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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
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May 23, 2012
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May 22, 2012
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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
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Chris Farrell : Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
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The Kosher Gourmet by Mario Batali: Famed chef's veal shoulder farsumagru: A festive meat course for late spring
May 18, 2012
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
July 28, 2005
/ 21 Tammuz, 5765
No secret handshakes but Dem hands sure do shake at the thought of the Federalist Society
By
Bob Tyrrell
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
With the nomination of Judge John G. Roberts, Jr.
to the Supreme Court by President George W. Bush, Democrats and liberals
usually one and the same are again fastening their attention on a
national organization composed mainly of libertarian conservative lawyers
and judges called the Federalist Society. The Society is not open solely to
adepts of the law. Others too can join. I myself have been a member in good
standing for some years and can report that the Society exerts no secret
demands on its members. I have not had to learn any secret handshake or
attend late-night meetings in any sacred groves. We learn no mumbo jumbo
save for the usual legal terms known by many Americans, for instance, malum prohibitum , quid pro quo , dormio ergo sum .
Nonetheless, the Federalist Society fetches Democrats' curiosity
and occasional indignation. Says Professor Erwin Chemerinsky of the Duke Law
School, "I only want the left to have its own Federalist Society." He is a
man of the left, and I hope his aspirations will be realized. Such groups
are vital to the life of the mind and to the commonweal, whether they adopt
secret handshakes or wear funny hats as do the Shriners and the Elks.
The matter of the handshake has proved to be a particular
sudorific for Democrats, along with the frequent incidence of Federalist
Society members among the president's appointees to the judiciary. Applying
his stethoscope to Judge Roberts, the Hon. Richard J. Durbin, Democratic
minority whip, has observed, "As we try to monitor the legal DNA of
President Bush's nominees, we find repeatedly the Federalist Society
chromosome" another of the Hon. Durbin's literary flights! "Why is it,"
he asks, "that membership in the Federalist Society has become the secret
handshake of the Bush nominees?" I repeat: There is no handshake. What
there is is an intelligent interest in the law.
Since its beginning in 1982, the Federalist Society, a
discussion group devoted to speculating on the law and promoting certain
principles of judicial behavior, has grown to include more than 25,000
members. Prof. Chemerinsky and Sen. Durbin are welcome to join. The reason
for the group's growth is to be found in one of my few idealistic beliefs,
to wit, intelligent minds yearn for intelligent thought. Years ago, many of
the "best and the brightest" were on the left, and there, one would find
intelligent advocacy of at least plausible positions. Now, there does not
seem to be a great deal of intelligence on the left, only anger and
name-calling. In part this is because the so-called liberal is immersed in
identity politics often solely to pursue power.
Any dissent from the liberal orthodoxy is greeted with
indignation. The dissenter's motives are always called into question. In the
Federalist Society there is a serious regard for the law and how a law might
square with the Constitution. There is a sense that judicial restraint must
be practiced. If the law does not conflict with the Constitution, it is not
a judge's role to change the law. This, the liberal calls judicial activism,
but of course it is not activism. It is restraint.
Much of the criticism of the Federalist Society issues from what
historians since the 1950s have recognized as "the paranoid style" of
politics, seeing opponents as conspirators, not simply opponents. One
so-called liberal group, the Institute for Democracy Studies, has claimed
that the Federalist Society is part of "the infrastructure underlying the
right-wing assault on the democratic foundations of our legal system." Yet
there is no "infrastructure" and there is no assault on democratic
foundations. At the Federalist Society there is mainly an ongoing debate on
the law and the role of courts. All members of the Society believe that the
courts, being the least democratic of our branches of government, must not
gain preponderate influence over the elected branches, the presidency and
the legislature.
If any people in the debate are anti-democratic, it is those who
denounce opponents as conspirators and advocate a judiciary superior to
elected officials. Thankfully, they are in the minority, and they will
remain in the minority so long as they propound unintelligent ideas. That is
my idealistic belief. Just call me a progressive.
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 Bob Tyrrell is editor in chief of The American Spectator. Comment by clicking here.
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