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May 23, 2012
Tony Pugh: More private colleges offering tuition discounts
Mary Beth Franklin: How to Choose the Right Annuity for You
Tina Susman: The wig wasn't enough: Man gets 13 years for posing as his dead mom
The Kosher Gourmet by Emma Christensen:A simple way to do fish right
May 22, 2012
Warren Richey: Can US group challenge overseas surveillance act? Supreme Court to decide
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
Howard LaFranchi: NATO summit: Who will foot the bill for long-term Afghanistan security?
Chris Farrell : Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Stephen Whiteside, Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: Social anxiety disorder --- or just shy?
Guy Jackson : Victim's father regrets death of Lockerbie bomber
The Kosher Gourmet by Mario Batali: Famed chef's veal shoulder farsumagru: A festive meat course for late spring
May 18, 2012
Rabbi Berel Wein: Striving: The People of the Book's Book for (All of) the People
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
Warren Richey: Teacher fired for being unwed and pregnant can sue religious school, court rules
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
Lisa Gerstner: How to Protect Your Identity, Finances If You Lose Your Phone
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
Jessica L. Anderson: Get the Best Deal on a Used Car
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
Jeff Bertolucci: Get Home Phone Service for Less Than $10 a Month
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 29, 2005
/ 22 Tammuz, 5765
Life in post-identity America
By
Diana West
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
Will the American identity the save-the-world American, the quiet
American, the ugly American, the generous American, the can-do
American disappear during the long war on Islamic terror? In the
following three quotations of the week random, but not
unconnected you can see it slipping away, the victim of a
debilitating cultural amnesia. Which may be pretty tough stuff for
the middle of the summer, but that's the way 2005 goes.
The first quotation is a headline: "Poll Shows Americans, for First
Time, Divided on Use of A-Bombs in 1945." According to this
Associated Press poll, commissioned to mark the 60th anniversary of
the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, a "historical switch"
has taken place. The strong majorities that always supported the use
of "the bomb" to end World War II in the Pacific have, for the first
time, dwindled to an almost even split, with 48 percent of Americans
"strongly" or "somewhat" approving, and 47 percent "strongly" or
"somewhat" disapproving.
Whether this shift is inspired by plain ignorance or a
civilizational death wish, it hardly reflects a robust culture bent
on military triumph, let alone survival. In their disapproval of the
Truman decision that spared a million American casualties (the
projected cost of an invasion of mainland Japan), 47 percent of
Americans reveal a lack of will, even in historical terms, not only
to prize American lives, but also to support the hard decisions to
save them. If not defeatism exactly, such national torpor, stemming
from an unrequited empathy with the enemy, tends to make any victory
ambiguous. Remember Iraq, where, upon liberation, the American flag
draping Saddam's toppled statue had to be whisked away in deference
to similar, politically correct tendencies. And that was just the
beginning.
We muddle through, but the terrible tendencies remain as revealed
in a stunning installment of In the Red Zone, a blog from Iraq by
journalist Steven Vincent. Mr. Vincent reports from Basra, where he
says crooks and corruption are the problem, not terrorism. There, a
Gary Cooper-esque U.S. Air Force captain is in charge of awarding
contracting jobs of up to $1 million. Mr. Vincent's Iraqi friend
Layla has her doubts about the bidders: How does the captain know,
she asks, that he isn't funneling money to extremists or religious
parties that have put a woman's name on their letterhead to win a
bid?
And here goes quotation No. 2: "I certainly hope none of these
contracts are going to the wrong people," he replies, continuing:
"But should we really get involved in choosing one political group
over another? ... I mean, I've always believed that we shouldn't
project American values onto other cultures that we should let
them be. Who is to say we are right and they are wrong?"
Et tu, Captain America? It's one thing to get this mindless mantra
from a Montgomery County public school teacher with rings on his
toes and multiculturalism on his agenda. Maybe projecting American
values onto certain cultures is a stupid idea, but clearly that's
their loss. Meanwhile, there we are, doling out the dollars. Just
listen to Layla: "These religious parties are wrong! Look at them,
their corruption ... the way they treat women! How can you say you
cannot judge them? Why shouldn't you apply your own cultural
values?"
Why, indeed. Do "American values" still exist? Or have they been
re-educated out of existence? Maybe their absence is what explains
the insipid mania for Democracy, The Process, across the Middle
East, regardless of whether terrorists run for office or sharia is
the law of the land. Such non-judgmentalism is everywhere, even
informing Security, The Process, at home.
Or, rather, especially informing Security, The Process, at home.
Consider quotation No. 3, from a New York Times editorial on
commuter safety measures, which post 9/11, 3/11, 7/7 and 7/21
are a brave new way of life. The topic is pretending to search for
bombs, which is what we do in post-identity America. "The police
officers must be careful not to give the impression that every rider
who looks Arab or South Asian is automatically a subject of
suspicion. ... Those who are selected simply because they are
carrying packages should be chosen in a way that does not raise
fears of racial profiling by, for example, searching every fifth
or 12th person, with the exact sequence chosen at random."
Anything to avoid "fears of racial profiling" even death by
murder-bomber. As the captain said, who's to say? In the Exact
Sequence Chosen at Random We Trust. If we deny their identity long
enough, our own will cease to matter.
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 Diana West is a columnist and editorial writer for the Washington Times. Comment by clicking here.
Diana West Archives
© 2005, Diana West
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