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Senin, 14 Januari 2013

'If he opens up the door, you shoot him!'

Last week, Melinda Herman shot an intruder in her Georgia home She had learned to shoot only two weeks before Her story has gained the attention of gun rights groups Loganville, Georgia (CNN) -- This is not a movie. There's no dramatic music in the background. A happy ending, far from a guarantee. The concern in Donnie Herman's voice was clear as day. So was his stress. With two telephones to his ear, he listened to his wife, Melinda, as she fled into an attic of their Loganville home. With her: Her two 9-year-old children and a loaded .38 revolver. In the house: An intruder with a crowbar. On another line was the 911 operator Donnie Herman had called for help. Herman's words to his wife, as he sat helplessly, an hour away from the home, were recorded. "Stay in the attic," he instructed her, calmly. "He's in the bedroom," she told him. He repeated the words to the 911 operator. "Shh. Relax," Herman said, trying to calm his wife. Then he instructed her to do what was fast becoming a realistic possibility. Melinda Herman fled to the attic with her two children when an intruder entered her Georgia home. Walton County Sheriff Joe Chapman, whose office responded to the shooting, praised Melinda Herman's actions. "Melinda -- if he opens up the door, you shoot him! You understand?" What happened next has made the Hermans the new faces of the right to bear arms. Melinda Herman fired a six-shot revolver at the intruder, hitting him five times, in his torso and in his face. Surprisingly, he managed to flee. Opinion: The case for gun rights is stronger than you think Gun rights groups say this shows that law-abiding citizens should be allowed to buy their weapon of choice and as big a magazine or ammunition clip as they like. They remind people that Melinda Herman had only a six-shot revolver. "It's a good thing she wasn't facing more attackers. Otherwise she would have been in trouble and she would have run out of ammunition," said Erich Pratt, director of communications for the Gun Owners of America. "She shot him five times and he still didn't drop. This is going to endanger people's safety." The right of self-protection has been thrust into the forefront in a national debate after last month's Newtown, Connecticut, tragedy. This week, a federal task force led by Vice President Joe Biden is holding talks with private industry groups, the NRA, and legislators -- all to determine the correct balance between the right to self-protection and preventing further mass shootings. Meanwhile, Americans are flocking to gun shops to buy guns and ammunition in record numbers -- partly due to Newtown and partly due to their fears that the rules are about to change on what they can legally own. The FBI said it conducted almost 2.8 million checks for gun purchases in December, a record high for a month. Donnie and Melinda Herman own two guns for protection at home, but until two weeks ago, she had never fired a gun. Her husband told sheriff's department investigator's that he took her shooting so that she'd be familiar with the family's guns if she ever had to use one. Now, clutching the .38 revolver, Melinda Herman was in the middle of a heart-pounding crisis inside her own home. She had already locked multiple doors before she and her children took refuge in an adjacent-room attic -- the kind with a small door that you have to bend down to go through. The intruder had used the crowbar to break through the front door and then two other doors upstairs, and she could hear him coming closer and closer. On the phone, Donnie Herman calmly instructed his wife about the use of the weapon she had practiced on. "Remember everything I showed you. Everything I taught you," he told her, and he reassured her that help was on the way. Then it happened. "She shot him. She's shooting him. She's shooting him. She's shooting him. She's shooting him. ... Shoot him again! Shoot him!" Donnie Herman said as the 911 dispatcher listened. He then lost phone contact with his wife and children. His anguish and the pain of not knowing what had happened may be etched in his mind for eternity. But they were safe. var currExpandable="expand130"; if(typeof CNN.expandableMap==='object'){CNN.expandableMap.push(currExpandable);} var