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May 25, 2012
Mark Clayton: Is Hillary's State Dept. hacking Al Qaeda? Not quite
Erika Bolstad: Temple cancels Wasserman Schultz speech
The Kosher Gourmet by Ethel G. Hofman: The former president of the International Association of Culinary Professionals, whose members included the likes of Julia Child, is back with contemporary Shavous cuisine: Ruby Fruit Soup, Sweet Noodle Kugel with Cheese, Key Lime Curd, Calsone Casserole Frittata with Wild Mushrooms, Sun-dried tomatoes and Olives, Baked Tilapia with Pepper Cheese Cream and Brown Sugar Shortbread
May 24, 2012
Jeff Jacoby: The peace process battered Israel's reputation
Michael Muskal: 'Pro-choice' position hits record low, according to poll
Chris Farrell: Are We in a Tech Bubble?
The Kosher Gourmet by Penelope Wall: PHILLY CHEESE STEAKS --- hold the steak!
May 23, 2012
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Mary Beth Franklin: How to Choose the Right Annuity for You
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The Kosher Gourmet by Emma Christensen:A simple way to do fish right
May 22, 2012
Warren Richey: Can US group challenge overseas surveillance act? Supreme Court to decide
Thomas M. Anderson: Walking Away From a Mortgage
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: Enjoy a celebration of the most rich and layered flavors: Black bean, sweet potato and quinoa chili
May 21, 2012
Mark Clayton: Cybersecurity: How US utilities passed up chance to protect their networks
Howard LaFranchi: NATO summit: Who will foot the bill for long-term Afghanistan security?
Chris Farrell : Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Stephen Whiteside, Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: Social anxiety disorder --- or just shy?
Guy Jackson : Victim's father regrets death of Lockerbie bomber
The Kosher Gourmet by Mario Batali: Famed chef's veal shoulder farsumagru: A festive meat course for late spring
May 18, 2012
Rabbi Berel Wein: Striving: The People of the Book's Book for (All of) the People
Steven Goldberg: 5 Great Stock Picks and the Exchange-Traded Fund that Owns Them
Mary Pickett, M.D.: Ask the Harvard Experts: Don't be forced into gluten-free lifestyle based merely on a doctor's false-positive test
The Kosher Gourmet by Carolyn Malcoun: DIY healthy lunchbox treats: HOMEMADE FRUIT BARS for kids and brown-bagging adults alike
May 17, 2012
Warren Richey: Teacher fired for being unwed and pregnant can sue religious school, court rules
Josh Mitnick: Netanyahu's 'centrist' coalition is already proving it's anything but
Steven Goldberg: Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Amina Khan: Research links coffee to lower death rates
The Kosher Gourmet by Faith Duran : Cheesy Potato Breakfast Casserole with Cheddar and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
May 16, 2012
Carmen Terzic, M.D., Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: A variety of exercises can help improve balance
Melissa Healy: National strategy on Alzheimer's disease aims to halt it by 2025
The Kosher Gourmet by Joyce White : GOODNESS GRACIOUS: GREENS! 4 winning recipes that are no longer just for down-home folks (Includes expert tips & techniques)
May 15, 2012
Kristen Chick: Obama administration resumes arms sales to Bahrain despite serious unresolved human rights issues. Activists feel abandoned
Pat Mertz Esswein: Homes are now affordable again and mortgage rates are low. What you need to know before you buy
Kathy Kristof: Our Practical Investor Fights Inflation with These 6 Investments
Sue Hubbard, M.D.: The Kid's Doctor: Lactose intolerant young child? Check again
The Kosher Gourmet by Kathy Hunt: Spread a Little Excitement with EXOTIC CONDIMENTS (4 RECIPES)
May 14, 2012
Lisa Gerstner: How to Protect Your Identity, Finances If You Lose Your Phone
Harvard Health Letters: Heart disease and dementia
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: MANGO COCONUT OAT MORNING MUFFINS are a bright but hearty delight
May 11, 2012
Jessica L. Anderson: Get the Best Deal on a Used Car
Jett Stone: Forget face-lifts and fake knees. Scientists have seen the fountain of youth --- and it's broccoli
The Kosher Gourmet by Chef Mario Batali: The famed chef's vegetable dish that tastes true to the season: FAVAS AND SUGAR SNAP PEAS WITH POTATOES AND TARRAGON
May 10, 2012
Sergei L. Loiko: Putin sends warning to U.S., NATO in Victory Day speech at Red Square
Mary Rourke: How being a 'mentch' got Vidal Sasoon his start and fighting in Israel's War of Independence provided him with confidence and a strong sense of his own identity
Jeff Bertolucci: Get Home Phone Service for Less Than $10 a Month
The Kosher Gourmet by Betty Rosbottom: Gleaming with its golden, crimson, and snowy white hues, this silken smooth and creamy STRAWBERRY ORANGE TRIFLE looks impressive, but is easy to prepare
May 9, 2012
Sharon Palmer, R.D. How you can reduce your risk -- or delay -- chronic diseases associated with aging
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Jewish World Review
May 10, 2011
/ 6 Iyar, 5771
A tortuous route to the right thing
By
Wesley Pruden
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
Torture is not nice. Nice people do not torture (except in rare circumstances). We can all agree on that much -- depending, of course, on the definition of "torture". The New York Times, for example, says it hates torture but having to read a New York Times editorial is the pure torture forbidden by the Geneva Convention.
