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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (March 26, 2015)
OPINION 6A T HE D AILY A STORIAN THE DAILY ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, MARCH 26, 2015 +RZ WR ¿JKW DQWLSHPLWLVP" worshippers in a Berlin mosque to kill the Jews, “Count them and kill them to the very last one.” STEPHEN A. FORRESTER, Editor & Publisher Thousands of Jews a year are just nti-Semitism is rising ÀHHLQJ(XURSH%XWWKHEHVWUHVSRQVH LAURA SELLERS, Managing Editor around the world. So the is quarantine and confrontation. Eu- question becomes: What can we BETTY SMITH, Advertising Manager ropean governments can demon- GRWR¿JKWLW" strate solidarity with their Jewish CARL EARL, Systems Manager citizens by providing security, crack- Do education campaigns work, or JOHN D. BRUIJN, Production Manager ing down — broken-windows style PDUFKHVRUFRQIHUHQFHV" DEBRA BLOOM, Business Manager — on even the smallest assaults. There are Meanwhile, brave and decent peo- SAMANTHA MCLAREN, Circulation Manager three major ple can take a page from Gandhi and stage campaigns of confrontational strains of an- nonviolence: marches, sit-ins and ti-Semitism AP Photo/Richard Drew protests in the very neighborhoods circulating, dif- French philosopher and writer where anti-Semitism breeds. Ex- ferent in kind Bernard-Henri Levy addresses pose the evil of the perpetrators. and virulence, the United Nations General As- Disturb the consciences of the good and requiring sembly, Jan. 22. The U.N. General people in these communities who different re- Assembly held its first meeting tolerate them. Confrontational non- sponses. devoted to anti-Semitism in re- violence is the historically proven In the Mid- David sponse to a global increase in method to isolate and delegitimize dle East, an- Brooks ZR SRSXODU SHVWLFLGHV WKDW DUH PXFK XVHG LQ WKH 3DFL¿F t i - S e m i t i s m violence against Jews. social evil. 7KH 8QLWHG 6WDWHV LV DOVR VHHLQJ has the feel of Northwest have been implicated as potential cancer risks. a deranged theoretical system for doesn’t exist on the level of reason. a rise in the number of anti-Semitic While taking the matter seriously, ordinary citizens who look into making sense of a world gone astray. It can only be confronted with deter- incidents. But this country remains the issue mostly won’t see a need for drastic, immediate changes. Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali rence and force, at the level of fear. an astonishingly non-anti-Semit- Setting off what National Public that were exposed to glyphosate. Khamenei, doesn’t just oppose Is- The challenge for Israel is to respond ic place. America’s problem is the rael. He has called it the “sinister, to extremism without being extreme. number of people who can’t fathom Radio describes as “a wave of These were rare forms of cancer that unclean rabid dog of the region.” He The enemy’s rabidity can be used to what anti-Semitism is or who think feverish reaction,” the credible are unlikely to occur by themselves, has said its leaders “look like beasts justify cruelty, even in cases where Jews are being paranoid or exces- International Agency for Research adding to the evidence that glypho- and cannot be called human.” restraint would be wiser. Israeli lead- sively playing the victim. 2Q FROOHJH FDPSXVHV PDQ\ President Hassan Rouhani of Iran ers try to walk this line, trying to use on Cancer said the weed killer gly- sate caused them.” phosate — trade named Roundup The aquatic version of glypho- reinstated a conference of Holocaust hard power, without becoming a mir- young people have been raised in a — along with the widely used insec- sate was a rich source of controver- deniers and anti-Semitic conspiracy ror of the foe, sometimes well, some- climate of moral relativism and have no experience with those with vir- theorists. Two of times not. ticide malathion could cause cancer V\LQ3DFL¿F&RXQW\:DVKGXULQJ Iran’s prominent In Europe, an- ulent evil beliefs. They sometimes in humans under some circumstanc- much of the 1990s as agencies and former nuclear Anti-Semitism ti-Semitism looks assume that if Israel is hated, then it es. The IARC’s assessment does not private landowners sought some way negotiators ap- like a response must be because of its cruel and