mObj={}; mObj.type='video'; mObj.contentId=''; mObj.source='us/2013/01/10/bts-biden-gun-policy-meeting.cnn'; mObj.videoSource='CNN'; mObj.videoSourceUrl='www.cnn.com'; mObj.lgImage="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/130110133715-bts-biden-gun-policy-meeting-00004926-story-body.jpg"; mObj.lgImageX=300; mObj.lgImageY=169; mObj.origImageX="214"; mObj.origImageY="120"; mObj.contentType='video'; CNN.expElements.expand130Store=mObj; Biden reveals mutual gun policy findings var currExpandable="expand230"; if(typeof CNN.expandableMap==='object'){CNN.expandableMap.push(currExpandable);} var mObj={}; mObj.type='video'; mObj.contentId=''; mObj.source='us/2013/01/09/bts-gov-malloy-school-safety-newtown-speech.wfsb'; mObj.videoSource='WFSB'; mObj.videoSourceUrl='http://www.wfsb.com/'; mObj.lgImage="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/130109102241-bts-gov-malloy-school-safety-newtown-speech-00004124-story-body.jpg"; mObj.lgImageX=300; mObj.lgImageY=169; mObj.origImageX="214"; mObj.origImageY="120"; mObj.contentType='video'; CNN.expElements.expand230Store=mObj; Emotional gov. rejects guns in schools var currExpandable="expand330"; if(typeof CNN.expandableMap==='object'){CNN.expandableMap.push(currExpandable);} var mObj={}; mObj.type='video'; mObj.contentId=''; mObj.source='bestoftv/2013/01/10/pmt-larry-pratt-on-guns.cnn'; mObj.videoSource='CNN'; mObj.videoSourceUrl='http://piersmorgan.blogs.cnn.com/'; mObj.lgImage="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/130110022747-pmt-larry-pratt-on-guns-00030625-story-body.jpg"; mObj.lgImageX=300; mObj.lgImageY=169; mObj.origImageX="214"; mObj.origImageY="120"; mObj.contentType='video'; CNN.expElements.expand330Store=mObj; Piers, Larry Pratt debate gun control var currExpandable="expand430"; if(typeof CNN.expandableMap==='object'){CNN.expandableMap.push(currExpandable);} var mObj={}; mObj.type='video'; mObj.contentId=''; mObj.source='international/2013/01/10/amanpour-gun-control-jerramiah-healy.cnn'; mObj.videoSource='CNN'; mObj.videoSourceUrl=''; mObj.lgImage="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/130110123811-amanpour-gun-control-jerramiah-healy-00003015-story-body.jpg"; mObj.lgImageX=300; mObj.lgImageY=169; mObj.origImageX="214"; mObj.origImageY="120"; mObj.contentType='video'; CNN.expElements.expand430Store=mObj; Not afraid of the NRA He learned later that his wife fired all six shots, and hit the intruder with all but one bullet. Parents defend right to keep guns in the home Not realizing she was out of ammunition, she ordered the man to stay on the floor as he bled. She then fled the house with her children. Walton County Sheriff Joe Chapman -- whose office responded to the shooting at the Hermans' home -- said he believes the mother and her two children were in a life-and-death situation and she had no choice but to exercise her constitutional right to self-defense. "Had it not turned out the way that it did, I would possibly be working a triple homicide, not having a clue as to who it is we're looking for," he told CNN. Despite being shot five times, the suspect, identified as Paul Ali Slater, still managed to get back into his SUV, but he drove off the road and crashed a short distance away. He remains hospitalized. Due to privacy laws, the hospital cannot divulge any information on his condition. But the controversy continues. Home gun ownership and self-defense will always be controversial. The Hermans' story of self-defense is being used by the National Rifle Association and the Gun Owners of America to make their point to the White House and Congress about gun ownership. But Donnie Herman has told people he's not interested in being a poster boy for anyone. He has not yet responded to CNN's request for an interview with him and his wife. "My wife is a hero. She protected her kids. She did what she was supposed to do as a responsible parent and gun owner," Herman told CNN affiliate WSB. Yet it's unclear whether the benefits of having a loaded and readily available gun in one's home outweigh the drawbacks. "It's more common for an armed homeowner in the United States to be a victim of suicide, homicide, assault or an accidental shooting than it is for that person to shoot an intruder," according to Dr. Arthur Kellermann, a senior health