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May 24, 2013

Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb: When I didn't so 'humbly disagree'

Caroline B. Glick: Thank you, Hafez al-Assad

Diana West: From the Brooklyn Bridge to London
Morgan Housel: Why spotting bubbles is so much harder than you think

Environmental Nutrition editors: NuVal labeling to the rescue?

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom : Memorial Day: Jews Serving and KIA in War on Terror; Liberace Bio-Pic; Jew Wins "Survivor"; Shalom, Dr. Brothers; More

The Kosher Gourmet by Emma Christensen: HIDE THESE FROZEN TREATS FROM THE KIDDIES!: Sangria pops; Irish cream pudding pops; mango Lassi pops

May 22, 2013

John Thorne: They launched the 'Arab Spring' but now yearn for the good old days of a strongman

John Rosemond: 'Disciplinary math' adds up to parental successl

Warren Richey: Are prayers before public meetings OK? Supreme Court to decide
Rick Montgomery: Use of ADHD drugs as study aid raises concern on campuses

Brierley Wright, M.S., R.D.: 6 convincing reasons you should keep carbs in your diet

Eoin O'Carroll: Scientists examine nothing, find something

The Kosher Gourmet by Carole Kotkin: This soup is made from one of the great pleasures of spring: A wonderful pairing of rosy color and earthy tang

May 20, 2013

Richard A. Serrano: Is Meir Kahane's assassin now a changed man?

Hannan Adely: Town raises Palestinian flag at City Hall

Melissa Healy: Genetic copies of living people from embryos no longer science fiction
Morgan Housel: When smart investors do stupid things

Sharon Saloman, M.S., R.D.: Hunger games: Eat more, weigh less, without starving

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom : Jews Inducted into Rock Hall of Fame; Anton Yelchin co-stars in New "Trek" film; Kutcher (but not Kunis) visits Israel; Jewish TV Star Praises Jewish Rap Star

The Kosher Gourmet by Cathy Pollak: WARNING: This WALNUT CAKE WITH PRALINE FROSTING, perfect for afternoon coffee, is addicting

May 13, 2013

Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo: Why the giving of the document that would permanently change the world could only be done in desolation

David G. Savage: Church-state, literally? Supreme Court weighing public school graduation in a church

Emily Alpert: Recession dragged down birth rates for less-educated women
Morgan Housel: The deep downside of home ownership

Peter Teffer: Will Dutch police soon be stalking cybercriminals on your computer?

Heidi McIndoo, M.S., R.D.: Meatless 'meat' can have its own set of problems

The Kosher Gourmet by Diane Rossen Worthington: Celebrate! This must-try appetizer is delicate yet has depth of flavor: Corn-Leek Cakes with Caviar, Smoked Salmon and Creme Fraiche

May 10, 2013

Rabbi Berel Wein: Be all that you should be

Caroline B. Glick: The dirty little secret about Israel's Arabs

Mona Charen: Hawking's Moral Calculus: The man and the movement he embraces
Morgan Housel: The biggest retirement myth ever told

Sandi Doughton: Eyes may provide new insight into brain problems

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom : The Great Gatsby's Jewish Ties; Jews in the "Time 100 list" List; People's Most Beautiful Women

The Kosher Gourmet by Linda Gassenheimer: A sweet-hot meal: Pear salsa spices up salmon

May 8, 2013

Peter Ford: Why China is welcoming both Israel's Netanyahu and Palestinians' Abbas

Warren Richey: Obama administration quietly backs out of appeal over new contraceptive mandate

Fred Weir: At Kerry-Putin meeting, US-Russia relations thaw --- a tad
Amanda Paulson: Study reveals sad truths about community colleges

Harvard Health Letters: Evidence weak that zinc, echinacea are beneficial

The Kosher Gourmet by Leela Cyd Ross : Almost too pretty to eat, this colorful salad with Sicilian inspiration will tickle the taste buds and delight your visual sensibility

