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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 Nov. 1, 2004 / 17 Mar-Cheshvan, 5765

Civic Sacrament

By Jonathan Tobin


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Making it easier to vote has its downside for American democracy



http://www.jewishworldreview.com | While most Americans eagerly anticipate tomorrow's vote for president, a threat is hanging over this much-longed-for conclusion to a bitterly fought campaign.


There is a clear and present danger that another close race will end in no certain winner, and that the accompanying lawsuits and bipartisan recriminations will undermine the ability for whomever's ultimately tapped as winner to govern.


Of course, the only sure way of avoiding a repeat of the legal farce that the 2000 election dissolved into is for President George W. Bush or Democratic challenger Sen. John Kerry to win a decisive victory.


But failing that, it may well be that we'll be doomed to weeks of backbiting and pure partisan spin on obscure election laws as Republicans and Democrats seek to count any vote that they think is for their candidate, and disallow votes that might be for their opponent.


As it stands, the core supporters of Bush and Kerry seem to think that the only way their man can lose is if the other side cheats — either through massive voter fraud (as GOP stalwarts suspect the Democrats are planning) or voter-intimidation plots that will scare people away from the polls (as many Democrats openly charge that the Republicans are planning).


At this stage, there's not much we can do about the poisonous atmosphere that breeds such cynicism and distrust. Nor, given the neatly divided nature of the electorate, can we anticipate a landslide that would make such arguments moot.


But as we prepare to cope with the possibility of another national postelection trauma, it might be appropriate to look at another factor for part of the answer as to why close elections have become such a problem in this country: absentee voting.


Criticizing any measure that was obviously designed to make voting more convenient and easier to do takes a degree of chutzpah. After all, absentee ballots enable the sick, the infirm and the elderly to vote without the trouble and pain that might accompany a visit to a polling station, along with the lines and fuss that go with it.

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They also allow people who cannot take time away from work, those who travel as part of their business, college students and others who might be away from home on election day to vote. As such, this helps boost voter turnout and prevents some from being disenfranchised by circumstances they cannot control.


But the precipitous rise in the use of absentee ballots in the past few years has accentuated a trend that has gradually devalued not only the tradition and ceremony that used to be attached to Election Day, but also the idea of going to vote as a civic sacrament.


Tabulating the huge numbers of absentee ballots, which must be done by hand, and are, almost by definition, more susceptible to human counting errors, must be considered a major factor in assessing the possibility that voters must wait days, even weeks, before a winner is declared.


Making this situation worse is the widespread use of absentee ballots by Americans not living in this country. Millions of expatriates were solicited to register as voters by mail; hundreds of thousands did so — and are planning to vote.


In Israel, a great deal of attention was focused on voting by those Israelis who had emigrated from the United States, but who retain their American citizenship. Voter-registration drives were conducted by both Republicans and Democrats in Israel this year, and will produce a lot of votes in battleground states like Florida and Pennsylvania. And, given the fact that polls show Israelis favoring Bush, while most of their American Jewish counterparts are backing Kerry, has provided pundits with some food for thought.


But the overseas electoral map is as complicated as the domestic one. Americans in Paris were thought to be natural Kerry voters, as were those in other places where Bush policies were unpopular.


It all makes for interesting copy, but isn't there something slightly disturbing about American elections being decided by people who've made the choice to live elsewhere permanently?


As it happens, Israel itself does not allow those out of the country to vote in its elections. Only Israeli diplomatic personnel on duty overseas may cast ballots. The contrast between our more cavalier attitude and the Israeli practice ought to give us pause, especially because Israelis seem to understand that their votes are having a direct impact on crucial war-and-peace issues.

AN ALMOST SACRED MOMENT
Even more to the point, the whole trend toward making voting more convenient seems to have undermined one of the great civic traditions of American democracy: going to the polls on Election Day.


I vividly recall the awe I felt when my mother schlepped me along and took me into the booth with her to let me observe the sacred moment of casting her ballot. I couldn't wait until I was old enough to vote myself, and still remember the thrill I got from registering and then voting for the first time when I turned 18.


While actually voting in person may seem like an anachronism in the age of the Internet, I think there's something to be said for it. The ceremony is one of the great traditions of American politics, and the trend toward devaluing a trip to the polls and allowing absentee voting for pure convenience, rather than real need, is troubling.


While I'm all for encouraging everyone to vote, I'm put off by the idea that requiring a degree of effort to exercise your franchise is restrictive or even unfair. Voting at the polls is a public affirmation of belief in our way of life, as well as the right of a free citizenry to choose its leaders. As such, it's as close to being a public sacrament as we can get in a secular society.


The fact that widespread absentee voting complicates the tabulating process ought to remind us that if more Americans were prepared to just show up, we might not spend as much time watching electoral officials sift through thousands of absentee ballots in the weeks after a close election. That's why the decision of some states to allow citizens to vote in person at designated polling stations is a far better idea than making absentee voting easier.


If, as Woody Allen once said, that "80 percent of success is showing up," what's wrong with asking those voters who are physically able to do so in person? Isn't democracy worth a degree of inconvenience?

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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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© 2004, Jonathan Tobin