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June 17, 2013

Rabbi Simcha Weinstein: Black to the Future: American Apparel Gets Biblical

Patrik Jonsson: Minnesota Nazi: How did Nazi hunters miss Michael Karkoc?

Kate Irby, Ali Watkins, Trevor Graff and Kevin Thibodeaux: All the ways you're being watched
Don Lee: G-8 meeting will test NSA leaks' effect on U.S. influence

Patrik Jonsson: Fort Hood shooting: Judge nixes Nidal Hasan defense strategy. What now?

Stacey Burling: Why the stigma for migraine sufferers?

The Kosher Gourmet by Lisa Abraham: Does it work? 5 new kitchen gadgets put to the test

June 14, 2013

Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski: A spiritual budget: Religious economics and being a ruler

John P. Martin: Hitler insider's missing diary found

Matt Pearce: NSA surveillance disclosure could affect court cases
Peter Tinti: US bounties changes strategy on (Wild, Wild) West African jihadis

Daniel Pendrick, M.D.: Memory loss? Old age may be the least of it

Lauren F. Friedman: But it's all natural! Should we have an instinctive preference for herbal remedies?

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom : Streisand and Alicia Keys in Israel; "Girls" Stuff; Mel Brooks, Another TV special; Superman (who is Jewish) returns --- Israeli plays his mom

The Kosher Gourmet by Sharon K. Ghag : Bored with salad? Bling it up a bit (4 effortless recipes that will result in a 'WOW!')

June 12, 2013

Stephanie Hanes: Little girls or little women? The Disney princess effect

Fred Weir: In tweak to US, Russia would 'consider' asylum for Snowden

Sharon Palmer, R.D.: What's so special about Omega-3 supplements?
Morgan Housel: What newspapers were saying when you should have been buying

Pete Spotts: How cockroaches evolved so as to bypass 'roach motels'

The Kosher Gourmet by Anjali Prasertong: Deep-dish cookie: Warm, gooey and a little over the top

June 10, 2013

Joseph A. Slobodzian: Faith healing and third degree murder: Thorny legal case
Lindsay Wise: Few options for online users to avoid spying, experts say

Sharon Palmer, R.D.: There are plenty of nutritional food bargains out there
Harvard Health Letters: Can bariatric surgery control diabetes?

Zach Murdock: Superglue helps doctors save infant's life

The Kosher Gourmet by Celebrated chef Mario Batali : As good as grilling gets: Rib eye with dry mushroom spice rub

June 7, 2013

Rabbi David Aaron: Beating jealousy

Caroline B. Glick: Wounded . . . and dangerous

Clifford D. May: Al Qaeda vs. Hezbollah
Harvard Health Letters: Fighting back against allergy season

Kimberly Lankford: Grandparents who use FSA to cover grandkid's braces and other must-know info

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom:J ewish Tony Nominees/Tony Awards; Jewish Teen Actor In Sci-Fi Flick; Jewish singer in "Voice" finals

The Kosher Gourmet by Anjali Prasertong: A tart filling so good it might not make it to the crust

June 5, 2013

John Rosemond: Mom, Dad: Talk More and listen less

Kristen Chick: Egypt court sentences 43 pro-democracy workers to prison

Sharon Palmer, R.D.: Mushrooms Have Medicinal As Well As Culinary Value
Morgan Housel: Why you never learn from your investment mistakes

Don Lee: In China, kindergarten rivalry takes deadly turn

The Kosher Gourmet by Sara Kate Gillingham-Ryan: 30-Minute Coq au Vin isn't a dream

June 3, 2013

Molly Hennessy-Fiske: Military judge to consider letting Fort Hood shooting defendant represent himself

Richard A. Serrano: Pvt. Bradley Manning's WikiLeaks trial also a test for government

Mark Trumbull: Have degree, driving cab: Nearly half of college grads are overqualified
Kim Lankford: What to do when long-term care insurance premiums rise

Deborah Netburn: Study: Adults' mouth bacteria may help babies

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom: Jewish Contestant on 'The Voice'; Will Smith's 'Jewish movie family'; Bravo Gives Long Island Jews the Jersey Shore Treatment; Magicians and More

The Kosher Gourmet by Bill Ward: How to be as refined as the wines at a wine tasting

May 29, 2013

Andrew Connelly and Helene Bienvenu: The Little Synagogue that Refused to Die

Dennis Prager: The 'Muslims-Killed-by-the-West' Lie

David Clark Scott: Open war on teachers?
Morgan Housel: If you know only five things about investing, make it these

Sara Reardon: AGenome detectives change the donation game

Deborah Netburn: A one-way ticket to Mars? 78,000-plus and counting apply by video

The Kosher Gourmet by Bev Bennett: CHEDDAR AND CHERRY MUFFINS --- your mouth is already watering

May 24, 2013

Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb: When I didn't so 'humbly disagree'

Caroline B. Glick: Thank you, Hafez al-Assad

Diana West: From the Brooklyn Bridge to London
Morgan Housel: Why spotting bubbles is so much harder than you think

Environmental Nutrition editors: NuVal labeling to the rescue?