May 6, 2013

Edmund Sanders and Patrick J. McDonnell: Think Israel's objective in Syria is to weaken Assad or embolden the rebels? Think again

Brian Bennett: Israeli airstrikes may show weakness in Syrian defense

Michael Ollove: Millions of ex-felons, parolees and those on probation are about to be entitled to tax-payer paid health coverage
Karen Kaplan: Most men can skip PSA test for prostate cancer, urologists say

Kimberly Lankford: How to track down a lost life insurance policy

Dream of Mars exploration achievable, experts say

The Kosher Gourmet by Susan M. Selasky: EGGPLANT WRAPS are an easy, sumptuous and scrumptious meal

May 3, 2013

Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo: Human Courage and the Unavoidable, Disturbing Text

Steven Emerson: Attorney General Fights CAIR in Court, Lauds it in Public

Mediterranean diet helps beat dementia: study
Harvard Health Letters: When to be screened for a hearing problem

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom : Iron Man's Jewish Connections; Marc Maron's New TV Show; Martin Landau Grows Up with Israel; Shalom, Allan Arbus

The Kosher Gourmet by Diane Rossen Worthington: A sweet surprise for Mother's Day dessert

May 1, 2013

Jonathan Rosenblum: An Improbable Journey to Orthodoxy

Jonathan Tobin: Blame Obama, Not Israel for Syria Push

Kids, kittens the Same? With employee perks at struggling Internet pioneer Yahoo! it's hard to tell
Halena M. Gazelka, M.D.: Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: What you need to know about implanted pain relief devices

Sandy Kleffman: Artificial kidney offers hope to patients tethered to a dialysis machine

Jessica Shugart: When it comes to math, MRIs may be better than IQs

The Kosher Gourmet by Mario Batali: The celebrated chef on how high-maintenance ASPARAGUS RISOTTO need not be

April 29, 2013

Roy Gutman: Poland's new Jewish museum celebrates life, doesn't revisit Holocaust

Mark Clayton: Terrorism in America: Is US missing a chance to learn from failed plots?

Kim Murphy: Boston Bomber's 'Svengali' Revealed
Morgan Housel: He's rich, smart and old: Listen to him

Thomas Salinas, D.D.S.: Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: The safety of amalgam fillings

Harvard Health Letters: Tomatoes and stroke protection

Pete Spotts: Tiny satellites + cellphones = cheaper 'eyes in the sky' for NASA

The Kosher Gourmet by Diane Rossen Worthington: Swing into spring with lemon cream pie

April 26, 2013

Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski: The world is a mirror

Caroline B. Glick: Time to confront Obama

Clifford D. May: Defense in the Age of Jihadist Terrorism
Kimberly Lankford: New strategies ease pain of paying for long-term care insurance

Howard LeWine, M.D.: Ask the Harvard Experts: Too much ibuprofen?

Sharon Palmer, R.D.: How to feel your best -- with plenty of energy, a healthy weight and optimal mental and physical function -- without driving yourself batty

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom: Jewish Major Leaguers, 2013; New Movies and Comedy Show; Shalom, 'Lumpy' (Leave it to Beaver)

The Kosher Gourmet by Emily Ho : A bright and cheerful salad to herald the warmer months ahead

April 24, 2013

Steven Emerson: Boston Bomber Exposes Islamist Secret

Morgan Housel Admit it: No one has any idea what's going on
Harvard Health Letters: Can you get headaches from headache medication?

Kerri-Ann Jennings, M.S., R.D.: How to easily get more Omega-3s in your diet

Melissa Healy: Pot in a pill: All the pain relief without the smoke

The Kosher Gourmet by Susan Russo: Chipotle Chili Butternut Squash Soup is bold, zesty, hot

April 22, 2013

Ken Dilanian: Counterterrorism's future is unclear

US man departing country arrested on terror charges
Barbara Williams: An unorthodox but growing treatment in a 9-year-old's battle against cancer

P.J. Skerrett, M.D.: How to recognize a good whole grain product

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom: Teen actor Jonah Bobo in New Flick: Hunky James Wolk on Mad Men; Erich Segal's Daughter Writes Prize-Winning Jewish Novel


Jewish World Review March 15, 2005 / 4 Adar II, 5765

No better friend; no worse enemy

By Jack Kelly


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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | On Feb. 28th, a suicide bomber killed 125 Iraqi police recruits lined up outside a clinic in Hilla waiting for eye exams. It was the single worst act of terror directed against Iraqis since the conflict began.

