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February 13, 2012
Binyamin Rose: Back to the Bunker: How a life-risking act by a Christian family during the Holocaust saved a family and built a thriving community a world away
Menachem Wecker: Business Schools Teach Real Estate Despite Troubled Housing Market
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
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. 22, 2008
/ 22 Elul 5768
Don't let Internet rumors turn up election incivility
By
Jonathan Gurwitz
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
First it was Barack Obama's turn. Now it's Sarah Palin's.
If you think that kind of ignorance is the sole province of right wing extremists, think again. During the primaries, I read letters to the editor and "facts" forwarded to me from men and women, whites and Hispanics, Christians and Jews from all walks of life. At the time, they more often than not came from disgruntled supporters of Hillary Clinton.
Opinion journalists, by definition, work in a field that is loaded with sociological landmines. If you have a public e-mail address, you expect to encounter a fair share of improvised explosive derisiveness.
In an election year, there's a lot more C4 and Hexolite lying around than usual. What's depressing, but not so surprising, is how many of these charges are loaded with small-minded bigotry.
You think you know who these people are? You think prejudice about race, gender, age or religion isn't playing a role in this election? Think again.
Before I had served on a grand jury, I thought I knew about crime in my hometown of San Antonio, who the criminals were and where they lived until I heard the truckload of cases prosecutors presented.
The guys who beat their wives and molested their stepdaughters, the drug dealers and drug users they didn't only live in the other part of town. They also lived in affluent neighborhoods and led seemingly respectable lives.
In my heart, I had always wanted to believe that anti-social behavior knew no socio or economic boundaries. Serving on a grand jury confirmed that belief. It also prepared me for work on the opinion pages.
Sometimes the messages of "truth" I read are sent anonymously. Other times they're signed by people who live in affluent neighborhoods, are successful professionals and lead seemingly respectable lives.
Frequently I laugh. Mostly I'm embarrassed for them. But as with my inaccurate map of criminal behavior, I am constantly revising my mental atlas of ignorance and bigotry.
Now Sarah Palin is the target of an Internet veracity campaign largely related to her Christian faith. I won't repeat the charges there's not enough space. I will repeat what I wrote in a column refuting baseless lies against Obama: there's so much public factual material to rebuke Obama or Joe Biden or John McCain or Palin that there's no need to traffic in personal fiction.
Why do so many intelligent people help perpetuate such bunk? Why are so many otherwise fair-minded individuals privately susceptible to intolerance or worse?
Part of what's at work here is the old psychology of partisanship as long as something is remotely plausible, it's entirely acceptable in the promotion of a larger political purpose.
The Internet adds a new factor. It gives decent people the ability to read bigoted screeds and outright lies the kind of garbage that formerly appeared only in poorly mimeographed newsletters of extremist groups and then innocently forward them. That's how such notions move from the fringe to the mainstream.
Don't do it. Whatever your party, whoever your candidate of choice, don't spread lies based on hate and ignorance. Don't add to the incivility that has infected our body politic.
When in doubt, check Web sites like FactCheck.org and Snopes.com, which do a good job separating Internet falsehoods from facts.
Better yet, take advantage of the most underutilized function on the keyboard the delete button.
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 by clicking here.
JWR contributor Jonathan Gurwitz, a columnist for the San Antonio Express-News, is a co-founder and twice served as Director General of the Future Leaders of the Alliance program at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. In 1986 he was placed on the Foreign Service Register of the U.S. State Department.
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© 2007, Jonathan Gurwitz
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