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom : Memorial Day: Jews Serving and KIA in War on Terror; Liberace Bio-Pic; Jew Wins "Survivor"; Shalom, Dr. Brothers; More

The Kosher Gourmet by Emma Christensen: HIDE THESE FROZEN TREATS FROM THE KIDDIES!: Sangria pops; Irish cream pudding pops; mango Lassi pops

May 22, 2013

John Thorne: They launched the 'Arab Spring' but now yearn for the good old days of a strongman

John Rosemond: 'Disciplinary math' adds up to parental successl

Warren Richey: Are prayers before public meetings OK? Supreme Court to decide
Rick Montgomery: Use of ADHD drugs as study aid raises concern on campuses

Brierley Wright, M.S., R.D.: 6 convincing reasons you should keep carbs in your diet

Eoin O'Carroll: Scientists examine nothing, find something

The Kosher Gourmet by Carole Kotkin: This soup is made from one of the great pleasures of spring: A wonderful pairing of rosy color and earthy tang

May 20, 2013

Richard A. Serrano: Is Meir Kahane's assassin now a changed man?

Hannan Adely: Town raises Palestinian flag at City Hall

Melissa Healy: Genetic copies of living people from embryos no longer science fiction
Morgan Housel: When smart investors do stupid things

Sharon Saloman, M.S., R.D.: Hunger games: Eat more, weigh less, without starving

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom : Jews Inducted into Rock Hall of Fame; Anton Yelchin co-stars in New "Trek" film; Kutcher (but not Kunis) visits Israel; Jewish TV Star Praises Jewish Rap Star

The Kosher Gourmet by Cathy Pollak: WARNING: This WALNUT CAKE WITH PRALINE FROSTING, perfect for afternoon coffee, is addicting


Jewish World Review Jan 31, 2012/ 7 Shevat, 5772

When abstinence is irresponsible

By Jack Kelly




http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | Congress has a constitutional duty to prepare a budget, but hasn't for more than 1,000 days because the Democrats who control the Senate fear it would embarrass them to put down in black and white how much they plan to spend, and how large a deficit their spending will create.

Democrats plan to shirk their obligation for another year, to give credence to President Barack Obama's plans to run against a "do nothing" Congress…even though the half of Congress that's doing nothing is run by Democrats.

Not so long ago, such blatant political maneuvering would have prompted howls of outrage from press and public. But few in the news media mention it.

If constitutional duties can be shrugged off so easily, may we -- since it is merely a tradition -- also dispense with the State of the Union address?

Presidents from Thomas Jefferson (1801-09) through William Howard Taft (1909-13) delivered to Congress in writing what was then known as the Annual Message. It was chiefly a report on how Executive Branch departments were performing their duties.

To rally support for his legislative agenda, Woodrow Wilson revived the practice of delivering the Annual Message in person. The politicization of the SOTU accelerated rapidly with the advent of radio and television, and after Lyndon Johnson began the practice of delivering it in prime time.

With rare exception, SOTUs today are partisan events masquerading as affairs of state. They consist mostly of two laundry lists: one of the president's accomplishments; another containing his wish list for the next session of Congress.

SOTUs typically last about an hour, but rarely contain memorable phrases. This year President Barack Obama spoke 7,059 words in 65 minutes, but said less about the state of the union than Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, who delivered the Republican response, did in ten.

The 10th longest SOTU ever was noteworthy mostly for what Mr. Obama didn't say.


  • Obamacare has roiled the health care industry, but only 44 of those 7,059 words were devoted to health care reform.

  • That was 44 words more than Mr. Obama said about his $823 billion stimulus bill.

  • The national debt has risen from $10 trillion to $15.2 trillion during Mr. Obama's presidency, is now equivalent to the value of all the goods and services produced in a year. He made no mention of it in the SOTU.

    . Much of what Mr. Obama did say was fanciful, hypocritical, or false.

  • He opened and closed the SOTU with paeans to American military personnel, but neglected to mention his plans to fire nearly 100,000 of them; cut Air Force fighters by half, and reduce the Navy from 300 to 238 ships.

  • Through last summer, the Obama administration had imposed 75 major new regulations, with an estimated compliance cost of $38 billion. Since then, the EPA has issued a rule which could destroy 1.65 million jobs in the coal and electric utility industries, one study indicated. Obamacare rules are the chief reason they're not hiring, business leaders say. New banking regulations may force hundreds of community banks to close. Yet Mr. Obama claimed in the SOTU he was cutting red tape.

  • "Let's make sure people who bundle campaign contributions for Congress can't lobby Congress," the president said, after denouncing the "corrosive effect" of money in politics. He made no mention of the tens of billions of dollars in subsidies and loans his administration has given to bundlers for his campaign.

  • Mr. Obama has thrown one roadblock after another in the path of the fossil fuels industries, most recently when he cancelled the Keystone XL pipeline. But in the SOTU he claimed credit for a boom in exploration for oil and natural gas.

    Mr. Obama figures he can lie so brazenly because the news media rarely call him on it when he does. But Americans seem to be catching on. This SOTU drew just 37.75 million viewers, down from 48 million for his first, 42.8 million last year.

  • Or maybe Americans just don't like reruns. The president used virtually the same lines in this year's SOTU as he did in his two previous ones.

  • Barack Obama has dragged the state of the union address down to unprecedented depths. Let's bury it there. If submitting it in writing was good enough for Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt, that ought to be good enough for future presidents.


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JWR contributor Jack Kelly, a former Marine and Green Beret, was a deputy assistant secretary of the Air Force in the Reagan administration.

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© 2011, Jack Kelly

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