policy analyst at Rand Corporation, a non-partisan think tank. Kellermann led research for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the 1990s which found that people who have guns in their homes are nearly three times more likely to be a victim of homicide and nearly five times more likely to commit suicide. Experts also say that simply having a gun for self-protection does not guarantee safety. They say the fear is that many people will take part in what might be considered a feeding frenzy by purchasing a gun, but not learn how to properly use it. Sheriff Chapman holds courses for homeowners who want to learn how to safely and properly use a weapon. "Be proficient with it. Be taught how to use it. Train with it," he said. "I often tell people, 'If you don't think that you have what it takes to take a human life then don't bother buying one. Don't waste your money. Don't waste your time," he told CNN. "Don't put it in a drawer and think that's the answer to everything, because it isn't." if(typeof CNN.expElements==='object'){CNN.expElements.init();} CNN's Tom Watkins contributed to this report

Making job stress worth enduring

Marci Alboher: Annual list of most stressful jobs drew attention She says the right issue is whether job rewards compensate for stress People who take on stressful jobs that help others report satisfaction, she says Editor's note: Marci Alboher, is a Vice President of Encore.org, a nonprofit making it easier for people to pursue second acts for the greater good. Her latest book is, "The Encore Career Handbook: How to Make a Difference and a Living in the Second Half of Life" (Workman: January 2013). (CNN) -- A recent study with a catchy headline about the most stressful jobs of 2013 found its way to the soft hour of news this week. The annual study by careercast.com created some buzz in the online water cooler and I was asked to appear on the "Today" show to talk about it. Colleagues e-mailed me and posted on my Facebook page about where their chosen professions ranked. My media friends couldn't help noticing that public relations professionals, reporters and photojournalists all made it into the top 10 for stress. The "study," referred to in quotes in some of the commentary, considered some logical criteria to come up with these rankings. Proximity to risk of death (yours or others'), travel, deadlines, working in the public eye and physical demands all racked up points on the stress scale. And there's no arguing that military personnel, firefighters and police officers -- all high-rankers on the most-stressed list -- are exposed to higher stakes than your typical seamstress (holder of the second-least stressful job slot). Marci Alboher The job that snagged the "least stressful" slot, according to the survey, was "university professor," a designation that caused outrage among people who actually hold that job. One commenter conceded that most academic jobs don't put you in personal danger (though you can argue that point), but anyone who's ever been around professors knows that faculty politics, difficult students and pressure to "publish or perish" can cause even the most calm character to crack. We could debate whether these designations make any sense. And whether every police officer, firefighter and member of the military faces the same amount of stress. But let's make sure we are having the right conversation. How many people choose a profession based on how high the stress level is? And how can you measure stress objectively? If you're prone to stress, perhaps you're just as likely to feel stressed out whether you work as a librarian, a massage therapist or a commercial airline pilot (No. 4 on the stress list). People choose their line of work for a lot of reasons. For those who are committed to making our communities and the world safer and healthier for the rest of us, minimizing stress is probably not so high on their list of criteria. And it shouldn't be. Folks who choose helping jobs that may have a high level of stress are fueled by other motivators, like wanting their work to have meaning. var currExpandable="expand18"; if(typeof CNN.expandableMap==='object'){CNN.expandableMap.push(currExpandable);} var