Opinion
A MIX OF IDEAS
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Dry Bones
Editorial
Keep Pressure On Iran
I
is
getting harder to keep our com-
munity focused on the crisis posed
by Iran's continuing nuclear arms
quest.
Jewish organizations are remarkably
unified in making Iran sanctions a top
priority; polls show an undiminished
understanding of the huge risks a nuclear
Iran would pose to Israel, to other Middle
Eastern states and to U.S. interests around
the world.
But maintaining high levels of activism
is difficult in the face of a crisis that has
resisted every strategy — from the tough
talk of the Bush administration to the out-
stretched hand of President Barack Obama.
Years of sanctions have not altered Iran's
reckless behavior. Military action is fraught
with risk, without any assurance of success.
Diplomacy has been a dismal failure.
But we cannot afford to yield to that
frustration and allow our activism to
diminish. The centrifuges continue to spin
and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
continues to spew anti-Israel invective.
The International Atomic Energy Agency
reports that Iran is indeed working on
warheads capable of delivering the bombs
it is creating.
The Obama administration recog-
nizes what's at stake here and is dialing
up the pressure on Tehran, but clearly it
must do more to enlist critical interna-
tional partners into a seamless coalition
to use economic leverage to stop Iran.
Accomplishing that will require focus,
skillful diplomacy and persistence in the
face of daunting obstacles.
A number of Jewish organizations have
worked hard, and successfully, to keep
a strong focus on Iran in Congress and
at the White House. Their work is also
reflected in polls that show a large major-
ity of Americans recognize the huge dan-
gers posed by a nuclear Iran.
It is more important than ever for all of
us to keep our eyes on the ball —despite
the frustrations of dealing with a problem
that sometimes seems intractable, with
disagreements among the experts and the
unrealistic quick fixes we hear suggested
from both ends of the political spectrum.
Three times — in 2006, 2007 and 2008
— the U.N. Security Council approved
sanctions intended to disrupt Iran's nucle-
ar ambitions and bring the ruling clerics
around to cooperating. Instead, Iran con-
tinues building clandestine nuclear facili-
ties, installing centrifuges and enriching
uranium while rejecting full access to
international weapons inspectors and
turning down deals with the West.
Tehran's message to the West is crystal
clear: Back off; sanctions be damned. We'll
pursue a nuclear bomb unabated.
Maybe Iran already has one, cour-
ram
WHAT IS THE
DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN A DEADLY
TARGETED BOOING
IN AFGHANISTAN
WITH COLLATERAL
CIVLIAN DAMAGE
tesy of North Korea.
Regardless, defiance
remains Iran's trump
card.
New, tougher sanc-
tions from the U.N.
and individual nations
like America and
Canada could work
if they are painful
enough and cripple
Iran's economic back-
bone in the process.
The U.S. Congress
eyes broad unilateral
sanctions specifically
targeting Iran's energy
sector. Russia, a key
U.N. Security Council
vote, now seems to
favor edgier sanctions.
China remains a wild
card.
There's no assur-
ance a military attack or a naval block-
ade by Israel or any other nation would
destroy Iran's nuclear capabilities, which
are believed to include sites that are hid-
den, underground, scattered and heavily
fortified.
The Israel Project told the Jewish
Telegraphic Agency that even if sanctions
ultimately don't stop Iran from going
DryBonesBlog.com
nuclear, they could help deter a nuclear
Iran from using its atomic weapons.
There are no easy solutions when it
comes to Iran. But that cannot be an
excuse for inaction in a crisis that threat-
ens so much of what we hold dear. ❑
A version of this viewpoint originally appeared
in the New York Jewish Week on Feb. 26.
Reality Check
Mortifying Moments
T
here seems to be a lot of embar-
rassment loose in the land these
days. I wish there wasn't, mostly
because I can't spell it.
It's one of those words that have erected
a mental barricade in my mind. Every
time I try to use it I am embarrassed
by the result. I am far too proud to use
Spellcheck, so I keep plugging in letters
until I hit the right combination in the
right order. Kind of like playing the cheap
slots in Biloxi.
Just the other day, however, while look-
ing over my copy of the New York Times,
I was amazed at all the embarrassment I
found there.
Security at Amsterdam's Schipol Airport
was mortified to learn that a Dutch
reporter had beaten the system on carry-
on baggage. This is the same system, of
course, the Underpants Bomber bested en
route to Detroit and the authorities swore
it would be fixed immediately and forever.
Guess not.
A few pages along was a
story about our own State
Department, which had set up
a goodwill tour of America for
Pakistani legislators. The intent
was to show off the liberties
that come with living in the
United States. Nobody got the
word at Homeland Security,
though.
Instead, the visitors were
pulled out of an airport secu-
rity line to be re-examined. No
one else. Just them. They went
home in a fury, where they were regarded
as heroes and we were left with what
looked suspiciously like egg on our face.
On the same page, the Times seized
another opportunity to chortle over an
Israeli miscue. Right after Benjamin
Netanyahu and Joe Biden met to pledge
solidarity between our two countries,
the Israeli interior minister
announced more housing will
be built in east Jerusalem. The
Times said Netanyahu was
"clearly embarrassed" and used
it as the lead in its story on the
meeting.
Nations get embarrassed all
the time and sometimes that
can be dangerous. So do I, but it
counts for much less.
Probably the most embar-
rassed I get is when I try to
dance and my daughter and
son-in-law laugh and point.
Although there was an incident in
Petoskey that is pretty close on the scale.
Sherry and I went to a movie on a rainy
afternoon and I stopped in the restroom
on the way in. The auditorium was still
dark when I went in and only a dozen or so
people were seated. I finally spotted Sherry
and made my way to her seat.
"What do you want to do after the
movie I asked. Then I really looked at her
and discovered it was not Sherry but a total
stranger who looked as if she was two sec-
onds away from screaming for security.
Mumbling apologies as quickly as I
could, I backed away and rushed to where
my wife was actually seated. It was the
closest I ever got to a molestation charge.
There was also a time when I was stay-
ing in East St. Louis (don't ask) with my
brother. We were trying to pick up a Tigers'
game on the radio and went outside for
better reception. Here we encountered a
lady of pleasure, who asked if we'd like to
have a party.
"Oh, no" we responded in all innocence.
"We're trying to listen to a ballgame."
It took a while until we figured it out.
But we were young then.
❑
George Cantor's e-mail address is
gcantor614@aol.com.
March 18 • 2010
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