An article in the international section of today's New York Times runs under the headline, "China Prepares Big Exercise Near Island Facing Taiwan." The article begins, "The Chinese military is mounting one of its largest war drills in years this month around an island facing Taiwan, according to news accounts in China and Hong Kong."
What does it mean to say an island is "facing" Taiwan? Does it mean "near" Taiwan? If one encounters an island in the ocean, how does one determine which way it is facing?
AIDS Victims: The lead editorial in today's New York Times, about the New York State budget, says, "Some not-for-profit groups that do vital work like supporting AIDS victims will have to borrow to make up for lost state contributions." This is a violation of the Times's own style. The Times stylebook entry on "victim" says, "Applied to people with serious illnesses or disabilities, the term conveys an undesired tone of pity, and slights the aspects of their lives that may be unimpaired."
Kahane Message: An article in the Times metro section about Jews, Hindus and Muslims reports that "Central to the Kahane message is that all Jews belong in Israel, making any Jew in the United States a temporary resident. Many of the group's biggest supporters shuttle back and forth between Israel and New York, keeping one foot in each country." This is cited as evidence of the "extreme" religious philosophy of the Kahane group, as a sign that the Jews are here not as "immigrants seeking a better life," but rather "to engage in politics from afar." The idea that all Jews belong in Israel is not merely "central to the Kahane message" but central to Zionism, and, indeed, Judaism. There may be differences about how soon all Jews will end up in Israel and by what means (the Jewish people's last "temporary" eviction began in the year 70), but the mere idea that all Jews belong in Israel is pretty basic and uncontroversial, at least among Jews. So it's a bit odd to see the Times portray it as evidence of religious extremism. And the ranks of those who "shuttle back and forth between Israel and New York" include not just the followers of Rabbi Kahane but also those active in, for example, the UJA-Federation of New York (a beneficiary of the Times's own Neediest Cases fund) and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
Colonizing: The "Abroad at Home" column in today's New York Times demonstrates an attitude about Jews and the land of Israel that is similar to the one expressed in the metro section article about Kahane. The column says "the inescapable fact is that Israel has been colonizing the occupied territories." It's a strain on the meaning of the word "colonize" to use it to refer to lands, like Hebron, the Old City of Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, where Jews have lived for thousands of years and which are referred to in the Bible. The column claims "Israeli military leaders" say the settlements "strain the country's defenses." In fact, as the Israeli military leaders like Rabin and Sharon who built the settlements realized, several settlement blocks in the West Bank are crucial to Israel's defenses, providing strategic depth in the Jordan Valley. Today's Times column focuses on territories Israel seized in 1967, but it makes no reference to Israel's return of the largest such territory, the Sinai Peninsula, in exchange for a peace treaty with Egypt. And it makes no reference to the fact that Ehud Barak last year offered the PLO the return of nearly all the rest of the land -- and the PLO rejected the offer.