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July 2, 2009

Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski: The hallmark of a person

Abe Novick: Up, up, and aliya

July 1, 2009

Rabbi Avi Shafran: The Road Taken

The Kosher Gourmet by Marialisa Calta: Get into the holiday spirit with these Star-Spangled desserts

June 30, 2009

Rabbi Binyomin Ginsberg: What makes a great parent?

Caroline B. Glick: Ideologue-in-Chief

June 29, 2009

The Jewish Ethicist by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir: Beware of 'Caveat Emptor'

Steven Emerson: ACLU pushing for more money for Hamas

June 26, 2009

Rabbi Yoni Posnick: Learn the secret to a healthy marriage from a scriptural villain

Caroline B. Glick: Barack Obama vs. International Law

June 25, 2009

Rabbi Shimon Apisdorf: The Absurd Power of Truth

Jordan "Gorf" Gorfinkle's strip: Everything's Relative

June 24, 2009

Rabbi Yonason Goldson: Advancement of technology is a wake-up call for humanity

The Kosher Gourmet by Andrea Weigl: Summer on a stick: Making frozen treats can be easy, creative and fun

June 23, 2009

Martin M. Bodek: 'On Surnames': And so, We Begin

Caroline B. Glick: The Obama Effect

June 22, 2009

The Jewish Ethicist by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir: Working for a corrupt firm

N. Richard Greenfield : Where are American Jews?

June 19, 2009

Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski: Emotion v. intellect

Caroline B. Glick: Israel's rare opportunity

June 18, 2009

Jonathan Rosenblum: Sometimes it is more essential to define the nature of evil than good

Jordan "Gorf" Gorfinkle's strip: Everything's Relative

June 17, 2009

Rabbi Yonason Goldson: The Language of Confusion

The Kosher Gourmet by Linda Gassenheimer: Nothing pleases Dad more than a thick, juicy onion-smothered steak. Add home-Baked Potato Chips and …

June 16, 2009

The Jewish Ethicist by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir: Career v. Careersism

Caroline B. Glick: Obama's losing streak and Israel

Richard Z. Chesnoff: ‘Palestinians’: Never Missing an Opportunity …

June 15, 2009

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu: How Judea and Samaria can become 'Palestine'

Daniel Pipes: Where Netanyahu's speech failed

June 12, 2009

Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski: Some big thoughts about not acting so big

Caroline B. Glick: Obama's High Commissioner

June 11, 2009

Victor Davis Hanson: Our historically challenged President

Mitch Albom: Beware the True Believers

Lewis Grossberger: What we learn from the new Hitler photos

June 10, 2009

Mort Zuckerman: What Obama and his advisors won't -- or refuse to -- grasp about Israel and the Muslim world

The Kosher Gourmet by Steve Petusevsky Lotsa pasta: Tips, techniques and (amazing) taste

June 9, 2009

Anne Bayefsky: Obama's stunning offense to Israel and the Jewish people

Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: America's first Muslim president?

June 8, 2009

The Jewish Ethicist by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir: Merchant must take responsibility for careless shopper?

Mark Steyn: A superpower that feeds on mediocrity cannot survive for long on leftovers from the past

Richard Z. Chesnoff: How do you say 'kumbaya' in Arabic?

June 5, 2009

Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski: In quest of spirituality

Caroline B. Glick: Obama's Arabian dreams

Charles Krauthammer: The Settlements Myth

June 4, 2009

Paul Greenberg: The War Comes to Little Rock

The Kosher Gourmet by Judy Hevrdejs: Splash it on! Tap your inner jazz musician and improvise when stirring up a vinaigrette

June 3, 2009

The Jewish Ethicist by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir: Q. Should terrible teacher be exposed?

Jonathan Rosenblum: The Israel Lobby: Missing in Action

June 2, 2009

Dennis Prager: The Speech President Obama Won't Dare Give in Egypt

Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Pressure on Israel raises war risk

Oct. 29, 2003
Mortimer B. Zuckerman: Graffiti On History's Walls (MUST-READ!)

Jewish World Review Sept. 11, 2006 / 18 Elul, 5766

Thank You, Mr. President

By Seth Swirsky

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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | President Bush's approval ratings in the polls continue to be mired in the low 40s. Many Republicans up for reelection are keeping their distance from his policies on the Iraq war. Pakistan has granted safe haven to Osama bin Laden. Even a well-publicized movie at the Toronto Film Festival is about his imagined assassination. These are tough days for our 43rd president.


Yet, today, on this fifth anniversary of 9/11, President Bush deserves our praise for the actions he's taken that have kept our country and its citizens safe. Those steps, which include the The Patriot Act, NSA spying, the institution of the first-ever Department of Homeland Security, and the innovative terror alert system, have worked beyond anyone's expectations when, post 9/11, everyone thought of another terrorist attack in terms of "when" — not "if".


Thank you, Mr. President.


And, as if keeping 300 million Americans safe from unimaginable acts of terror wasn't difficult enough, this has been accomplished despite The New York Times' exposure of our military and intelligence secrets for all — including our enemies — to see. It's been accomplished even as Democrats have vigorously opposed — for political purposes — common sense tools to help thwart terror attacks, like the program that allows us to intercept our enemies phone conversations. But, Mr. Bush doesn't play politics with our lives — he protects them.


Thank you, Mr. President.


In this new kind of asymmetrical war we're in, victories aren't always obvious. But, five years without another 9/11-style attack — one that all Americans believed would surely come — is certainly a marker for success. Imagine the criticism of the president if a single attack had succeeded! To Democrats who today argue that we are "less safe" than we were after 9/11, I say, there's no number lower than zero.


No one knows what the coming days and months will bring. Iran, is feverishly working to create nuclear weapons. British Muslims, thwarted in their plot to blow up America-bound airplanes in mid-air, are certain to try again. Kim Jong-Il continues to threaten to test his nuclear missiles, which threaten our west coast. No one can guarantee the safety of so many people, especially in the open society in which we live. But, with President Bush's impressive track record these past five years vis-à-vis our security, we, at the very least know, that our president is completely focused on our safety. For this he deserves our gratitude.

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.

Comment by clicking here.

Seth Swirsky is a songwriter, author, recording artist and memorabilia collector. His hits include Love Is A Beautiful Thing for Al Green, Tell It To My Heart and Prove Your Love for Taylor Dayne, Instant Pleasure for Rufus Wainwright, amongst others. His trilogy of bestselling books consisting of his correspondence with baseball players are called Baseball Letters (Crown, 1996), Every Pitcher Tells A Story (Times Books, 1999) and Something to Write Home About (Random House, 2003). His personal collection consists of the ball that went through Bill Buckner's legs in the 1986 World Series, Reggie Jackson’s 3rd home run ball from the ‘77 Series and the letter banning "Shoeless" Joe Jackson from Baseball. His own cd, Instant Pleasure, won Best Pop Album at the 2005 L.A. Music Awards. Currently, he is making a bookumentary called “Beatles Stories”. A graduate of Dartmouth College, his eclectic world can be seen and heard at his site, Seth.com.

© 2006, Seth Swirsky

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