co- is an parently attended. to alienation. It’s lonial policies in the West Bank. rise to the level of stating that these to battle spartina, a tideland grass ,Q WKH 2EDPD DGPLQLVWUDWLRQ In Egypt, the top particularly high chemicals actually do result in can- that was turning Willapa Bay into assertion of military staff at- where unemploy- there are people who know that the cer. This distinction is a subtle one. a vast meadow unsuitable to indus- tended a lecture ment is rampant. Iranians are anti-Semitic, but they impurity and Monsanto, the company that in- WULDO VKHOO¿VK IDUPLQJ 8OWLPDWHO\ on the Protocols Roughly half of don’t know what to do with that fact vented glyphosate and which holds glyphosate wasn’t effective but the of the Elders of speaks the all Spaniards and and put this mental derangement on Greeks express a distant shelf. They negotiate with patents on “Roundup Ready” crops battle was won with a different her- Zion. The region language of unfavorable opin- the Iranian leaders, as if anti-Sem- that can be sprayed for weeds with- bicide. Nevertheless, spraying oppo- is still rife with the usual conspir- about Jews. itism was some odd quirk, instead extermination. ions out themselves suffering damage nents are likely to feel a degree of acy theories — The plague of vi- of what it is, a core element of their from the herbicide, aggressively dis- vindication after the IARC’s report. that the Jews were olence is fueled mental architecture. SXWHV WKH ,$5&¶V ¿QGLQJV$ ORQJ As for malathion, widely used for behind 9/11, drink the blood of non- by young Islamic men with no re- There are others who see an- ti-Semitism as another form of bigot- term study of farm workers who things like mosquito control, many Jews, spray pesticides across Egyp- spect and no place to go. In the current issue of The Atlan- ry. But these are different evils. Most routinely work in direct proximity will recall living in towns where crop tian lands. This sort of anti-Semitism thrives tic, Jeffrey Goldberg has an essay, bigotry is an assertion of inferiority with Roundup-treated farmland and dusters were employed at least annu- where there aren’t that many Jews. “Is It Time for the Jews to Leave and speaks the language of oppres- crops hasn’t found higher rates of ally to suppress insects. This would The Jew is not a person but an idea, (XURSH"´ +H UHSRUWV RQ D EOL]]DUG sion. Anti-Semitism is an assertion cancer among them. Federal and cause a tremendous uproar today, a unique carrier of transcendent evil: of incidents: a Jewish school prin- of impurity and speaks the language state regulators have determined that and appropriately so. a pollution, a stain, a dark force re- cipal who watched a Frenchman of of extermination. Anti-Semitism’s the chemical composition of glypho- For most people, narrowly tar- sponsible for the failures of others, Algerian descent pin his 8-year-old logical endpoint is violence. *URXSV ¿JKWLQJ DQWL6HPLWLVP sate rapidly breaks down into harm- geted uses of pesticides will likely the unconscious shame and primeval daughter down in the schoolyard and sponsor educational campaigns and urges they feel in themselves, and execute her; a Swedish rabbi who less substances in the environment. remain an acceptable risk in return everything that needs explaining. has been the target of roughly 150 do a lot of consciousness-raising. I Crops on which glyphosate are used for lower food prices and fewer bugs This is a form of derangement, a anti-Semitic attacks; French kids doubt these things do anything to re- — like canola, soybeans and corn — that bite us or endanger crops and ÀLJKWIURPUHDOLW\HYHQLQRWKHUZLVH ZKRZHUHWHUUL¿HGLQVFKRROEHFDXVH duce active anti-Semitism. But they are treated in early growing stages forests. In some cases, such as con- sophisticated people. of the “Dirty Jew!” and “I want to can help non-anti-Semites under- This form of anti-Semitism can- kill all of you!” chants in the hall- stand the different forms of the can- and then heavily processed before trolling mosquitoes in places where reaching consumers, apparently tropical diseases are endemic, insec- not be reasoned away because it way; the Danish imam who urged cer in our midst. That’s a start. leaving no trace of the chemical. ticides directly save lives. Many substances and