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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
June 25, 2009
/ 3 Tamuz 5769
Fair comment or foul? Warm up the Muzzle Meter
By
Michael Smerconish
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
When a 45-year-old grandmother doesn't take kindly to jokes about a pregnant daughter, a murder victim is dismissed as a mass murderer, and the nation's first Latina nominee to the Supreme Court is herself deemed a racist, it's time for the Muzzle Meter.
Recall that the Muzzle Meter (MM) is my measuring rod for evaluating speech with possible PC implications. A high score indicates truly offensive speech (like Mel Gibson's anti-Semitic drinking binge — a 10 on the MM), while a low score means the outrage is unwarranted (as when then-Sen. Joe Biden called Barack Obama an "articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy" — a zero on the MM and a comment Obama obviously forgave).
It's all gut-based. No science here and no political litmus applied. Like Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart once wrote about pornography: "I know it when I see it. …"
—Sarah Palin and David Letterman. The saga began after the Palins spent a weekend in New York. Soon afterward, Letterman dedicated part of his opening monologue and his entire Top 10 List to the Alaskan first family's visit.
At the show's outset, he noted "one awkward moment" from Palin's attendance of a Yankees game: "During the seventh inning, her daughter was knocked up by Alex Rodriguez." The problem? Willow Palin, 14, had accompanied her mom to the game.
Then came the Top 10 List, which featured purported highlights of the Palins' weekend in the Big Apple. Number two: "Bought makeup at Bloomingdale's to update her slutty flight attendant look."
This calls for a multitiered scoring. With regard to the "slutty flight attendant" joke, Palin is a national public figure who was subject to this ridicule on a late-night comedy show. She should be able to handle such irreverence as it comes with the celebrity profile she herself has cultivated. MM Reading: 2.
Worse was the joke about impregnating her daughter. Letterman insisted that he was referring to Bristol Palin, who's 18 and already a mother. But as delivered (he didn't specifically mention either daughter by name), the "knocked up" joke garners an MM Reading of 8. If Letterman had made clear he was referring to the 18-year-old, that score could be halved, but it was the 14-year-old at the game.
Most insightful has been the reportage of the Washington Post's Paul Farhi, who tabulated the number of times late-night comedians made light of the Palin pregnancy last fall during the campaign. Some jokes were in worse taste than Letterman's, which begs the question: Why did this one draw such a reaction? Letterman's timing was waaaay off.
(Am I the only one wondering what A-Rod thinks?)
—Leon Panetta. The CIA director, discussing Dick Cheney's frequent public criticism of the Obama administration's approach to the war on terror, told the New Yorker that "it's almost as if" the former vice president was "wishing that this country would be attacked again, in order to make his point." John McCain called that comment "really out of bounds," and the former VP said he hoped "his old friend Leon" was misquoted. Then, a CIA spokesman sought to defuse the controversy by saying Panetta was "simply expressing his profound disagreement with the assertion that President Obama's security policies have made our country less safe."
The "clarification" by the CIA was warranted. Political opponents can disagree over the tactics employed to prevent terror, but it crosses the line to say a public servant wishes for such a result. MM Reading: 7.
—Randall Terry. The founder of the antiabortion group Operation Rescue said George Tiller, the abortion doctor shot and killed at his church several weeks ago, was "a mass murderer and, horrifically, he reaped what he sowed."
Whatever Tiller did while alive, he did within the bounds of the law. The same cannot be said for the man who gunned down Tiller. Terry offered an unwarranted legal (and moral) equivalency between Tiller and Scott Roeder, the man charged with the murder. MM Reading: 9.
—Newt Gingrich. Gingrich, the former speaker playing footsy with a run for president in 2012, tweeted his displeasure: "White man racist nominee would be forced to withdraw. Latina woman racist should also withdraw." (He has since admitted, "The word racist should not have been applied to Judge Sotomayor as a person.")
No doubt both had Sotomayor's 2001 speech, "A Latina Judge's Voice," on their minds when they invoked the r-word. That's the now-infamous address during which Sotomayor said she would hope that a wise Latina judge "would more often than not reach a better conclusion" than a wise white male.
Gingrich was correct in his retraction. Criticism of the 2001 speech is, of course, within bounds. Labeling her a racist is not only wrong and appalling, but it also demeans real discourse as to her fitness to serve on the court. MM Reading: 8.
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.
Previously:
06/08/09 Believability is key in crime-hoax villains
05/14/09 Did Hollywood inspire the meltdown men?
04/20/09 Let's give killers their due: Anonymity
03/12/09 Uninsured who can't afford medical care lose a lot more
02/06/09 My debate with Musharraf on hunt for bin Laden
01/29/09 Torture must remain an option
01/15/09 Making a case for suing Madoff
12/22/08 A difficult but rational chat about plans
12/17/08 Facebook epidemic: More than 120 million have joined, many too old for this nonsense
12/01/08 The high price of downsizing the news biz
11/14/08 Prescience on greed, arrogance of a system
09/29/08 Closer look at party lines
08/26/08 Obama's pick creates GOP opportunity
08/21/08 Fishing with the Angry Everyman
07/31/08 The perils of e-mail: Ponder, then click
05/22/08 Two very different sides of the Internet
02/12/08 Sublimely ridiculous suits
11/28/08 Cell phones cut out secondary circle of kinship
09/26/07 What do we owe those who have died in Iraq?
08/30/07 A Navy SEAL's gut-wrenching tale of survival
07/30/07 First it was a faux pas, now it's a new word
© 2008, The Philadelphia Inquirer Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services
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