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February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
April 5, 2005
/ 25 Adar II, 5765
A turn to the right... 10 minutes with nationally syndicated talk-show host Michael Medved
By
Bill Steigerwald
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
Nationally syndicated talk-show host Michael Medved will be broadcasting live Monday and Tuesday from Grove City College, which is conducting a two-day conference on the dismal past and unpromising future of the 40-year federal war on poverty.
A veteran critic of Hollywood's films, destructive cultural messages and liberal politics, Medved is the former co-host of PBS' "Sneak Previews" and best-selling author of such books as "Hollywood vs. America."
His latest book is "Right Turns: Unconventional Lessons from a Controversial Life," which he will be signing at the Barnes & Noble in Cranberry at 7 p.m. Monday. A former 1960s liberal turned "impassioned conservative," Medved's talk show is aired locally on 73WPIT from 6 to 9 p.m. I talked to him Wednesday by telephone from his Seattle home:
Q: You were once a liberal. What was it that made you "defect" to conservatism?
A: Well (laughs), it basically takes over 400 pages to explain with any integrity. But in short, I will tell you that it was a gradual process. There was no "Road to Damascus" experience. It was an evolution, not a revolution. One of the key episodes for me was the conclusion of the Vietnam War, because I had been very involved with the anti-war movement and all those sunny predictions that as soon as America left Vietnam then peace would reign and the killing would stop.
...There were literally millions of people who died in Vietnam and Cambodia as a result of America's withdrawal. It seemed to me that far from the promises of the peace movement that American withdrawal from the war would reduce the total level of suffering and killing there's very good indication that the way we withdrew caused a tremendous increase in human suffering.
Q: Is there a single most important unconventional lesson that you learned?
A: One of the lessons that is most unconventional and controversial is that a more Christian America is good for the Jews. I'm openly Jewish
... and I'm convinced that American Jews ultimately have far more to fear from militant fundamentalist secularism than we do from Christianity in any form. I think the current Christian revival that is going on is a tremendously positive thing for the Jewish community, because it is a tremendously positive thing for America and because it leads to an overall willingness to take religious faith more seriously. And that is something that we in our community need very much to do.
Q: Is there any position you hold that would pleasantly surprise a liberal?
A: Yeah. I'm a conservationist. I support a fairly wide range of conservation-orientated organizations. One of the few government programs that I think has worked beautifully is the National Park Service, which I support. I think that conservatives ought to acknowledge that most environmental laws most, not all including the ones we decried have actually worked out well.
Q: Would that same pro-environmentalist position shock a conservative?
A: I do a daily radio show, so I have the opportunity to shock people all the time. One of the positions that I've taken that has shocked a lot of my listeners horrified them, in fact is that I think that in certain circumstances it is not inappropriate to block adoption by gay couples. To be very clear about this, I would say that in every case a preference in adoption should be given to a heterosexual, married, stable couple. If, however, your only alternative is a single parent or a gay couple, I would tend to prefer, as a situation for adoption, a gay couple assuming that they were stable, honorable, positive public citizens.
Q: You've been saying that our popular culture has been consistently hostile to the values that America holds dear since 1993. Has it gotten any better or worse?
A: I think that it's gotten better in one sense, that there are more attempts and some of them very successful to create a kind of counterculture to what people view as the semi-official "Hollyweird" mainstream. There is a flourishing Christian and religious counterculture in this country. One of the fastest-growing music formats is CCM Contemporary Christian Music. The tremendous success of the series of novels, the "Left Behind" series, indicates that people who have long felt assaulted and insulted by Hollywood are turning to other sources for some of their entertainment. I also think the development of cable TV, of talk radio and of particularly the Internet have achieved a great decentralization so that we're no longer as dependent on, or subject to, the whims of a handful of network and big-studio executives.
Q: Why is Hollywood's value system so out of sync with the country's values system and hasn't that always been true?
A: I don't think that's true at all. As a matter of fact, Hollywood used to be famous for making patriotic love letters to America and American society and American history.
The darker vision of American life you could say that it turned up from time to time in the film noir movement, for instance. But generally, Hollywood was famous for upbeat entertainment. What it used to mean to have a "Hollywood ending" was an ending where everything worked out for the best, and the Stars and Stripes were fluttering overhead. But look, the other key thing is that part of my criticism of Hollywood is that it is so unrepresentative politically, and that also is a very new thing. It used to be that a lot of the major executives and stars were open, unapologetic Republicans. In fact, Louis B. Mayer, who was the longtime head of MGM Studios, was also for more than 10 years the chair of the Californian Republican Committee. John Wayne, Jimmy Stewart, Clark Gable some of the greatest stars of years' past were open campaigners for the GOP. Today, it is extremely rare to find people in Hollywood who will have anything to do with the Republicans. In fact, two out of three Republican actors in Hollywood go on to be governor of California.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
JWR contributor Bill Steigerwald is an associate editor and columnist at the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Comment by clicking here.
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© 2005, Bill Steigerwald
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