mObj={}; mObj.type='video'; mObj.contentId=''; mObj.source='world/2012/01/30/wbt-most-stressful-jobs-list.cnn'; mObj.videoSource='CNN'; mObj.videoSourceUrl=''; mObj.lgImage="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/120130094430-wbt-most-stressful-jobs-list-00011304-story-body.jpg"; mObj.lgImageX=300; mObj.lgImageY=169; mObj.origImageX="214"; mObj.origImageY="120"; mObj.contentType='video'; CNN.expElements.expand18Store=mObj; The most stressful jobs var currExpandable="expand28"; if(typeof CNN.expandableMap==='object'){CNN.expandableMap.push(currExpandable);} var mObj={}; mObj.type='video'; mObj.contentId=''; mObj.source='health/2013/01/07/exp-hm--de-stress-tips.cnn'; mObj.videoSource='CNN'; mObj.videoSourceUrl=''; mObj.lgImage="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/130107060143-exp-hm-de-stress-tips-00003201-story-body.jpg"; mObj.lgImageX=300; mObj.lgImageY=169; mObj.origImageX="214"; mObj.origImageY="120"; mObj.contentType='video'; CNN.expElements.expand28Store=mObj; Getting rid of stress var currExpandable="expand38"; if(typeof CNN.expandableMap==='object'){CNN.expandableMap.push(currExpandable);} var mObj={}; mObj.type='video'; mObj.contentId=''; mObj.source='health/2012/07/12/exp-cohen-and-caregiver-stress.cnn'; mObj.videoSource='CNN'; mObj.videoSourceUrl=''; mObj.lgImage="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/120712031422-exp-cohen-and-caregiver-stress-00002701-story-body.jpg"; mObj.lgImageX=300; mObj.lgImageY=169; mObj.origImageX="214"; mObj.origImageY="120"; mObj.contentType='video'; CNN.expElements.expand38Store=mObj; Woman abandons disabled daughter var currExpandable="expand48"; if(typeof CNN.expandableMap==='object'){CNN.expandableMap.push(currExpandable);} var mObj={}; mObj.type='video'; mObj.contentId=''; mObj.source='us/2012/04/26/dnt-ky-dogs-destress-students.wtvq'; mObj.videoSource='WTVQ'; mObj.videoSourceUrl='http://www.wtvq.com/default.aspx'; mObj.lgImage="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/120426081410-dnt-ky-dogs-destress-students-00005525-story-body.jpg"; mObj.lgImageX=300; mObj.lgImageY=169; mObj.origImageX="214"; mObj.origImageY="120"; mObj.contentType='video'; CNN.expElements.expand48Store=mObj; Dogs deliver stress relief for students They aren't deterred by the fact that their job will likely come with stress. And some people are simply by their own nature and personalities drawn to work that may be to others, dauntingly stressful. How many FBI agents do you think would prefer a gig as an audiologist (sixth-least stressful job)? When I talk to men and women in their 50s and 60s who've decided to take on encore careers as teachers, they tell me that the work is often exhausting and stressful. They are on their feet all day, often with inadequate resources, with kids who are themselves highly stressed; even those who come from leadership roles in other sectors say they've never worked harder. Yet they almost always tell me that doing something that matters to others -- and that puts them in touch with young people every day -- compensates for the added stress. The same is true of those tackling some of the world's most intractable problems. When I talk to Stephen and Elizabeth Alderman, whose foundation trains health-care professionals around the world to work with victims of trauma, or Judith Broder, who founded The Soldiers Project, which works with returning veterans, they rarely talk about stress. Instead they talk about how they are compelled to do what they do, because moving the needle even a fraction is better than doing nothing. Rather than discouraging people to take on jobs that might have a lot of stress, let's instead encourage those who are designed for those jobs to do them. And let's make sure to support our friends and family members who go down these paths. It's hard to grab headlines in the crowded space of morning television, but a good survey with a catchy title will always do that. So let's use these kinds of surveys to have the right kinds of conversations. Like why so many jobs that keep us safe and healthy, and that care for our children and the environment rarely show up on lists of the most highly compensated jobs. Now there's a conversation I'd most like to be having. Follow us on Twitter @CNNOpinion Join us on Facebook/CNNOpinion if(typeof CNN.expElements==='object'){CNN.expElements.init();} The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Marci Alboher.

