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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
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Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
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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
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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
Oct. 24, 2007
/ 12 Mar-Cheshvan 5768
Cheney, Obama: Closer than they appear
By
Clarence Page
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
Lynne Cheney recently sparked a big laugh at a National Press Club luncheon with her remarks about the criticism that her husband, Vice President Cheney, has taken from Sen. Barack Obama.
"Now, I have told Barack," she quipped, "he really does need to keep these disputes in the family."
Those who keep up with the news know that Mrs. Cheney was referring to her discovery, while researching her new memoir, that the Illinois Democrat is a distant cousin to her Republican husband.
As the electric-haired, rags-to-riches boxing promoter Don King likes to say, only in America! Mrs. Cheney apparently agrees.
"I just thought it was such an amazing American story," she said, "that one ancestor could be responsible down the family line for lives that have taken such different and varied paths."
And, as if that were not enough evidence that this is a small country after all, the Chicago Sun-Times reported in September that Obama is distantly related to President Bush, too. Bush and Obama are descended from Samuel and Sarah Soole Hinckley of 17th-century Massachusetts, Chicago's second largest daily said. Cheney and Obama's ancestors were Mareen and Susannah Duvall, 17th-century immigrants from France.
Obama took the revelation in stride. He told Jay Leno only that he doesn't plan to accompany the vice president on any hunting trips. Smart move.
Politically I don't see a downside for the Cheneys, Obamas or Bushes, except maybe in deciding whether and whom to invite over for Thanksgiving dinner. Lengthy American bloodlines are seldom a negative for American politicians, as long as they don't turn up too many horse thieves.
In fact, for all of our talk about blue bloods and family pedigrees, there's hardly anything more American than having a mulligan stew of races and ethnicity in your family tree.
We learned how rich that stew could be earlier this year when the New York Daily News revealed to the Rev. Al Sharpton that one of his ancestors was not only a slave, but one who was owned by relatives of the late segregationist Sen. Strom Thurmond.
The South Carolina Republican died in 2003, long before Sharpton learned about their family connections. If Sharpton had known, who knows? The New York-based minister-agitator might have tried to hit Thurmond up for some reparations.
And Thurmond turns out to have been, shall we say, less of a segregationist in his love life than he was in public. After his death, a retired schoolteacher, Essie Mae Washington-Williams, 78, revealed that she was the offspring of a fling he had with his family's black housekeeper. Like many other segregationist politicians, ol' Strom was more than willing to let his conscience be everyone's guide but his own.
Modern DNA science is adding new dimensions to what we Americans know about ourselves. DNA is even telling us new information about who and how many people our nation's Founding Fathers actually fathered, as Thomas Jefferson's offspring have learned.
On the flip side, it also has produced cases like Wayne Joseph, a Chino, Calif., high school principal of Creole descent who took an ethnic DNA test a few years ago out of curiosity about his genetic history. Much to his surprise, the test found Indo-European, East Asian and Native American DNA, but none from Africa!
Back in the bad old days of segregated Louisiana, it turns out, his ancestors apparently passed as light-skinned blacks in the Creole community instead of trying to pass as Indian or Asian in the white community. Yet after more than 50 years of living as an African American, Joseph told reporters, he could not abruptly stop now. His chromosomes might not show African roots, but his identity was produced by the African American experience.
Stories like these raise thought-provoking questions about how we Americans see ourselves. Culture, which is the values shared by various communities, has a lot more to do with who we are than our skin color does.
The word "multiculturalism" frightens a lot of people. They fear it means a loss of the good things about the culture with which they feel comfortable. But when I asked Mrs. Cheney, a former head of the National Endowment for the Humanities, she said she was all for "multicultural" education, as long as it is "balanced and coupled with a very deep and strong education in the history of the United States."
I agree. The Founding Fathers were hardly perfect people, but let's give them proper credit. The foundation that they laid for this increasingly diverse country was so imperfect that it allowed slavery. But it also brilliantly included the mechanism for its own improvement. A woman or a black man, for example, could hardly have dreamed of being president in this country's early days. Today they can. In fact, it's looking more possible with each passing day.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
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