It seems as if the face of United States Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan is all over the place, media-wise, that is.
To provide a sampling of what is going on in the wide wonderful web media, I provide the following (along with my commentary, of course) for information and for your reading pleasure.
For a nominee to the United States Supreme Court, Elena Kagan has an interesting non-judicial background. In attempting to find some reason in an 'any-excuse-will-do' mentality, her detractors stop at nothing. Click on over to read:
Kagan's Opponents Grasping at Straws by Eduardo Penalver, Published June 30, 2010 | FOXNews.com.
It is no secret that Elana Kagan is Jewish, as can be read in the two following web pages:
Kagan, Judaism and the Bible: 'Justice, justice shall you pursue'
Elena Kagan’s Jewish Background: Just What Pat Buchanan Fears
To me, it appears that once again the anti-Jewish sentiment in America is rearing up its ugly head.
Thus far, Elena Kagan appears to be taking the salvos being fired by anti-Jewish conservatives in stride as she fends off the "jew baiting" being thrown at her. I mean give me a break! How else can the questions "Where were you at on Christmas Day?" and “I just asked you where you were at on Christmas?” posed by Senator Lindsey O. Graham (R, SC) be explained?
From the Chicago Tribune, you can read;
Kagan's a not-so-leftist liberal, The daughter of a crusading New York street lawyer and protege of Justice Thurgood Marshall, the Supreme Court nominee has specialized in finding a middle position on the most contentious issues from James Oliphant, Richard A. Serrano and David G. Savage Reporting from Cambridge, Mass., New York and Washington, June 27, 2010.
Perhaps you may wish to read:
Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan on hate speech and pornography (aka the First Amendment) by Chris Moody - The Daily Caller | Published: 12:52 PM 06/28/2010 | Updated: 12:55 PM 06/28/2010
If you are the type of person who likes biased information from twisted minds, you can click on over to read:
Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan is Israel partisan, Wednesday, June 30, 2010, from If Americans Knew, Israel-Palestine, The Missing Headlines.
Is any anti-Semitism (as in anti-Jewish sentiment and/or prejudice) at play in any of this? People will deny it. However, I hypothesize that not only is it playing a part in the opposition of the nomination of Elena Kagan to SCOTUS but anti-Semitism throughout the United States is also prevalent.
It is quite often that we Jewish Americans hear and read other Americans say "America is a Christian country" and proclaim "America was founded on Christian principles." To the latter statement, I respond: "From where do you think Christian principles came?"
Oh, as an aside, you may want to click on over to read:
Was the U.S. Founded on Christian Principles?
12 comments:
I really hope that in this day and age that anti-semitism is not this prevalent in our society. People should be judged for their inherent qualities and not their religious beliefs. It is sad to think that someone could be so uneducated and to judge someone merely based on the religion with which they identify.
Thank you, Marilyn, for your comments.
I might note, however, that the subject of my blog seems to be more prevalent than some may believe. For a few examples, take a look at each of the following:
kagan anti semitism
elena kagan anti semitism
But..Is It Good for the Jews?
Roland, her being Jewish bothers me not at all --her being liberal bothers me a great deal but it's no surprise, considering Obama is president. I was glad he had Rahm Emmanuel, a Jew, on his team (and I wonder why he's leaving.) I blog somewhere where there is also an orthodox Jewish young man--we find we share a lot of views on morals, social issues, faith vs. atheism, etc.
One blogger asserted there was no evidence that God exists. And another shot back, "Evidence is the state of Israel." I do think the Jewish people and nation are evidence of the Bible's truth.
I'm very much a supporter of Israel's nation status. Seems to me, that those extreme rightists who think Obama is Muslim or harbors secret loyalties to Islam and secret hostilities to the West, should be heartened by his appointments of Jewish persons to high office.
What we need to balance out the court is an evangelical Christian!!! There are none on SCOTUS. I'm willing.
PS --after reading your concern of anti-Semitism re: Kagan, I read those 2 comments at my blog carefully --the one by Beck and by Ann Coulter. I don't detect anti-semitism --though it may be that many New York liberals maligned by Ann ARE Jewish --but she and Glenn are both talking about "elitist liberal" PC thinking. And there are a lot of lapsed Catholics/ lapsed protestants and other atheists/agnostics who think the same way as Jewish liberals. Liberalness tends to have roots in disrespect of the Bible and orthodox religions of all stripes.
It's the fault of my party that we have a liberal president putting liberals on the courts. They should not have selected McCain--and when they did, they should have voted for him anyway. I know too many young people who voted 3rd party because McCain wasn't conservative enough.
Christianity is based upon Judaism. God blesses those who bless Israel. I am not now, nor have I ever been anti-Jewish or anti-Israel. In fact, if it meant fighting against my own government and soldiers to protect Israel I would gladly do it.
I'm old enough to have had a complete life and my death would spare a younger Israeli to fight another day.
I was raised to love and respect Israel and Jews.
After hearing Kagan I'm not sure if she would make a good justice because she did the same thing she criticized all other justices of doing---not answering the questions put to her in a clear and concise manner.