Facebook is like truth serum

In 2012, deception seemed rampant in the news, says Jeffrey Hancock He says technology enables or abets some new forms of deception Still, studies find that people lie less frequently on LinkedIn and Facebook, he says Hancock: People want to be perceived as truthful, especially among friends Editor's note: Jeffrey Hancock is associate professor of communication and of information science at Cornell University. He spoke in September at TEDx Winnipeg. TED is a nonprofit dedicated to "ideas worth spreading", which it makes available through talks posted on its website. (CNN) -- It's been an astonishing year for deception and technology. A famous author in Britain, RJ Ellory, became even more famous when he was discovered reviewing his own work, positively of course, with fake identities online. Prominent journalists were found to have plagiarized the work of others Fake online reviews were discovered for everything from hotels to Kindle covers to doctors. And I haven't even mentioned the presidential election. Technology is affecting almost all aspects of human life, and deception, one of humankind's most fascinating behaviors, is no exception. Technology is making possible some interesting new forms of deception, like the butler lie, the sock puppet, and the Chinese water army. Become a fan of CNNOpinion Stay up to date on the latest opinion, analysis and conversations through social media. Join us at Facebook/CNNOpinion and follow us @CNNOpinion on Twitter. We welcome your ideas and comments. Butler lies are those little deceptions that we tell one another to avoid social interaction. Examples include the ubiquitous "on my way" when in fact we are not on our way, or "sorry, I just got your text" when actually we just didn't want to respond right away. Another butler lie is the lost reception explanation ("I'm in a tunnel!"). Butler lies help us manage our social attention in an always-on communication world. They allow us to use the technology as a sort of social buffer to avoid interaction when we're technically always available, while at the same time giving plausible excuses to maintain social relationships we care about. TED.com: Our buggy moral code Sock puppets are individuals who provide reviews or commentary about their own work, usually highly positive, of course. The Internet allows for this kind of identity deception because people can chose any identity they want. But it can come with a cost when false identities are exposed. In response to the unmasking of Ellory, many authors publicly shamed him and pledged to never engage in sock puppetry. Reviewing one's own work with a false identity isn't exactly new. Walt Whitman was infamous for doing that well before the Internet was invented. But the use of identity deception at scale, with thousands of people doing so in concert, is new. This is the Chinese Water Army phenomenon. The term refers to the large number of Chinese online writers that are paid a small amount of money to write opinions and reviews. In North America this is also commonly referred to as Astroturfing, in which an organization mimics a grass-roots movement by paying people to "spontaneously" support their position. var currExpandable="expand19"; if(typeof CNN.expandableMap==='object'){CNN.expandableMap.push(currExpandable);} var mObj={}; mObj.type='video'; mObj.contentId=''; mObj.source='us/2011/11/12/ted-pamela-meyer.ted'; mObj.videoSource='TED'; mObj.videoSourceUrl='http://www.ted.com/'; mObj.lgImage="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/111112084406-ted-pamela-meyer-00083124-story-body.jpg"; mObj.lgImageX=300; mObj.lgImageY=169; mObj.origImageX="214"; mObj.origImageY="120"; mObj.contentType='video'; CNN.expElements.expand19Store=mObj; Pamela Meyer: How to spot a liar var currExpandable="expand29"; if(typeof CNN.expandableMap==='object'){CNN.expandableMap.push(currExpandable);} var mObj={}; mObj.type='video'; mObj.contentId=''; mObj.source='bestoftv/2012/10/16/nr-brooke-julian-zelizer-intv.cnn'; mObj.videoSource='CNN'; mObj.videoSourceUrl='http://newsroom.blogs.cnn.com/category/anchors/brooke-baldwin/'; mObj.lgImage="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/121016085322-nr-brooke-julian-zelizer-intv-00032517-story-body.jpg"; mObj.lgImageX=300; mObj.lgImageY=169; mObj.origImageX="214"; mObj.origImageY="120"; mObj.contentType='video'; CNN.expElements.expand29Store=mObj; Prof: 'Voters unfazed by candidates' lies' var currExpandable="expand39"; if(typeof CNN.expandableMap==='object'){CNN.expandableMap.push(currExpandable);} var mObj={}; mObj.type='video'; mObj.contentId=''; mObj.source='bestoftv/2012/12/27/exp-erin-facebook-privacy.cnn'; mObj.videoSource='CNN'; mObj.videoSourceUrl=''; mObj.lgImage="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/121228123411-exp-erin-facebook-privacy-00002001-story-body.jpg"; mObj.lgImageX=300; mObj.lgImageY=169; mObj.origImageX="214"; mObj.origImageY="120"; mObj.contentType='video'; CNN.expElements.expand39Store=mObj; Randi Zuckerberg in photo sharing flap It would be easy to assume that technology is growing our lying habits. But this isn't quite right. Let's consider the most important interactions, those with our friends, loved ones, and