
 |
|
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
|
| |
Jewish World Review
Nov. 17, 2006
/ 26 Mar-Cheshvan, 5767
Hogans, heroes
By
Diana West
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
Whatever comes of gridlock on Iraq and everything else, here's a rule of thumb: When the flak flies, don't jump into a foxhole with a Republican. Quite simply, Republicans are a menace, at least to other Republicans.
Take Mel Martinez, the Republican senator from Florida President Bush tapped to become Republican National Committee chairman. Best known for cheering on amnesty for illegals by the millions (i.e, for supporting President Bush's "comprehensive" immigration plan), Martinez marked his RNC nomination by baiting some large number of Republicans who would like to see the government secure the nation's borders instead. Equating what he called "border security only" with "harshness only," Martinez referred to Republican electoral losses and said: "It's not about bashing people; it's about presenting a hopeful face." Too bad it's not about presenting a "hopeful face" to all those Republicans Martinez was bashing.
Where can bashed Republicans go? The modern GOP is about as politically correct and prey to special interest groups as the Democratic Party. I say this following a shameful party purge in Florida. There, the state Republican Party, up to and including Gov. Jeb Bush, came down ton-of-bricks-like on two Hernando County Republicans who publicly decried Islam as a "hateful and frightening religion."
Actually, it was Mary Ann Hogan who used the language in a blistering, pre-election letter to Hernando Today complaining about county employees being used to ferry children's games to a mosque celebrating the end of Ramadan (a holiday, she noted, that "Muslims in Iraq" marked by killing more American soldiers than we had lost in a long time). When asked to apologize, her husband, County Commissioner Tom Hogan Sr., steadfastly echoed his wife's opinion: "Overall, worldwide, it certainly is," said Hogan, a founder of the county GOP. "Don't you read your own paper?"
Faster than you can say "Stalinist show trial," the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) called on Gov. Bush to fire Hogan, whose term, as it happened, expired this week. I wish I could report that Gov. Bush, outraged, sent CAIR the Hamas-linked group, several of whose associates have been convicted or deported on terrorism-related charges packing. But he didn't. He condemned the couple, triggering a chain of condemnations from the state GOP chairman, the Republican gubernatorial candidate (now Gov.-elect Charlie Crist), and, of course, in the local media. The Democratic gubernatorial candidate condemned them, too, and Crist dropped Mrs. Hogan from his campaign organization, Women for Crist. When CAIR calls, the GOP jumps.
Bucking this trend of capitulation, Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite (Florida Republican) responded with a vigorous defense of the Hogans' freedom of speech a freedom, she wrote, Jeb Bush and Co. were quick to forget advising CAIR that its "area of concern should not be focused on the statements of the Hogans, but rather upon the actions of many in your community who created these beliefs." This bold congresswoman (thankfully re-elected) was the GOP exception. The party line demanded the Hogans recant.
The couple refused to apologize for calling Islam "hateful and frightening." I can only say, bravo, Hogans.
Why? Having written thousands of words on Islam, I haven't used precisely the Hogans' language. I have used many other words to refute the comforting but untrue consensus that Islam has nothing to do with the generic "terrorism" that has reduced our liberties, and, by introducing fear into American life, diminished us as a people. I have used many other words to describe the appalling process of Islamization, whereby Europe, via Muslim immigration, is being transformed into an Islamic continent increasingly subject to sharia, the Islamic legal system antithetical to Western-style freedom of conscience and equality before the law, and to urge the United States to amend its immigration laws to prevent the same transformation from occurring here.
Is such analysis "bashing people," as Mel Martinez might say, or something to apologize for, as Jeb Bush might demand? Does ostracizing the Hogans render jihad and sharia, the signal points of contact between Islam and the West, not "frightening" and not "hateful"? Of course not. When the GOP renounced the gutsy Hogans for voicing their apprehensions about Islam it also renounced key teachings on freedom of speech (not to mention logic), and that's frightening and hateful in itself.
To be sure, if the Hogans and Ginny Brown-Waite had agreed to mouth the mantra "Islam is peace," it would have made them good Republicans. But it would also have made them lousy in a foxhole.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in Washington and in the media consider "must reading."
Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
JWR contributor Diana West is a columnist and editorial writer for the Washington Times. Comment by clicking here.
Archives
© 2006, Diana West
|