circum- %XW WKH ,$5&¶V ¿QGLQJV DUH D stances conceivably may gave rise useful reminder that we must take By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN 2EDPD WHDP ZDQWV WR gade,” added Sadjadpour. to cancer. In the case of glypho- an active interest in the chemi- New York Times News Service believe this deal could To Saudi Arabia, he add- sate, NPR describes the source of cals being applied around us and be “transformational,” ed, the rise of the Islamic the IARC’s concerns: “First, there during the production of products State is attributable to the can think of many good rea- Iran’s supreme leader, were laboratory studies showing we use. The federal Environmental Ali Khamenei, “sees it repression of Sunnis in sons to go ahead with the that the chemical can damage DNA Protection Agency is in the process as transactional” — Iran Syria and Iraq by Iran and its Shiite clients. To Teh- and chromosomes in human cells. of reviewing many of these “lega- nuclear deal with Iran, and I can plugs its nose, does the ran, the rise of the Islamic This type of damage can lead to cy” pesticides. A thorough exam- think of just as many reasons deal, regains its strength State is attributable to the and doubles-down on its the emergence of cancer. Second ... ination to make sure past conclu- not to. ¿QDQFLDO DQG LGHRORJLFDO long-standing revolution- So, if you’re confused, let me see some studies showed increased rates sions and assumptions are still valid support of Saudi Arabia ary principles. But, then Thomas L. if I can confuse you even more. of cancerous tumors in mice and rats is very much welcome. and its Gulf allies. again, you never know. Friedman The proposed deal to lift sanc- What starts out as trans- And they are both right, tions on Iran — in return for curbs actional can end up being which is why America’s on its bomb-making capabilities so transformational in ways that no one interests lie not with either the Sau- that it would take at least a year for can prevent or predict. dis or the Iranian ideologues win- Tehran to make a weapon — has to A second argument is that Iran is ning, but rather with balancing the be judged in its own right. I will be a real country and civilization, with two against each other until they get looking closely at the quality of the FRPSHWLWLYH LI UHVWULFWHG HOHFWLRQV exhausted enough to stop prosecut- YHUL¿FDWLRQUHJLPHDQGWKHVSHFL¿FL- educated women and a powerful ing their ancient Shiite-Sunni, Per- his is a place where seafood is late heavy metals and other toxins ty of what happens if Iran cheats. But PLOLWDU\ 3DWFKLQJ XS WKH 86,UDQ sian-Arab feud. Then again, if this nuclear deal a major dietary motif and a de- from the prey they consume. This the deal also has to be judged in terms relationship could enable America licious part of life — there can be is true even of popular choices like RI KRZ LW ¿WV ZLWK ZLGHU$PHULFDQ to better manage and balance the ZLWK,UDQLV¿QDOL]HGDQGVDQFWLRQV strategic goals in the region, because Sunni Arab Taliban in Afghanistan, lifted, much more Iranian oil will few regions in the nation with great- canned albacore tuna. D86,UDQGHDOZRXOG and counterbalance hit the global market, suppressing er appreciation for and access to /RRNLQJ VSHFL¿FDOO\ DW WKH be an earthquake that the Sunni jihadis, like SULFHV DQG EHQH¿WLQJ JOREDO FRQ- SUHPLXPTXDOLW\ ¿VK DQG VKHOO¿VK Columbia River, the Environmental touches every corner those in the Islamic sumers. Then again, Iran would have Managing But even here it behooves us to be Protection Agency has cautioned of the Middle East. State, or ISIS, now billions of dollars more to spend on the controlling chunks of cyberwarfare, long-range ballistic knowledgeable about the sources of against frequent consumption of stur- Not enough attention is being paid to the re- Iraq and Syria. The missiles and projecting power across the seafood we eat and potential risks geon — not much of an issue since re- decline gional implications — 8QLWHG 6WDWHV KDV UH- the Arab world, where its proxies al- DWWDFKHGWRVRPHNLQGVRI¿VK tention has effectively ended in recent particularly what hap- lied heavily on Saudi ready dominate four Arab capitals: of the As a general matter, the purity of years. Some ethnic groups continue pens if we strengthen Arabia, ever since Beirut, Baghdad, Damascus