
 |
|
Nov. 25, 2009
JWisdom.com: No God … No You!
Know God, Know You! with Rabbi Yitzchok Fingerer (8 minutes)
Nov. 24, 2009
JWisdom.com: You are a Philanthropist
with Aliza Bulow (5 minutes)
Nov. 23, 2009
JWisdom.com: Actually, it really is all about you with Rabbi Lawrence Hajioff
Nov. 20, 2009
Nov. 19, 2009
Jonathan Tobin: ADL Crosses the Line with Report Bashing Obama Critics
Nov. 18, 2009
JWisdom.com: The (Jewish) Dating Game
with Rabbi Lawrence Hajioff (8 minutes)
Nov. 17, 2009
Steven Emerson: How Does the 4th Amendment Impact Terror Finance Investigations?
JWisdom.com: If Frank Sinatra married Edith Piaf
with Rabbi Y.Y. Rubinstein (2 minutes) Life lessons from what would be regarded as the most inappropriate lyrics ever sung
Nov. 16, 2009
JWisdom.com: Deconstructing faith
with Rabbi Warren Goldstein (9 minutes)
Nov. 13, 2009
JWisdom.com Sarah's subjective reality
with Rabbi Sroy Levitansky ( 6 minutes)
Nov. 12, 2009
JWisdom.com Does God get tired?
with Rabbi Harvey Belovski ( 5 minutes)
Nov. 11, 2009
JWisdom.com Marriages are not made in Heaven
with Rabbi Lawrence Hajioff (VERY fast 15 minutes)
Nov. 10, 2009
Michael Doyle: Author of book exposing CAIR ordered to remove supporting documents from Web
JWisdom.com If the creation so loudly shouts the existence of the Creator, why aren't more people believers? with Rabbi Naftali Brawer (9 minutes)
|
| |
Jewish World Review
March 10, 2009 / 14 Adar 5769
About Those False Choices
By
Mona Charen
| 
|
|
|
|
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
One of President Obama's strengths is his mild manner. It tends to give
the impression of reasonableness, and is reinforced by his habit of
presenting strongly ideological moves as mere pragmatism. Rather than
acknowledge that he is choosing sides, he spins tales of transcending
"the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long..."
In reversing his predecessor's executive order regarding embryonic stem
cell research, the president outlined the choice as follows: "In recent
years, when it comes to stem cell research, rather than furthering
discovery, our government has forced what I believe is a false choice
between sound science and moral values. In this case, I believe the two
are not inconsistent." You see, there really is no moral quandary worth
considering because "I believe we are called to care for each other and
work to ease human suffering." Everyone is for easing human suffering.
That begs the question: Would the president be in favor of easing human
suffering if it required using the organs of, say, 6-month-old fetuses?
The problem is not that some people are against "sound science" but
rather that science cannot answer questions like "When is human life
worthy of respect and protection?" Those are inherently political
questions that can only be answered by the whole society.
A few sentences later, President Obama himself acknowledged that "sound
science" is not the only consideration. He declared that "we will ensure
that our government never opens the door to the use of cloning for human
reproduction. It is dangerous, profoundly wrong, and has no place in our
society, or any society." Come again? What if human cloning could get
paraplegics to walk again or deliver diabetics from a lifetime of
needles? What if the federal government's refusal to fund such research
caused "some of our best scientists (to) leave for other countries that
will sponsor their work"? Apparently there are moral constraints on
science and President Obama stands ready to impose them.
One of President Obama's first official acts was to announce the closing
of the detention center in Guantanamo Bay and to issue a new executive
order on permissible interrogation techniques. "We reject as false the
choice between our safety and our ideals," the president proclaimed in
his inaugural address. Once again, he dismisses a genuine dilemma as a
false choice. There is no conflict between the two because "It is
precisely our ideals that give us the strength and moral high ground to
. deal with the unthinking violence that we see emanating from terrorism
organizations around the world." Is it? Before 9/11, the U.S. was not
known around the world for subjecting prisoners to harsh questioning.
Did that protect us? Former CIA Director Michael Hayden has offered the
view that tough interrogation succeeded in getting some of the worst
al-Qaida terrorists to talk. "The Abu Zubaydahs, the Khalid Sheikh
Mohammeds, I just can't conceive of any other way, given their
character, given their commitment to what it is they do" he told the
BBC.
This is not to suggest that stress positions, sleep deprivation, or
waterboarding (which was reportedly used in only three cases) are or are
not torture. But it is possible, reasonable people can agree, that in
certain situations such rough treatment of a detainee might actually be
the more moral choice for example, if half a million people would die
from a nuclear explosive hidden in a large city. And once again, one
senses that Obama himself knows this and simply chooses to de-emphasize
it.
Buried in his statement about interrogations was the promise to create a
committee to consider whether the Army Field Manual techniques are too
limiting "when employed by departments or agencies outside the
military." And when members of the Senate Intelligence Committee asked
CIA chief Leon Panetta about a ticking-bomb scenario at his confirmation
hearing, Panetta said, "If we had a ticking-bomb situation and,
obviously, whatever was being used I felt was not sufficient, I would
not hesitate to go to the President of the United States and request
whatever additional authority I would need."
The White House did not contradict the CIA director, which isn't
surprising. We're beginning to understand the pattern. Wave away serious
moral and or policy quandaries; grandstand about your own superior
morals; and hope no one notices that you are contradicting yourself.
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.
Comment on JWR contributor Mona Charen's column by clicking here.
Mona Charen Archives
© 2006, Creators Syndicate
|
|