colleagues. Does technology make us more or less likely to lie to one another? Surprisingly, a lot of research suggests that Internet technology can actually make us more honest. In several of our studies, for example, people lied less in e-mail than face to face. The place where people lie the most? The telephone. TED.com: Why we make bad decisions We've also looked at social network sites and the claims people make. On LinkedIn, where people post resumé information, we found that people lie less about their past responsibilities and skills than in a traditional paper-based resume. Other work shows that Facebook profiles reflect people's actual personality, rather than some idealized version. Even in online dating, often mocked as a hotbed for lies, we found that yes, people lie, but usually not by that much. Men lie a little about their height, income and education, and women lie a little about their weight and physical appearance. This isn't really that different from meeting someone in a bar, when you think about it. Why might technology make us more honest with each other? One reason is that people view themselves as honest and lying violates that self-concept. This is especially true when talking to people with whom we have a relationship, like our friends and family, or want to have a relationship, like future employers and dates. Being perceived as deceptive can seriously harm reputations and relationships, regardless of the medium. The place where people lie the most? The telephone. Jeffrey Hancock But perhaps the most important reason is that we are in an incredibly fluid era of human social evolution. Consider that humans started talking to each other about 50,000 to 100,000 years ago, and over that time around a trillion humans have lived. The written word, however, only emerged about 5,000 years ago, and until World War II over half the world's population couldn't read or write. So, for most of those trillion humans, every word they ever said just disappeared. Gone. Now the average North American records more words in texts and e-mails in a day than most humans did throughout history. This obviously has important implications for deception. Because of our social evolution we're not wired to automatically remember that our e-mails and texts and blogs and Facebook chats leave a semi-permanent record. Just ask any politician caught in a scandal in the last decade. TED.com: The brain in love On the plus side, these records give researchers a chance to study all sorts of social behavior that were mostly invisible before. We can use computers to analyze the language in these records and find word patterns that reveal deception, like whether a hotel review was written by someone who actually stayed at the hotel or not (take a look at the end of the TED talk to see if you can tell which hotel review is fake). We're in a crucial change state between the era of ephemeral talk and the era of the digital trace, where everything we do and say creates our own personal record. Deception, whether we want it or not, will no doubt evolve with us as we adapt to this new world of communication. The future of lying, like the future of humanity, is wide open. Follow @CNNOpinion on Twitter. Join us at Facebook/CNNOpinion. if(typeof CNN.expElements==='object'){CNN.expElements.init();} The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Jeffrey Hancock.

Minggu, 13 Januari 2013

Azriel: Hagel is a friend to Israel

Chuck Hagel's nomination has been criticized on issue of support for Israel Nebraska Rabbi Aryeh Azriel says he's long seen Hagel's backing for Israel He says critics of Hagel are grasping at straws to question his views Azriel: Critics are wrong to hurl charges of anti-Semitism against Hagel Editor's note: Rabbi Aryeh Azriel, born and raised in Tel Aviv, has been the senior rabbi at Temple Israel in Omaha, Nebraska, since 1988. (CNN) -- It's clear from the coverage of the nomination of former Sen. Chuck Hagel for the 24th secretary of defense that many of those opposing him do not know him personally, as I do. The facts speak for themselves: His record shows strong support for Israel. As a person who grew up in Israel and now as a rabbi in our home state of Nebraska for the past 25 years, I have found a great love in Chuck's heart for the Israeli people and their desire to live in peace and security. In numerous encounters, I was enthralled with the depth of his knowledge, the strength of his convictions, the integrity of his character and the honesty in his search for peace. Rabbi Aryeh Azriel Take the matter of recent accusations against him, which say that as president of the United Services Organization in the late 1980s, Chuck went on a crusade to close a USO post in the Israeli port city of Haifa. An organization most associated with Bob Hope, the USO is a private, nonprofit whose mission is to support American troops by providing morale, welfare and recreation-type services. Chuck's tenure there is remembered for turning around a financially troubled organization and bringing it back to fiscal health in the lead up to Operation Desert Storm. When Atlantic magazine recently conducted an investigative report, both the longtime director of the USO mission in Haifa