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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
August 26, 2009
6 Elul 5769
In the Land Beyond Outrage
By
Roger Simon
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
Ask Dr. Politics! You ask the questions; we lack the outrage.
Dear Dr. Politics: I am outraged by the release of the Lockerbie Bomber. This guy kills 270 people, including 189 Americans, and now goes free while cheering crowds in Libya strew flower petals in his path. Where is the outrage?
Reply: Unfortunately, outrage no longer exists. Maybe it all got used up. We all now live in the Land Beyond Outrage. Once upon a time, killing a lot of people was considered pretty serious. Now? Not so much.
In 2001, Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al-Megrahi, a former Libyan intelligence agent, was convicted of 270 murders in the 1988 Lockerbie bombing and was sentenced to life in prison. Now, just eight years later, he has been released because Scottish Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill says Megrahi has only weeks to live due to prostate cancer.
Dr. Politics is tempted to ask: If a mass murderer has only weeks to live, why not just let him die in prison? (And, by the way, Megrahi looked in very good health on TV after his release, walking around all by himself, no hospital gurneys, no wheelchairs.) But Kenny MacAskill — and we admit having difficulty taking seriously any official called "Kenny"— has a different view.
"In Scotland, we are a people who pride ourselves on our humanity," Kenny says. "It is viewed as a defining characteristic."
It is? Has this guy never seen the movie "Braveheart"? As we recall, the Scots chopped up an awful lot of people because they had it coming. In fact, the Scots chopped up an awful lot of people who didn't have it coming. We don't remember "humanity" being anybody's defining characteristic.
But that was the 13th century, and besides, Kenny has another argument. "Mr. al-Megrahi faces a sentence imposed by a higher power," Kenny says. "He is going to die."
Well, heck, Kenny, we are all going to die. So why punish anybody?
Some suggest, however, that it was neither humanity nor fatalism that motivated Kenny. Some suggest the true motivation was the desire by powerful commercial and political interests in the United Kingdom to develop Libya's vast oil reserves.
And some are now calling for a boycott of Scottish goods, especially of the $610 million in whiskey the Scots sell in this country every year.
Somehow, we think we are more likely to see a boycott of haggis.
Dear Dr. Politics: I forgave South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford when he "hiked the Appalachian Trail" with his Argentine mistress because he said he was doing it for love. But now I read that he has been using state aircraft for pleasure trips. Outrageous!
Reply: Dr. Politics thinks politicians work very, very hard and deserve a few perks.
So we were not outraged when we read an investigation by The Associated Press that revealed Sanford charged taxpayers more than $37,600 for overseas first-class and business-class flights even though state law requires him to fly on lowest-cost travel when he flies commercial.
"If you're going to step straight into business meetings that have significant economic consequence for the people of our state, you need to have gotten some level of sleep the night before," Sanford said, explaining why he could not fly in coach with the rest of us cattle.
We also were not outraged to learn in a separate AP investigation that Sanford spent $50,000 in taxpayer money to take his kids on state planes to sporting events and thousands more to fly himself to dentist appointments and a haircut.
Sanford, who became famous by making state employees use both sides of Post-it notes and also tried to block $700 million in federal stimulus money from reaching South Carolina, took a state plane on March 10, 2006, to fly from Myrtle Beach, S.C., to Columbia, S.C., to get a haircut.
The drive would have taken him three hours, so you can see why he needed a plane. He took off at 2:35 p.m. and made his haircut appointment at 3 p.m. He had no other appointments on his official schedule that day. And the flight cost taxpayers only $1,265.
John Edwards probably told him it was OK.
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© 2009, Creators Syndicate
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