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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
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
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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
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
April 17, 2009
23 Nisan 5769
Calling Shots Requires Precision
By
Suzanne Fields
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
Language matters. President Barack Obama learned that in time to give
the command to slay Somali pirates when they threatened imminent death
for Capt. Richard Phillips, their American hostage. This was no time to
go wobbly, indulge weakness in the knees, or stir a pot of mush. The
highly trained Navy sharpshooters were told to shoot to kill. Mission
accomplished.
Soldiers and sailors understand the value of straightforward language.
Adm. David Farragut captured heavily fortified Mobile Bay, ensuring
Union control of the Gulf Coast late in the Civil War, when he signaled
to his fleet: "Damn the torpedoes! Full steam ahead!" No nuance there.
When Gen. Anthony McAuliffe answered the German demand to surrender his
troops at Bastogne in the Battle of the Bulge, there was no mistaking
his meaning: "Nuts!"
Most of us figured Mr. Obama would give in to his penchant for euphemism
and his confidence in his tap-dancing, reducing a confrontation with
piracy on the high seas to a "high-seas contingency operation." The
result would be a "man-caused disaster," and what could the SEALs have
done with that?
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton compounded fears when she announced
that the Obama administration sought "an appropriate 21st-century
response." What in the world did she mean? Sending commands on Twitter
via BlackBerry? Consulting Facebook profiles of the pirates? A call for
Johnny Depp? (Errol Flynn and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Sr. are still
dead.)
Surely, the creepiest words in the contemporary vernacular, whether
describing the behavior of a country or the behavior of a common
criminal, are "appropriate" and "inappropriate." A child who eats peas
on a knife displays "inappropriate" behavior; a child who uses a knife
to cut another child is also guilty of "inappropriate" behavior. Crime
is thus reduced to bad manners.
A tough military response to piracy is "appropriate," whether by Thomas
Jefferson against the pirates of the Barbary Coast or Barack Obama
against the pirates of the Somali coast. These were no rollicking band
of brigands, no "Pirates of Penzance." Nevertheless, Barack Obama surely
was tempted to delay, if not equivocate, whether by drawing up a list of
talking points or suggesting an international forum of "partners" to
debate solutions. We all can be glad he fought back like John Wayne and
not Jimmy Carter, saving the life of a brave man. America didn't ask how
the rescue operation would resonate among "moderate pirates" or how it
would play "on the Arab street," noted William Kristol on "Fox News
Sunday." Instead, the president did it the effective way
unilaterally.
Now the big question is: Can we find the pirates' hiding places? That's
difficult to do, but not impossible. There's no MapQuest to identify
"pirate's lair." No GPS device will tell soldiers where to turn right or
left. Like the Hamas terrorists who hide among innocents, pirates are
difficult to eradicate inside their communities, particularly because
many of them are teenagers protected by families and extended clan.
Collateral damage would include the suffering of civilians. War, even
when it's called "an overseas contingency operation," is hell.
Words shape perception, and euphemistic language obscures reality.
Barack Obama, being a master of rhetoric, is tempted to imagine that his
words are the reality. His new strategy for dealing with the Iranian
nuclear threat is to dispense with the reasonable precondition that Iran
shut down its nuclear program while talking. This also dispenses with
the common sense born of experience in the interest of "sensitivity"
for "Iran's pride." The strategy includes allowing Iranian technicians
to keep their centrifuges spinning but not allowing them to enrich
uranium for a bomb. Both sides could claim "victory."
But there's a problem. The inspectors not only don't know whether hidden
enrichment sites are spinning but also don't know whether they're being
stockpiled. We would have to take what the Iranians say on trust, which
is like taking the word of pirates on trust. Former President Ronald
Reagan, dealing with then-Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, agreed to
trust, but only if it was "trust but verify." Barack Obama, who is
certainly no Ronald Reagan, would count on the Iranians being as naive
as he seems to be.
Administration officials want "to dialogue" with Tehran (bad grammar and
all, speaking of language). Honest dialogue requires language with
specific meaning. A strategy of "sensitivity" when the stakes are so
high, whether with pirates on land or pirates at sea, is, to say the
least, "inappropriate."
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 Suzanne Fields' column by clicking here.
Suzanne Fields Archives
© 2006, Creators Syndicate, Suzanne Fields
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