Tag Archive for "Politics" - Point of View

Articles

November 8th, 2023

When federal judges take the oath of office, they say: “I will administer justice without respect to persons, and do equal right to the poor and to the rich.” These words come from the Bible and reflect a key principle of justice in the American tradition, shaped by our Judeo-Christian heritage: Justice isn’t about power. Whether a party is right or wrong in a dispute doesn’t depend on that person’s identity and social station. No longer is it so obvious. For many Americans today, justice—often with the modifier “social” before it—is precisely about power. Rejecting the biblical ideal codified in the judicial oath, our academics, intelligentsia and public figures have embraced the idea that power tells you all you need to know about who is right and who is wrong. This is clear as some of our best and brightest side with the Hamas terrorists in their war against Israel. To those who believe in the biblical ideal of justice, defending Israel’s right to destroy those who commit atrocities against innocents isn’t simple, but involves a moral analysis that yields a clear conclusion. One must look at who acts virtuously and who acts viciously. Though no country is virtuous all the time, Israel seeks peace and in war doesn’t specifically target civilians. Israel holds no kidnapped babies, nor does it steal billions of dollars of foreign aid to build tunnels where terrorists can hide while using women and children as human shields. Hamas is unfathomably evil, by any traditional measure, to Israelis and Gazans. Its barbarism is unjustifiable, even if Palestinians have legitimate grievances against Israel. But to those who believe power analysis is the key to justice, siding with Palestinians—even to the point of cheering Hamas’s atrocities—is simple. Israel is powerful, and Palestinians aren’t. Therefore, whatever Palestinians, even terrorist groups that don’t speak for all Palestinians, do is justified. Among those who believe the trendy logic of the academy, justice is done with respect to persons; doing equally right to rich and poor wrongly entrenches the power of the rich. Recently, a video surfaced of a brave young woman speaking in Israel’s defense at Columbia University. She began her remarks with the obligatory announcement of identities: “I am an African-American, Native American, Jewish woman.” She then exposed her fellow students’ hypocrisy on issues of identity. Though she had been led to believe that her classmates cared about members of all marginalized groups, she had “learned that amongst my peers who openly advocate for the destruction of the one Jewish state, the desire to uplift and accept me is restricted only to the identities of mine they deem worthy.” She deserves applause for her ability to see through the farce of identity-as-justice, especially when manipulated to exclude Jews when convenient. To maintain the principle of equal justice for all, students must not be trained to show they belong to a “marginalized group” for their arguments to be treated as legitimate. But campus orthodoxy demands exactly that. Young people are being programmed to believe that identity is itself an argument—exactly the fallacy that leads to demonizing Israel and Jews around the world merely because they have been successful by some measures. This pseudointellectual dogma has no more place in the academy than the notion that some races are superior or inferior to others. Judges have been understandably reluctant to condemn this worrisome trend. But doing so should be uncontroversial for all who took that oath. Truth and rightness don’t depend on race, color, nationality, sex, religion, net worth or power. Murdering innocents is always wrong; so is cheering it on. That is the view we are sworn to bring to the courtroom. Maintaining it is critical to the rule of law. Though advocates of the new justice now target Jews and Israel, their eyes are trained on upending the fundamental principles of a free and fair society. Ignoring how our educational institutions are training young Americans not only turns a blind eye to the moral perversity among those who celebrate terrorism. It also fills our country with injustice. Judge Solomson serves on the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. Mr. Fortgang is his law clerk.

By: Matthew Solomson and Tal Fortgang – wsj.com – November 7, 2023 Support for Hamas derives from the fashionable idea that power determines what is right and wrong. When federal judges take the oath of office, they say: “I will administer justice without respect to persons, and do equal right to the poor and to the rich.” These words come...

Articles

November 8th, 2023

American Jews on the Left Shocked

sea of Israeli flags at New York Stands with Israel” rally in New York

By: Dennis Prager New York Times headline: “On Israel, Progressive Jews Feel Abandoned by Their Left-Wing Allies.” …

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November 8th, 2023

Ohio Abortion Amendment

By: Brittany Bernstein – nationalreview.com – November 7, 2023 Ohio voters approved a ballot measure Tuesday night that will effectively outlaw any restrictions on abortion and other procedures that involve reproduction, including gender-transition surgeries. The measure, known as Issue 1, will also remove parental-consent and notification requirements for minors who undergo the procedures. The amendment includes vague language about prohibiting...

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November 7th, 2023

Climate Activists Attack Painting

By: Caroline Downey – nationalreview.com – November 6, 2023 Climate activists attacked a 400-year-old painting in a famous London art museum with hammers on Monday, breaking the glass barrier protecting the painting. The vandals targeted the painting Rokeby Venus by Diego Velázquez, which hangs in the London National Gallery. Painted in 1651, the work depicts the love goddess Venus lounging...

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November 7th, 2023

Terrorism and Tax Advantages

Demonstrators at the University of South Florida in Tampa

By: Leslie Lenkowsky – wsj.com – November 5, 2023 Missouri Rep. Jason Smith denounced universities and student organizations for statements “celebrating, excusing, or downplaying” the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas in Israel. “Releasing such statements, or failing to condemn them,” he said last month, “is unforgivable and runs counter to our values as a nation.” Mr. Smith’s comments have more...

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November 7th, 2023

Democrats Turn on Rashida Tlaib

By: Caroline Downey – nationalreview.com – November 6, 2023 Prominent Democrats have turned on “Squad” member Representative Rashida Tlaib (D., Mich.) over her hostility to Israel and her embrace of genocidal language. The radical progressive first faced condemnation from Democrats in Congress and her home state of Michigan after she posted a video accusing the Biden administration of being complicit...

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November 7th, 2023

Four Races to Watch on Election Day

From close governor’s races in Kentucky and Mississippi to a battle over abortion rights in Ohio, Tuesday’s election may hold lessons for 2024.

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November 6th, 2023

Israeli Hate Will Turn Blue to Red

The silence of some Democrats in response to explosion of Jew hatred is nothing short of betrayal and Americans Jews must not move forward without a reckoning.

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November 6th, 2023

Trump Leading Biden in Critical States

Trump leads Biden in 5 of 6 swing states

Voters in battleground states said they trusted Donald J. Trump over President Biden on the economy, foreign policy and immigration, as Mr. Biden’s multiracial base shows signs of fraying.

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November 3rd, 2023

Another Attempt to Remove Conservative Justices from the US Supreme Court

Several U.S. Senators recently introduced a bill to place term limits on U.S. Supreme Court justices in an attempt to cancel them.