Arnold Ahlert
Mitch Albom
Michael Barone
Dave Barry
Tony Blankley
Andy Borowitz
David Broder
Stratfor Briefing
Mona Charen
Linda Chavez
Ann Coulter
Greg Crosby
Larry Elder
Suzanne Fields
John Fund
Frank J. Gaffney
Lloyd Garver
Jonah Goldberg
Julia Gorin
Jonathan Gurwitz
Paul Greenberg
Lewis Grossberger
Victor Davis Hanson
Betsy Hart
Nat Hentoff
David Horowitz
Laura Ingraham
Cheri Jacobus Jeff Jacoby
Paul Johnson
Jack Kelly
Ed Koch
Ch. Krauthammer
Michael Ledeen
John Leo
David Limbaugh
Kathryn Lopez
Rich Lowry
Michelle Malkin
Jackie Mason
Dick Morris
Bill O'Reilly
Jim Mullen
Clarence Page
Kathleen Parker
Dennis Prager
Wesley Pruden
Tom Purcell
Jonathan Rauch
Celia Rivenbark
Robert Robb
Cokie & Steve Roberts
Pat Sajak
Debra J. Saunders
Culture Shlock
Roger Simon
Michael Smerconish
Thomas Sowell
Mark Steyn
John Stossel
Cal Thomas
Bob Tyrrell
Diana West
Dave Weinbaum
George Will
Walter Williams
Byron York
Mort Zuckerman

Robert Arial
Chuck Asay
Baloo
Chip Bok
Dry Bones
Lisa Benson
John Branch
Gary Brookins
John Cole
J. D. Crowe
John Deering
Brian Duffy
Everything's Relative
Mallard Fillmore
Jake Fuller
Bob Gorrel
Joe Heller
David Hitch
Jerry Holber
Steve Kelley
Jeff Koterba
Dick Locher
Chan Lowe
Ranan R. Lurie
Jimmy Margulies
Rick McKee
Michael Ramirez
Kevin Siers
Jeff Stahler
Ed Stein
Danna Summers
John Trever
Gary Varvel
Kirk Walters

How 2
Lori Borgman
The Savvy Consumer
Elder matters
Fixit
Dr. Peter Gott
GET A JOB! by Marty Nemko
Richard Lederer
Tech Maven
Every Monday Matters
Nutrition Myths
Bookmark These
Bruce Williams
How Stuff Works
|