Rap Sheet
Links on R&P from around the web
Israel-US Spat: A Help to Iran?
posted on September 13, 2012Tom Peter reports for The Christian Science Monitor on the tensions between Israel and the United States regarding Iran’s nuclear program. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been critical of the United States’ failure to draw a “clear red line” to indicate at what point it would take military action to stop Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. However, “despite the recent rhetoric, Israel and the US have most of the same beliefs,” writes Peter. “If diplomatic feuds keep them at odds, it may make the situation easier for Iran by weakening the alliance of those who oppose it.”
Read at The Christian Science Monitor
Democrats Have History in Jewish Vote Fight
posted on September 13, 2012At The Jewish Daily Forward, Ron Kampeas reports on the battle for Jewish votes in the upcoming Presidential election. Two groups, the Republican Jewish Coalition and the National Jewish Democratic Council, are both canvassing and advertising in areas with large Jewish populations. “The operations included expensive mechanisms unheard of in any Jewish outreach operation for years, if ever,” wrote Kampeas.
Read at The Jewish Daily Forward
Hillary Clinton Condemns Benghazi Attack
posted on September 12, 2012Secretary of State Hillary Clinton condemned the attacks against the U.S. embassy in Libya, which claimed the life of Christopher Stevens, the U.S. ambassador to Libya, reports Politico. “Some have sought to justify this vicious behavior as a response to inflammatory material posted on the Internet,” Clinton said in a statement released to the press. “The United States deplores any intentional effort to denigrate the religious beliefs of others. Our commitment to religious tolerance goes back to the very beginning of our nation. But let me be clear: There is never any justification for violent acts of this kind.”
After 9/11, How We Honored Our Son’s Memory
posted on September 12, 2012At CNN, Elizabeth and Stephen Alderman write about their son Peter who was killed in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. The Aldermans have created the Peter C. Alderman Foundation, which is dedicated to providing support for people who have experienced trauma, especially in war-torn regions of the world. “Nothing can erase our pain, but our passion to leave a profound and indelible mark that Peter existed on this Earth has propelled us forward,” the Aldermans write.
Culture War is Over
posted on September 12, 2012Paul Waldman of The American Prospect argues that Mitt Romney has focused on the economy in this presidential election because “[l]iberals have won the culture war.” “[I]f there were potential customers for fist-shaking attacks about ‘God, guns, and gays,’ as the old Republican playbook had it, Romney would be moving much more aggressively to exploit that market,” writes Waldman.
Asian Tigers and Megachurches
posted on September 12, 2012At Real Clear Religion, Philip Jenkins writes about the growth of Christian megachurches in Asia. Although Christians remain a minority in most Asian nations, the effect of the kind of Christianity that advocates for “personal improvement, social development, and modernization” on the region cannot be ignored, argues Jenkins. “This kind of religion looks eminently suited for a thriving global economy,” writes Jenkins.
The Goode Fight
posted on September 12, 2012Paul Gottfried reports for The American Conservative about the Constitution Party (CP) and its efforts to get its candidates on election ballots this November. According to Gottfried, the Republican Party is working hard to keep the CP’s presidential candidate, Virgil Goode, off presidential ballots, fearing that Goode could take votes away from Mitt Romney. According to Gottfried, GOP lawmakers are trying “to scare away threats to our eternalized two-party American-style constitutional democracy.”
Read at The American Conservative
Door to Door in the Heartland, Preaching Healthy Living
posted on September 12, 2012The New York Times’ Sabrina Tavernise reports on local health programs funded with money from the Affordable Care Act. A Oklahoma City-based program is targeting an area in that city where the rate of heart disease mortality is “10 times as high as in the [city’s] healthiest neighborhood.” “In addition to the heart program, which offers free medicine and checkups in exchange for taking a health class, the area is getting a new health complex,” writes Tavernise.
Door to Door in the Heartland, Preaching Healthy Living
posted on September 12, 2012The New York Times’ Sabrina Tavernise reports on local health programs funded with money from the Affordable Care Act. A Oklahoma City-based program is targeting an area in that city where the rate of heart disease mortality is “10 times as high as in the [city’s] healthiest neighborhood.” “In addition to the heart program, which offers free medicine and checkups in exchange for taking a health class, the area is getting a new health complex,” writes Tavernise.
Construction to Resume on National 9/11 Museum
posted on September 12, 2012Chris Boyette and Steve Kastenbaum of CNN report that construction on the September 11 Memorial Museum will restart following a funding dispute, which caused construction to be halted. The museum was originally scheduled to open in time for the 11th anniversary of the attacks. “Over the last few years, we have made extraordinary progress at ground zero and today’s agreement is yet another milestone in our work to finally complete the site as a place where people from around the world can come to work, visit and remember,” said New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.