I know where she stands on certain issues because of her political and academic lives, but I do not know what kind of justice she will be.
She most certainly will be approved and then we will either live with the consequences or be pleasantly surprised.
She certainly has a great sense of humor and I think the Court could use some of that. I wish her well, and pray she will follow the constitution and not use foreign law as the basis for her decisions.
About the senator asking Kagan where she was on Christmas day --I'm sure no smart politician (except for Jesse Jackson) would publically insult Jews so they could make the case of anti-semitism in the proceedings as is being done.
I saw the video of the song by Jewish musicians ( I presume) about Jews eating at Chinese Restaurants on Christmas Day. It's a funny song, and I think the senator was giving kagan a chance to make a funny line-- which is funny especially if you've seen the video.
Barb,
Politically speaking, when a nonJewsish person asks a Jewish person "Where were you on Christmas Day?" or anything in a similar vein, it is like Ronald Reagan saying:
"I want you to know that also I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent's youth and inexperience." during his 1984 presidential debate with Walter Mondale.
Politics 101:
Bringing up a subject in an off-handed manner is a veiled way of blasting (or besmirching) a political opponent on that very same subject.
Do you think Graham was asking because that was the day of the Christmas bombing attempt in Detroit? Perhaps he had another train of thought going and was going to ask a question, but it certainly does seem strange and, yes, bigoted.
Unfortunately, he's my senator, but not for long I hope.
This would be akin to asking a Christian what we were doing at Yom Kippur, and I can see how it would insult Jews.
The same can be said of when I was in public schools with Jewish friends who had to stay in the room while we recited the Lord's Prayer and sang a Christian song.
We believe in it but we know that's a huge difference between Christianity and Judaism.
Politics 101:
Bringing up a subject in an off-handed manner is a veiled way of blasting (or besmirching) a political opponent on that very same subject.
I don't even think Reagan did that in your example. He knew people were making HIS age an issue --so he humorously turned it around. I think it was inoffensive and showed his humor. I don't think he thought for a moment that he was actually blasting his opponent's youth in an off-hand manner --though youth could be viewed as a drawback, his opponent wasn't that young.
I bet anything the Senator did not intend an offense to her Jewishness but an acknowledgment of it since we all know it--and again, I think he saw the song and assumed she did. Did you? In fact, someone said this senator was a friend and would vote for her --as I recall from another blog. It's not like we've never had a Jewish woman on the court before.
Jeanette Unfortunately, he's my senator, but not for long I hope.
He has an opponent in the democratic party whose votes you will prefer?
OUr nation's cultural roots are Judeo-Christian --specifically protestant Christian --and Christianity includes Jewish heritage --but Jews don't claim Jesus typically. I'm afraid that Ann Coulter was right that NY liberals have no use for evangelicals.
Exactly what sentence here does that --tells Jewish people how to feel about Jewishness. I apologize for any offense I've truly made --but I'm not sure what it is.
I know I would be glad to claim Jewish heritage --all the way back to Abraham. I think the fact of Israel as a nation with Jews and Jerusalem still intact --are proof that the Bible is no mere "fairy tale," as I'm so often told. As you probably know, Christians who still believe the Bible believe we are ingrafted into your family tree. Aren't we welcome? : )
I said something about Jews not typically claiming Jesus --but the Messianic Jews certainly do. Of course all the first Christians were observant Jews. I understand the 12 disciples were from a region of great religious zeal where common people had great interest in the scriptures and the Law, and were seekers of rabbis worth following --when Jesus said, "Follow me --I will make you fishers of men."
Barb: Jeanette Unfortunately, he's my senator, but not for long I hope.
He has an opponent in the democratic party whose votes you will prefer?
Sen. DeMint is up for re-election this year. Graham isn't up again for four years. Obviously I'll vote for DeMint, but hope we can defeat Graham in the primary four years from now.
Reading some of your cited sources in this article, one about growing anti-semitism in the U.S. I notice what I'd call anti-Semitism behind SOME, but not all, the criticism of Israel. Liberals who are not Jewish tend to oppose whatever the U.S. or Israel does with regard to enemies. The so-called Peaceniks would let terrorists and tyrants rule the world. IMHO Israel's autonomy and ours --our freedoms --are worth fighting for against the cruel regimes that seem to arise in every generation.
I have seen some Jewish critics of Israel's military actions, too. I'm not a student of the middle-east strife, but I know that no matter what Israel does, it doesn't help --its neighbors desire its demise.
As for your link on who predominated in early America --the Christians or the deists, we can find VERY many quotations to support the idea that the founding fathers AT LEAST believed in God and Judeo-Christian morals and religion. And that's been good enough for us Christians with regard to the Constitution's autonomy of church and state. I'm happy enough that our national hymns refer to God without mention of Christ --except for The Battle Hymn of the Republic which does refer to Christ. I'm glad to see "In God we Trust" as our motto taken from our national anthem. We Chrisians have never seen Christ as in competition with God. Our difference with Deists is that we believe in the New Testament accounts that God has sent His only Son to save us.
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