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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 April 30, 2004 / 9 Iyar, 5764

Too high a Wall

By Jonathan Tobin


Supreme Court's ruling on the Pledge avoids a separationist meltdown


http://www.jewishworldreview.com | Anyone who believes that the rituals that begin school are meaningful ways to instill patriotism is probably too old to actually remember going to school. Indeed, most youngsters have trouble actually saying the words of the Pledge of Allegiance correctly, and have little idea of what they mean.


Thus, all the carrying on about the content of the pledge recited each morning by millions of schoolchildren is something of a theoretical exercise. But it is one that could have a tremendous impact on the future of the U.S. Constitution and American politics. That's why the stakes were high when this week the U.S. Supreme Court overruled a lower court decision that said the inclusion of the words "under G-d" in the pledge was unconstitutional.

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In the case, Elk Grove Unified School District v. Newdow, the court did what it loves to do best: It punted. Rather than rule on the merits of the case, it ruled, that Michael Newdow, the atheist who brought the suit on behalf of his daughter, had no standing to sue the government. The child's mother, a Christian, supports the pledge.

OUT ON A LIMB
The court decided this was more of a custody dispute than a constitutional one, and so spiked the San Francisco-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit that had agreed with Newdow.


The partisans of both sides of this case walked away without a decisive victory. But the vast majority of Americans who support the separation of religion and state, but do not want government to be a G-d-free zone, can breathe a sigh of relief, at least for the moment.


The fact is, savvy liberals understood Newdow's suit was a case of overreaching. Polls show that at least 90 percent of Americans support the inclusion of G-d in the pledge, and the backlash from a ruling in Newdow's favor would have almost certainly handed President Bush a cudgel with which he could have bashed Democratic challenger Sen. John Kerry, in spite of the fact that Kerry opposed Newdow's suit.


And though it is likely that a majority of the current court would have probably ruled against Newdow on the merits had they chosen to do so, the fact that they did not allows separationists to wait for a more propitious moment and a more favorable court to try again.


Daniel Alter, director of civil-rights issues for the Anti-Defamation League, which foolishly supported the pledge ban, told The New Republic that Newdow was a "a good case at the wrong time." But given the innocuous nature of the pledge, it is important to ask the ADL and others who weighed in against "under G-d" whether the interests of the Jews, or any other group of Americans, was really endangered by these two words or the symbolism they convey?


Newdow's suit was not completely out of left field. The 9th Circuit agreed with his reasoning, seeing the 1992 case in which the Supreme Court ruled that a rabbi's nonsectarian prayer at a high school graduation ceremony violated the First Amendment as a binding precedent.


Justice Sandra Day O'Connor disagreed in her concurring opinion, overruling the 9th Circuit when she said that "under G-d" was merely a permissible "ceremonial Deism" rather than religious worship.

'G-D SAVE THIS COURT'
O'Connor wasn't the only one to note irony of an institution which begins each of its sessions with the pronouncement declaring "G-d save the United States and this honorable court," making an issue of the pledge. For all of the talk about the "wall" between religion and state, its hard to point out any part of the federal government in which G-d is a stranger. Both Houses of Congress have chaplains, and G-d is on every coin and dollar bill in our pockets.

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But Justice Clarence Thomas, in a separate opinion backing the pledge, may have been closer to the truth than his colleagues when he concluded that Newdow was right to claim that his suit followed court precedent. Thomas thought the unwillingness of the Supremes to follow the logic of their previous decisions on the pledge illustrates the questionable reasoning that has led us to the point where the mere mention of G-d is controversial.


The First Amendment bans the "establishment" of a government religion. Forcing children to recite sectarian prayers in school was just that, and the Supreme Court was right to ban such prayers in its landmark 1962 decision. This ruling remains unpopular with many, if not most, Americans, who don't understand what it is to be a religious minority. But rather than be satisfied with this step, radical secularists, including some Jews who regard any overlap between religion and state as a threat, have continued to push the envelope ever since.


They have often won, but does anyone really think the presence of clergy at graduation ceremonies threatened anyone's rights?


Is it reasonable to assert that the Constitution must not only be neutral between religions, as our founders intended, but aggressively anti-clerical?


Are we so scared of religion, that we would stigmatize it in this way?


As the pendulum has swung further and further in favor of separation, it is religious believers who have rightly come to think of religious speech as the one form of expression that our courts will no longer protect.


Rather than defending the rights of minorities, this philosophy has given rise to a legal culture that views religious institutions with a suspicion that is both unwarranted and itself oppressive. Courts have ruled that states have a right to ban financial aid for religious studies alone. Giving parents the financial tools to choose whether their children will attend a failing public school, or a good religious school, has been steadfastly opposed in the name of a flawed separationist theory.


Instead of pausing to reload before they try again, this should be a moment for the radicals to rethink their strategy.


Religion has thrived on our shores precisely because we have kept government and faith separate. But those who have made the leap from there to a position in which the government is opposed to faith have misjudged both the American people and the Constitution.


This entirely unnecessary, and in some ways farcical, debate over the pledge should serve as a reminder of what happens when we allow extremists to determine the public agenda. The court should think long and hard about letting them do so again.

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JWR contributor Jonathan S. Tobin is executive editor of the Philadelphia Jewish Exponent. Let him know what you think by clicking here.

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