and Sa- local seafood is a key point of pride to eat problematic species including Iran at a time when Arab state Iran’s 1979 revolu- naa. But, given the disarray in Yemen, and safety assurance. Spending most large-scale suckers. (See tinyurl.com/ large parts of the Sun- tion, and while the system ni Arab world are in Saudi ruling family Iraq and Syria, do we really care if of their lives in the vast expanse of the RDGFGFIRUPRUHGHWDLOV and elites are aligned Iran tries to play policeman there 3DFL¿F2FHDQVDOPRQDQGVWHHOKHDG The fundamental message of pub- meltdown. is not a 7KH2EDPDWHDP¶V with America, there is and is embroiled in endless struggles tend to be low in environmental con- OLFKHDOWKRI¿FLDOVLVWKDW¿VKLVJRRG best argument for do- a Saudi Wahhabi hard ZLWK6XQQLPLOLWLDV")RU\HDUVLW problem tamination and high in omega-3 fat- IRUXV³(DWDWOHDVWWZR¿VKPHDOVSHU ing this deal with Iran core that has funded was America that was overstretched ty acids that are increasingly viewed week as part of a heart-healthy diet is that, in time, it could we should the spread of the most across Iraq and Afghanistan. Now it puritanical, anti-plu- will be Iran’s turn. I feel terrible for as key to brain, heart and circulatory …,” the Washington State Department be “transformational.” own. ralistic, anti-women the people who have to live in these health, in addition to helping reduce of Health advises. “Most foods, re- That is, the ending of sanctions could open form of Islam that has places, and we certainly should use VRPHIRUPVRILQÀDPPDWLRQVXFKDV gardless of source, contain some Iran to the world and changed the character 86 DLU SRZHU WR KHOS SUHYHQW WKH DUWKULWLV2\VWHUVDQGFODPVDOVRSDFN FRQWDPLQDQWV6ZLWFKLQJIURP¿VKWR bring in enough fresh air — Iran has of Arab Islam and helped to foster chaos from spreading to islands of a nutritional wallop while containing other types of food may not eliminate been deliberately isolated since 1979 mutations like Islamic State. There decency like Jordan, Lebanon and Kurdistan in Iraq. But managing little we need worry about. FRQWDPLQDQWH[SRVXUH2QHFDQVDIH- by its ayatollahs and Revolutionary were no Iranians involved in 9/11. the decline of the Arab state system Guard Corps — to gradually move Then again, it was Iranian agents :KLOH LW LV JHDUHG WRZDUG ¿VK ly continue to eat the American Heart is not a problem we should own. Iran from being a revolutionary who made the most lethal impro- caught and consumed around Puget $VVRFLDWLRQ¶V UHFRPPHQGHG WZR ¿VK state to a normal one, and one less vised explosives in Iraq that killed We’ve amply proved that we don’t Sound, a March 10 story by Investigate PHDOVSHUZHHNE\DYRLGLQJ¿VKWKDW inclined to threaten Israel. If one PDQ\86WURRSVWKHUH$QGLWZDV know how. West, “Balancing risks and rewards of are high in contaminants.” So before you make up your assumes that Iran already has the Iran that encouraged its Iraqi Shiite D VHDIRRG GLHW´ WLQ\XUOFRPRÀ[M Salmon, oysters, clams, smelt, know-how and tools to build a nucle- DOOLHV WR UHMHFW DQ\ H[WHQGHG 86 mind on the Iran deal, ask how it makes a variety of useful points. All crab — all are things we can con- ar weapon, changing the character of military presence in Iraq and to also affects Israel, the country most ¿VKLVQ¶WFUHDWHGHTXDOZKHQLWFRPHV ¿GHQWO\ HDW ZKHQHYHU ZH ZLVK its regime is the only way it becomes overplay their hand in stripping threatened by Iran. But also ask power from Iraqi Sunnis, which is KRZLWILWVLQWRDZLGHU86VWUDWH- to health and safety. +DOLEXW URFN¿VK DOEDFRUH ² DOO less threatening. The challenge to this argument, what helped to produce the Islamic gy aimed at quelling tensions in the Bigger, longer-living predatory safe once a week or so. Things like explains Karim Sadjadpour, a Mid- State counterreaction. 0LGGOH(DVWZLWKWKHOHDVW86LQ- ¿VK VXFK DV VKDUNV VZRUG¿VK DQG VZRUG¿VK DQG ELJ WXQD VWHDNV IURP dle East specialist at the Carne- ³,Q WKH ¿JKW DJDLQVW ,6,6 ,UDQ volvement necessary and the low- gie Endowment, is that while the LVERWKWKHDUVRQLVWDQGWKH¿UHEUL- est oil prices possible. tuna have more chances to accumu- outside our area — just say no. Founded in 1873 By DAVID BROOKS New York Times News Service A Pesticide study raises cautionary note T Look before leaping into Iran deal I Fish: Mostly still a very healthy choice T