The purpose of terrorism is to so frighten people that they won't do what the terrorists don't want them to do. If acts of terror fail to accomplish this result, they are a failure, regardless of how high the body count.

There was another line of volunteers for the Iraqi security forces the next day, and for several days thousands of Iraqis in Hilla demonstrated against the terrorists and demanded that sterner measures be taken against them. Osama bin Laden recognizes terror against Iraqis has become counterproductive. That was behind his message last month urging Abu Musab al Zarqawi, the al Qaeda chieftain in Iraq, to focus on attacks within the United States.

Though viewed with trepidation by the Chicken Littles in the news media, this was an astonishing confession of weakness. Zarqawi has little familiarity with this country, and the FBI is unlikely to let him set up shop here. And if Osama has to pull his man in Iraq out to wage a struggle in North America, al Qaeda's manpower problems must be intense.

Since I don't think bin Laden's cupboard is quite that bare, I suspect he was telling Zarqawi diplomatically: "Cool it, dude. You're hurting the cause. It's time to fold the tent and slink away."

Acts of terror continue, because there is nothing else the resistance can do. It has negligible popular support, which diminishes with each new atrocity. The "insurgents" can't take or hold territory. Getting into fire fights with American soldiers — and, increasingly, with the Iraqi security forces — is an express ticket to Allah. If all you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail. But despite the occasional spectacular success like Hilla, the attacks are diminishing in number and effectiveness. We haven't arrived at the end, but it is in sight.

Historians will note the turning point in the war on terror was when 8.5 million Iraqis defied terrorist threats to vote, and the terrorists couldn't make good on their threats. This gave Iraqis ownership of their country and confidence in the Iraqi police and army, the most visible providers of security for the election. And it broke the grip of fear the terrorists had had upon many.

It was the Iraqi example that triggered the burgeoning Cedar Revolution in Lebanon, and has emboldened freedom seekers in other Arab lands. Totalitarian regimes rule by terror, and can collapse suddenly when people lose their fear of their oppressors. That's why there is so much flop sweat on the brow of Syrian dictator Bashar Assad.

There would have been no elections in Iraq if President Bush hadn't ousted Saddam Hussein, and the Cedar revolutionaries are counting on Bush's support to get the Syrians out of their country.

It's remarkable how rapidly America's image has improved in the Muslim world. Three years ago, Arab moderates were suspicious of America's motives, and doubtful of America's constancy.

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That's changed in part because Bush, like Ronald Reagan before him, has called the tyrants by their right name, and assured the oppressed that America stands with them. More important, he's proven in Iraq he means what he says.

Still, most of the credit for the change in America's image belongs to our servicemen and women. It was an article of faith for Osama and Saddam that Americans were cowards. Drawing on the example of Mogadishu in 1993, they assured their followers that if you kill a few Americans, they'll turn tail. Now, as StrategyPage notes, the highest compliment that can be paid an Iraqi soldier is to tell him he "fights like an American."

In Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim country, support for bin Laden has plummeted and support for the U.S. in the war on terror has skyrocketed. More Indonesians (40 percent) now support the U.S. than oppose us (36 percent). In 2003, 72 percent were opposed.

The chief reason for this startling turnaround was the prompt and effective assistance from the U.S. military after the tsunami. Thanks to President Bush and our troops, many more Muslims now see us as the Marines want to be seen: No better friend; no worse enemy.

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JWR contributor Jack Kelly, a former Marine and Green Beret, was a deputy assistant secretary of the Air Force in the Reagan administration. Comment by clicking here.

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© 2005, Jack Kelly