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February 10, 2012
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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
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)
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Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
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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
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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
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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
June 2, 2009 / 10 Sivan 5769
It's Not Fair To Casually Call People Racist
By
Mona Charen
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
The nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court has
already achieved a boon for our political culture: It has helped leading
liberals and Democrats to discover that being tarred as a racist on flimsy
grounds is unfair and deeply unpleasant. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.,
for example, when asked on "Face the Nation" to respond to Rush Limbaugh's
and Newt Gingrich's comments about Sotomayor, said, "That's an absolutely
terrible thing to throw around. Based on that statement that one word
'better than' (sic) to call someone a racist is just terrible and I would
hope that Republicans would not do this."
Sen. Feinstein is right as far she went. She avoided one
undeniable fact though. If a white male nominee had been discovered to have
said something similar that he was better situated to judge due to his
background and life experiences than a Latina woman he would be cashiered
so fast as to induce whiplash. Those are the unwritten rules that Limbaugh
and Gingrich are attempting, one suspects, to expose for their
one-sidedness. Nevertheless, the instant labeling of the woman, based on one
unwise remark, is hardly fair. If Democrats are learning this now, that's
excellent news. One hopes they will remember this discovery when the wheel
turns and a Republican nominee is before the Senate. Certainly they didn't
seem to get it as recently as 2002, when President Bush nominated Judge
Charles Pickering to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Then-Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., said Judge Pickering
had displayed an "insensitivity to civil rights, to equal rights, especially
to minorities. ... This (nomination) lays bare the administration's real
position on civil rights." Leading liberal newspapers tolled the bell with
headlines like "Extremist Judge Unfit to Sit on Appeals Court" in the
Atlanta Journal-Constitution and "Say No to This Throwback" in the Los
Angeles Times.
The Democrats succeeded in torpedoing Pickering's nomination
not to mention assassinating his character. More than "insensitive," he was
called a crypto racist with a "segregationist past" (Paul Krugman). When
President Bush offered Judge Pickering a recess appointment to avoid a
Senate filibuster, Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., breathed fire: "Here we are, on
the weekend before a national holiday when we celebrate Martin Luther King's
birthday, and George W. Bush celebrates it by appointing Charles Pickering,
a known forceful advocate for a cross-burner in America, to the federal
court of the United States."
In point of fact, Judge Pickering had been a friend to civil
rights throughout his career. To its credit, the New York Times actually
quoted longtime associates of the judge and members of the black community
in Pickering's hometown who "overwhelmingly support his nomination . . . and
admire his efforts at racial reconciliation." The black chairman of the city
council told the Times, "I can't believe the man they're describing in
Washington is the same one I've known for years." They recalled that as a
young prosecutor in 1967, Pickering had endangered his career (and perhaps
more) by testifying in court against the Imperial Wizard of the Ku Klux
Klan. He was known for hiring black staffers at a time when few white
Mississippians did. Pickering encouraged the chancellor of University of
Mississippi to form the Institute for Racial Reconciliation and served on
its board for many years. Pickering, unlike some white southerners (and many
Democrats currently serving in Congress), chose to send his children to
integrated public schools.
Pickering did preside over the trial of three young men who
burned a cross on the lawn of an interracial couple. Byron York's excellent
account in National Review reveals that Pickering was dismayed by the
Justice Department's decision to negotiate plea bargains with two of the
defendants (including the one Pickering regarded as the ringleader) and
recommend no jail time for them, while asking for seven and a half years for
the remaining defendant. One of those permitted to plea to a misdemeanor was
clearly a racist who had earlier shot a gun into a black man's home, gotten
into fights with black students at school, and convinced his drunk comrades
to burn the cross. Pickering did not think it was just to let him off and
sentence the other defendant, for whom this was a first offense, to more
than seven years. He sentenced him to 27 months, admonishing the defendant
that "the type of conduct you exhibited cannot and will not be tolerated ...
I would suggest to you that during the time you're in prison that you do
some reading on race relations and maintaining good race relations and how
that can be done."
Yet, without blushing, John Kerry transmogrified Judge Pickering
into "a forceful advocate for a cross-burner."
Judge Sonia Sotomayor deserves careful vetting by the
Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee. She may or may not deserve
their vote. But those Republicans should seize this teachable moment to
remember all of the fine candidates Pickering, Miguel Estrada, Robert
Bork and many more who were so shamefully treated by the Democrats who
have suddenly discovered the evil of baseless accusations.
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Comment on JWR contributor Mona Charen's column by clicking here.
Mona Charen Archives
© 2006, Creators Syndicate
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