated the attacks. More than 12 years later, this sentence remains the primary legal justification for nearly every covert operation around the world.

In the Name of LoveMika Tokumitsu, Jacobin“Do what you love” is the mantra for today’s worker. But the ideological function of that phrase is to re-classify work as pleasure—and that drives workers apart.

A Dangerous MindRobert Kolker, New YorkWhen do awful thoughts, shared with complete strangers, become criminal actions? The troubling case—in every direction—of New York’s “cannibal cop.”

The Online AvengersEmily Bazelon, The New York Times MagazineAre antibullying activists the saviors of the Internet—or just another kind of curse?

Inside the Incredible Booming Subterranean Marijuana RailroadJason Kersten, GQThe Feds can’t see them. Or hear the digging. They don’t know how many there are or where they are headed. They know only that the tunnels are coming. And when they cross our border, when the soil gives way and the drugs start flowing, it’s already too late.

How the NSA Recruits In a Post-Snowden WorldJoshua Kopstein, The Daily BeastThe surveillance state sold itself to hackers as the coolest place to work. Now it’s seen as the enemy, and that means going elsewhere to build an army of digital cat burglars.

To send suggestions for future editions, email david.sessions@thedailybeast.com. For more great longreads, visit our friends at Longreads.com.