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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
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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)
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
Sept. 18, 2009
/ 29 Elul 5769
Diversionary Tactics on Both Sides
By
Linda Chavez
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
Instead of a debate on the merits of President Obama's health care proposals or congressional Democrats' failure to produce a bill that has any chance of bipartisan support, we've been diverted this week by a disgraceful sideshow. Thanks to pundits and bloggers and political opportunists of all stripes, Rep. Joe Wilson's (R-S.C.) cry "You lie" became the shot heard 'round the world. Now, we have the unpleasant spectacle of the president's most fawning supporters suggesting anyone who opposes his policies must be racist, while the president's opponents defend discourtesy as a badge of honor.
Let's take a deep breath and go back to what actually happened in the House chamber when the president addressed a joint session of Congress to promote health care reform. Ironically, President Obama had just finished declaring that critics were telling lies about his health care proposals. He referred to "bogus claims spread by those whose only agenda is to kill reform at any costs," and then said that the best example was "prominent politicians" who had accused the administration of planning to "set up panels of bureaucrats with the power to kill off senior citizens." He then went on to say that the claim was "a lie, plain and simple."
I can't remember the last president who called his opponents liars at least to their faces. And if Joe Wilson hadn't forgotten he was on the floor of the House of Representatives, not a schoolyard or bar, we might actually have seen criticism of the president for his over-the-top rhetoric, not to mention a focus on the misstatements, exaggerations, and downright dishonesty of much of what the president said that night. Instead, we're all talking about Joe Wilson and whether he's a racist or a hero. In my book, he's neither.
Former President Jimmy Carter's assertion that "there's an inherent feeling among many in this country that an African-American should not be president," is a calumny of the first order. Americans are the least racist people in the world that's not my judgment; it's born out by every cross-national assessment of racial attitudes taken in the last several decades. Does that mean there are no racists in America? Of course not about one in 10 Americans holds some prejudicial views about people of other races, a figure that has remained relatively constant over the last few decades. But, bigotry comes in all colors. In a 2007 Pew Research Center poll, one of the few studies that measured interracial attitudes among minorities as well as whites, about 8 percent of whites harbored animus towards blacks, while 10 percent of blacks held similarly negative views of whites.
Calling somebody a racist has become the new McCarthyism not much different than calling someone a communist, without any evidence, during the Cold War. It's a dangerous game and one that should discredit those who hurl the epithet every bit as much as it harms the one at whom it's aimed. Just as McCarthyism undermined the legitimate fight against actual communists, calling everyone who doesn't agree with an African-American president a racist will make it harder to fight real racism if it occurs.
I'm still not willing to let Rep. Wilson totally off the hook, however. He behaved badly and there is no excuse for it. He owed an apology not just to the president to whom he did apologize almost immediately but to his colleagues as well. I learned long ago that the best way to get beyond a mistake and name-calling during a presidential speech certainly qualifies is to say you're sorry, without excuses, exceptions or justifications. He should have put the matter to rest with a one-minute speech on the floor of the House the morning after the outburst. Maybe he wouldn't have become a folk hero to those on the right who favor guerilla theater, but if he had apologized to his colleagues for his discourteous behavior, maybe we could have spent the week talking President Obama's misrepresentations instead of Joe Wilson's name-calling.
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.
JWR contributor Linda Chavez is President of the Center for Equal Opportunity. Her latest book is "Betrayal: How Union Bosses Shake Down Their Members and Corrupt American Politics". (Click HERE to purchase. Sales help fund JWR.)
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© 2006, Creators Syndicate
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