By Shoshana Bryen WASHINGTON, D.C. — In early 2011, President Obama announced that the United States would sign the U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Now the U.N. wants us to give Mt. Rushmore to the Indians. James Anaya, U.N. special rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples, spent twelve days in the […]
U.N. Indigenous Rights Declaration a recipe for global trouble Read More »
Shoshana Bryen, USA
By Rabbi Ben Kamin SAN DIEGO — When I closed my eyes to sleep last night, I reflected about President Obama’s thoughtful affirmation concerning the legal right of any two people to declare a marriage between them. I confess that while never opposing anybody’s right to marry anybody else, the long-standing, Jewish oligarchic tradition that
‘Human love’–the thing there’s too little of Read More »
USA-SDJW staff report- SAN DIEGO — The decision by President Barack Obama to throw his support behind same-sex marriages in the United States has prompted comment pro and con from various Jewish groups. The Orthodox Union pronounced itself “disappointed by (Wednesday, May 9)’s statement by President Obama endorsing legal recognition of same sex marriage. Jewish law is
Obama’s endorsement of gay marriage draw Jewish responses Read More »
USA
By Bruce Kesler ENCINITAS, California — With the enlargement of federal powers and intrusions into individual’s lives, the 9th Amendment to the US Constitution, part of our Bill Of Rights, may well gain more judicial attention. The 9th Amendment should be elevated to central prominence, as it was intended, in applying judgment of all federal
By David Amos SAN DIEGO — Together with Sharlene and David Berman, my wife Lee and I occasionally schedule visits to a different part of the Americas, and look for points of exploration, leisure, entertainment, edification, and encounters with distant friends. This was the case two weeks ago, when we flew to New York City,
On tour in New York and Pennsylvania Read More »
USABy Rabbi Ben Kamin SAN DIEGO — President John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address, delivered on an icy-cold, blue-skied January morning in 1961, is best-remembered for its iconic declaration: “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.” Yet the final phrase uttered by the young leader
As JFK put it, U.S. has ‘God’s work’ to do Read More »
USABy Rabbi Ben Kamin SAN DIEGO — The violent, churning, musical, rebellious, and ultimately frightening 1960s came to a shocking and bloody coda 42 years ago today, May 4, 1970. In what remain cloaked and mysterious details, armed Ohio National Guardsmen suddenly opened fire, in the open air and under sunny skies, upon a
Thoughts on the anniversary of the Kent State massacre Read More »
USABy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM –There is a lesson in the reports of Barack Obama’s visit with the President of Afghanistan a year after bin Laden’s killing. As reported by the BBC: “US President Barack Obama has pledged to ‘finish the job’ and end the Afghan war, addressing the US public live from a military base
Under diplomatic cover, U.S. will abandon Afghanistan Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, USABy Shoshana Bryen WASHINGTON, D.C. — The 37th anniversary of the fall of Saigon today is a good time to review the utility of American security promises — including those purchased with American blood — to countries fighting ideologically based insurgencies. There were 540,000 Americans in Vietnam at the peak of the U.S. part of
Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan… is there a pattern here? Read More »
Shoshana Bryen, USA
By Isaac Yetiv, Ph.D. LA JOLLA, California — In the last few weeks, two enormous scandals shook a usually nonchalant and numb populace and even the politicians Right and Left. We will call them “The GSA extravagance in Las Vegas” and “The Secret Service debauchery in Cartagena.” The GSA, whose very existence was hitherto known
Scandals demonstrate arrogance of power in federal government Read More »
USA
By David Brin ENCINITAS, California — In a brief return to political matters… What won’t the candidates be discussing during this election season? Campaign finance, surveillance, patent reform…are among a few issues that candidates are sure to avoid. What else….? This mini-slide show shows just a few. In fact, the matters discussed at sciencedebate.org are
Health care debate toxic despite agreement Read More »
USABy Daniel Halper WASHINGTON, D.C. –The Middle East has undergone systemic and radical change since the beginning of the so-called Arab Spring over a year ago. The leaders in Egypt and elsewhere are different-and in their place, well, there is not overwhelming evidence to suggest that the new guys are any friendlier to
America in search of a Middle Eastern policy Read More »
USABy Peter Huessy WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, missile defense is under attack. This is not a new thing, however. Opponents tried to eliminate funding for ballistic missile defense when Ronald Reagan was President, sneeringly calling it “Star Wars” to denote how foolish they thought the idea to be. Under President Bill Clinton, defenses against
The case for a solid missile defense Read More »
USABy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — Reading news reports can be like reading tea leaves. The combination of different items may mean more than any one of them says explicitly. Yet it is more art than craft. Conclusions may be sounder than received from a seer, but are less than certain. Currently my computer screen is
U.S. reactions to North Korea inform Israel’s decisions about Iran Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, USA