points of view
EDITORIAL BOARD:
Publisher: Arthur M. Horwitz
Chief Operating Officer: F. Kevin Browett
Contributing Editor: Robert Sklar
>> Send letters to: letters@thejewishnews.com
Editorial
ranian Intent
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Good Time To Review
Transportation Plans
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Persian president cooks up a
tainted recipe for world "peace."
D
isdainful as his remarks were, U.S. dip-
lomats were wrong in walking out in
protest of the Iranian president's assault
on the free world in his address at the United
Nations last week. They should have stayed not
only to hear what Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had
to say — after all, Iran is the most dangerous
country in an unstable region — but also dem-
onstrate their tactical backbone by unflinchingly
standing up to his ridicule, historical revision-
ism, baseless accusations and innuendo. He
blamed the West for racism, colonialism, drug
trafficking, poverty, corruption, godlessness,
mass murder and other world ills.
In justifying its walk-
out, the U.S. delegation
to the U.N. General
Assembly stated that
Ahmadinejad "had a
chance to address his own
people's aspirations for
freedom and dignity, but
instead he again turned
to abhorrent anti-Semitic
slurs and despicable con-
spiracy theories."
That's true.
The tyrant of Tehran is a master at hypocrisy
and incitement.
But Iran remains a theocratic powder keg.
It's the gravest threat to Israel because of its
nuclear ambitions as well as its backing of ter-
rorist groups such as Hamas in the Gaza Strip
and Hezbollah in Lebanon and emerging powers
such as the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. Just
this year, Hamas has fired hundreds of rockets
into Negev towns.
Reminds the Washington-based Israel Project:
"Iran is defying four rounds of U.N. sanctions
by pursuing an illegal nuclear weapons program.
Ahmadinejad maintains that his country's
nuclear pursuits are for peaceful purposes, but
reports by the International Atomic Energy
Agency differ.
"A report earlier this month stated the agency
is 'increasingly concerned' about 'extensive and
comprehensive' information that Iran is clandes-
tinely continuing nuclear weapons pursuits!'
Religious
Undergird
Ahmadinejad was
re-elected two years
ago after rigging
the Persian election
and ordering pro-
democracy protes-
tors to be shot. Yet
in chameleon-like
fashion, he boasted
before the U.N. on
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: The
Sept. 22 that he,
too, longed for and tyrant of Tehran is a master
at hypocrisy and incitement.
aspired to "peace,
progress and frater-
nity."
Short in stature, but strategically tall in incit-
ing hatred toward Islamic non-believers and
in stirring support for Iran's ruling clerics, he
chastised the West in general, the U.S. in par-
ticular and "Zionists" (code for Israeli Jews and
their American supporters) for world woes and
inequalities. He alluded to Osama bin Laden's
killing as part of a cover-up to avert the truth
about 9-11 from ever surfacing.
Specifically in his annual U.N. address,
Ahmadinejad expanded on his 2010 claim that
the U.S. orchestrated the 2001 Al Qaida-inspired
attacks on the World Trade Center and the
Pentagon, which killed almost 3,000 people, to cre-
ate a climate for invading Afghanistan and Iraq.
"Instead of assigning a fact-finding team,
they killed the main perpetrator and threw his
body into the sea," Ahmadinejad said, referring
to the U.S. Navy Seals raid in May on bin Laden's
Pakistani hideout.
In a bout of delusion, Ahmadinejad said bin
Laden should have been brought to trial to
discover the truth about 9-11. He argued that
Iran and other nations that endorsed the idea
of an independent inquiry faced U.S. threats.
He pitched the falsehood that the West uses its
"imperialistic media network to threaten anyone
who questions the Holocaust and the 9-11 event
with sanctions and military action!'
"Is there any classified information that
must be kept secret?" Ahmadinejad asked.
Intent on page 37
36
September 29
2011
iN
etting around is critical to independent senior
life. Whether going to the grocery, the doctor,
the drugstore, the synagogue or the Jewish
Community Center, getting there helps keep independently
mobile seniors in their homes, condos or apartments.
The website of Jewish Family Service of Metropolitan
Detroit (JFS) puts it well: "For an older adult, just getting
out can make a world of difference."
As the Jewish New Year of 5772 unfolds, it's a per-
fect time to take stock of our eldercare transportation
strengths and needs here in Jewish Detroit.
Obviously, it's important for our community and its
leaders to recognize the central role that transportation
plays in enabling our seniors to live as independently as
possible for as long as possible. As a community, let's
reassess our senior transportation planning, including
forecasting and funding, to be certain it's strong.
Consider the destination prospects:
• Health – medical appointments, pharmacy prescrip-
tion pickups, therapy (physical and other), hair and nail
salons, fitness centers;
• Social events/outings – activities, lectures, library
visits and programs that offer interaction with others to
reduce isolation and provide stimulation and support;
• Shopping – for food, clothing, kitchenware, gifts.
Because Metro Detroit lacks frequent and dependable
public transportation, excellent eldercare mobile ser-
vices – under the auspices of the Jewish Federation of
Metropolitan Detroit in collaboration with social service
agencies such as Jewish Senior Life (JSL), the JCC and JFS
– becomes vital. The goal: assuring shuttle supply adjusts
to demand, especially on our two Jewish Community
Campuses in West Bloomfield and Oak Park. JFS is the
Detroit Jewish community's main transportation service.
SMART Connector is a public, advance-reservation, curb-to-
curb service in selected areas of Southeast Michigan.
Certainly, seniors are precious to the lifeblood of Jewish
Detroit. The high percentage of elderly in JSL and in near-
by condominium and apartment complexes creates a keen
desire for transportation innovations and strategizing to
meet changing demographic times. Among Jewish com-
munities, we have the highest concentration of seniors in
the country outside of south Florida. In fact, 30 percent of
Jewish Detroit's population of 65,000 is 60 or older – a
percentage that will rise as Baby Boomers age.
The matter of seniors getting around will only exac-
erbate; it's a subject the JN will delve into during 5772.
Thoughtfully reevaluating what options we have to ease
the transportation strain makes a lot of sense.