and a former commander in chief of the Israeli Navy came to his defense. Become a fan of CNNOpinion Stay up to date on the latest opinion, analysis and conversations through social media. Join us at Facebook/CNNOpinion and follow us @CNNOpinion on Twitter. We welcome your ideas and comments. Reversing the fortunes of a near-bankrupt organization requires making tough choices, and there may have been some logic in closing that outpost, but in this case, the Haifa operation was kept open and 10 other operations were closed in the Mediterranean. In fact, it was not until 2002, near the end of Chuck's first term in the U.S. Senate, that the USO's Haifa office was closed. Ari Fleischer: Hagel is wrong on why U.S. supports Israel Others have pointed out that as a U.S. senator, he opposed sanctions against Iran, an example frequently used to show that he was not being supportive of Israel. var currExpandable="expand18"; if(typeof CNN.expandableMap==='object'){CNN.expandableMap.push(currExpandable);} var mObj={}; mObj.type='video'; mObj.contentId=''; mObj.source='bestoftv/2013/01/08/exp-tsr-mccain-hagel-intv.cnn'; mObj.videoSource='CNN'; mObj.videoSourceUrl=''; mObj.lgImage="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/130108115611-exp-tsr-mccain-hagel-intv-00002001-story-body.jpg"; mObj.lgImageX=300; mObj.lgImageY=169; mObj.origImageX="214"; mObj.origImageY="120"; mObj.contentType='video'; CNN.expElements.expand18Store=mObj; McCain's 'serious concerns' about Hagel var currExpandable="expand28"; if(typeof CNN.expandableMap==='object'){CNN.expandableMap.push(currExpandable);} var mObj={}; mObj.type='video'; mObj.contentId=''; mObj.source='bestoftv/2013/01/08/exp-erin-iran-cheers-hagel-nomination.cnn'; mObj.videoSource='CNN'; mObj.videoSourceUrl='cnn.com/OutFront'; mObj.lgImage="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/130107122338-09-chuck-hagel-story-body.jpg"; mObj.lgImageX=300; mObj.lgImageY=169; mObj.origImageX="214"; mObj.origImageY="120"; mObj.contentType='video'; CNN.expElements.expand28Store=mObj; Iran cheers Hagel nomination var currExpandable="expand38"; if(typeof CNN.expandableMap==='object'){CNN.expandableMap.push(currExpandable);} var mObj={}; mObj.type='video'; mObj.contentId=''; mObj.source='bestoftv/2013/01/08/exp-point-cardin-hagel.cnn'; mObj.videoSource='CNN'; mObj.videoSourceUrl=''; mObj.lgImage="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/130108031852-exp-point-cardin-hagel-00015222-story-body.jpg"; mObj.lgImageX=300; mObj.lgImageY=169; mObj.origImageX="214"; mObj.origImageY="120"; mObj.contentType='video'; CNN.expElements.expand38Store=mObj; Hagel tapped for Defense Secretary var currExpandable="expand48"; if(typeof CNN.expandableMap==='object'){CNN.expandableMap.push(currExpandable);} var mObj={}; mObj.type='video'; mObj.contentId=''; mObj.source='bestoftv/2013/01/08/exp-tsr-fleischer-harman.cnn'; mObj.videoSource='CNN'; mObj.videoSourceUrl=''; mObj.lgImage="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/130108033404-exp-tsr-fleischer-harman-00002001-story-body.jpg"; mObj.lgImageX=300; mObj.lgImageY=169; mObj.origImageX="214"; mObj.origImageY="120"; mObj.contentType='video'; CNN.expElements.expand48Store=mObj; Chuck Hagel's controversial nomination Iran has been on my mind for a long time. The danger is clear for the security of Israel and the entire Middle East. But I know Chuck's preference is for multilateral sanctions over unilateral sanctions, and what's wrong with that? Cuba is a prime example of decades of unilateral sanctions not working. Americans need only go to cities on or near the Canadian border such as Windsor, Niagara Falls and Vancouver to purchase the famed Cuban cigars. But when dealing with Iran, we do not have decades to wait the regime out. The danger is real. The consequences are overwhelming. Like Chuck, I would rather have the world powers behind a united effort to stop and reverse the nuclear ambitions of Iran's leadership. I use these two examples to show that accusations against him of being anti-Semitic and not being supportive of Israel are groundless. As a student of world history in general and Jewish history in particular and as one who knows and abhors anti-Semitism, I think it cheapens the lives and the memories of my people when the label is attached and used on someone who may not share the same policy views as those opposing his nomination. It is despicable and revolting when name-calling becomes more important than the substance at hand. We, all children created in God's image, need to be extremely careful in uttering words that hurt and make sure to introduce only words that heal. Indeed, a real friend of anyone, including Israel, is supposed to be frank and offer counsel, especially when there is so much at stake. Finally, American support for Israel is best when it is bipartisan, as it has been historically. Recent efforts to smear Chuck get us further away from support for Israel being a bipartisan issue, and ultimately that hurts the long-term security of the state of Israel. Follow @CNNOpinion on Twitter. Join us at Facebook/CNNOpinion. if(typeof CNN.expElements==='object'){CNN.expElements.init();} The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Rabbi Aryeh Azriel.