"Waterboarding," the "enhanced interrogation technique" that makes a suspect think he's drowning when he actually isn't, is not very nice -- but it is effective. The CIA estimates that up to 70 percent of what it knows about Osama bin Laden's terrorist empire was obtained through "enhanced interrogation techniques." Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the mastermind of the 9/11 operation, sang his entire repertoire of insider detail after the CIA interrogators gave him a bath.
We have the informed word of Leon Panetta, the CIA chief and soon-to-be the chief at the Pentagon, for that. When Brian Williams of NBC News asked him whether waterboarding of al-Qaeda suspects led to the capture and killing of Osama bin Laden, Mr. Panetta hemmed a little and hawed a little, until the interviewer pressed a little. "One final time," he asked, "'enhanced interrogation techniques' -- which has always been kind of a handy euphemism in these post-9/11 years -- that includes waterboarding?"
Mr. Panetta replied with neither hem nor haw: "That's correct."
Michael Hayden, who preceded Mr. Panetta as CIA chief, tells a radio interviewer there was a straight line between the intelligence gleaned from interrogations of terrorist suspects and the moment that a Navy Seal fired the shot that dispatched Osama into eternity. The statements of Messrs. Panetta and Hayden were statements of the perfectly obvious for everyone but those too weak and too delicate to bring themselves to look at the world as it actually is.
This does not fit the story line of the ladies of the mainstream media. The New York Times, whose violins are tuned to play only one note and then only with its string section mounted astride a familiar drove of hobby horses, insists that waterboarding and other memory enhancers contributed only "a small role at most" in pinpointing Osama's hideout. Eugene Robinson, a sob sister for The Washington Post editorial page, so far as anyone knows was not present when interrogations revealed the name and significance of Abu Ahmed al-Kuwaiti, bin Laden's prized courier. Nevertheless, he insists there was "no proof -- and not even any legitimate evidence -- that torture cracked the case," adding, "I believe the odds are quite good that the CIA would have gotten onto al-Kuwaiti's trail somehow or other." But "somehow or other" presidents and the men and women responsible for protecting the nation's national security can't afford to gamble recklessly, whatever Mr. Robinson's reassuring "odds" may be.
The pious and the self-righteous are unable to indulge the sentiments of gratitude and celebration the rest of us feel. They're severely cross about what the Navy Seals accomplished with the help of the CIA interrogators. Celebrating the dispatch of Osama to a netherworld crack house of a paradise -- we can only imagine what his 72 virgins look like -- would emphasize how much Barack Obama and the rest of us owe to George W. Bush, who organized the pursuit of Osama bin Laden and who put in place the methods used to run him to ground (or, if you like, to sea).
This is something neither the Hyde Park messiah nor what is left of his cult will talk about. President Obama, in introducing Mr. Panetta as his CIA chief shortly before the inauguration, gave a ringing declaration that he would never do what George W. did, and what he has now done himself, in pursuit of keeping the nation safe from catastrophe. "I was clear throughout this campaign and was clear throughout this transition that under my administration the United States does not torture. We will uphold our highest ideals . . . We must adhere to our values as diligently as we protect our safety with no exceptions." Hmmmmm. "No exceptions," the man said.
We can be grateful that Mr. Obama is capable of distinguishing between then and now, between theory and real life, between moonshine and the expensive bonded stuff even if members of his cult can't. One day, when man is finally perfected and all rough places are made smooth, we can live by the Golden Rule. Until then presidents now and in future will do what they have to do, and leave the boilerplate piety to the blowhards of press and tube.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
JWR contributor Wesley Pruden is editor emeritus of The Washington Times. Comment by clicking here.
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