Making job stress worth enduring

Azriel: Hagel is a friend to Israel

Saudi Arabia defends maid's beheading

Saudi Arabia says Rizana Nafeek had "all rights" before her beheading last week The Sri Lankan maid was put to death for the 2005 killing of her employers' infant The Saudis say she was 21 at the time; Sri Lanka says she was 17 The kingdom "categorically rejects any interference in its affairs," a statement says (CNN) -- Saudi Arabia on Sunday defended its execution of a Sri Lankan maid for the death of an infant in her care and hit back at international criticism of last week's beheading. "The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia categorically rejects any interference in its affairs or in the provisions of its judiciary under any justifications," a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency read. Human rights groups and the Sri Lankan government had lobbied for leniency in the case of Rizana Nafeek, who was convicted of killing her employers' son in 2005. The family said she strangled the boy, Kayed bin Nayef bin Jazyan al-Otaibi, after being asked to bottle-feed him, but Nafeek said the infant accidentally choked on milk. Read more: Outrage over beheading of Sri Lankan woman by Saudi Arabia She was executed Wednesday amid condemnation by human rights groups, the European Union and the United Nations. But in Sunday's statement, the Saudis said complaints about her execution "draw on false information about the case and are issued without full knowledge of the circumstances of the case itself." The Saudi statement denied allegations by Nafeek's advocates that she was a minor at the time of the boy's death. Sri Lanka's government said she was only 17 at the time. But the Saudi statement said her official passport showed she was 21 when the boy died. "As it is universally recognized, the passport is an official document issued by her government," the statement said. "Moreover, the legal regulations of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia do not allow the recruitment of minors." Saudi Arabia is a signatory to the international Convention on the Rights of the Child, which bars the execution of offenders who were under 18 at the time of their crime. The Saudis said Nafeek had "all rights to have a legal defense," with the Sri Lankan government monitoring the case. And it said Saudi officials "at the highest levels" urged the infant's family members to agree to clemency or a payment of "blood money" in exchange for sparing Nafeek's life, but they refused. Opinion: Saudi execution: Brutal, inhuman and illegal? Nafeek was put to death Wednesday in Dawadmi, a small, dusty town about 200 kilometers (125 miles) west of Riyadh. Sri Lanka has withdrawn its ambassador to Saudi Arabia in response to the execution, which Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa had twice asked Saudi King Abdullah to stop. "We pointed out to Saudi officials that Rizana came to their country as a housemaid. She was not competent or trained to look after a baby, which she had been assigned to her by her employer," External Affairs Secretary Karunatilaka Amunugama said in a statement released Friday. Human rights groups said Nafeek did not have access to a lawyer during her pretrial interrogation, during which she said she was assaulted and forced to sign a confession under duress. Philip Luther, director of Amnesty International's Middle East and North Africa program, said last week that the case shows the Saudis are "woefully out of step ... with their international obligations regarding the use of the death penalty." U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was "dismayed" by the execution, the United Nations said last week. Amnesty says Saudi Arabia executed at least 79 people in 2012. Of those, 27 were non-Saudis -- and most of the foreigners executed in recent years were migrant workers from developing countries, the group said. if(typeof CNN.expElements==='object'){CNN.expElements.init();} CNN's Salma Abdelaziz and Jethro Mullen contributed to this report.