Patrick Pexton, Washington Post ombudsman, defends blogger Jennifer Rubin from her error in declaring that the Norway bomber was a jihadist. He cuts her a pass on late correcting because she is a religious Jew and was not online during the Sabbath following her error.
In a long chat with Rubin last week, I found her forceful and unrepentant, yet not unreasonable. She is not an ogre or a racist. And she does not deserve some of the calumny she got.
I guess she does deserve some of the calumny then? The comments are fabulous.
There's this from MarkMacDonald: "Also, using the Sabbath as an excuse for inaccurate writing simply does not cut the mustard."
And this from bernielatham. wow. Note that Webster's defines bigot as "one obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his own opinions and prejudices." Shoe fit?
Certainly not an ogre. Possibly not a racist either depending on how you define your terms. But it would be very interesting to see an explication from you or how the term "bigot" does not apply as regards Rubin's statements on Muslims along with examples of to whom that term would apply in this context.
"This brings us back to the shootings in Norway, an act committed by a disturbed man who drew some of his inspiration from extremist Web sites. A blogosphere given to vitriol and hasty judgments ought to consider the possible consequences of its own online attacks."
"Some"? What proportion, do you think? And among those sources, how many has Rubin herself quoted, referenced or linked to in the past (Geller, Spencer, Pipes)?
But it's your final sentence I've quoted above which is the real head-shaker. How in the name of heaven can it be that Rubin's many derogatory and inflammatory comments on Muslims are not part of what you indict here? How is it that you make no reference to that at all?
Ideologue propagandists always scratch each others’ backs.
With dirty fingernails.
Can we expect the FBI to bust down the office doors of Patrick Pexton and Jeniffer Rubin and haul away their computers any time soon? For racist practices and public incitement against a religious minority?
Jeez, thats a defense to remember.
‘she is a religious Jew and was not online during the Sabbath following her error.
racist …bigot
I would be interested in hearing from people who know Jewish theology if Rubin’s Sabbath excuse is justified. Surely you are allowed to take actions on the Sabbath in some kind of emergency? Surely bearing false witness against millions of Muslims and Arabs would constitute such an emergency? Surely once the true identity of the killer was known she could have gone back online and made amends for her violation of one of the Ten Commandments?
C’mon don’t tell me that these islamophobes who by the way never sleep, don’t already have goy working for them if only on the sabbath! Doing their bidding etc.
James,
The question here is one of Halakhah (religious law) rather than theology, and only the possibility of saving lives (which could perhaps be argued in this case, although not necessarily convincingly) would warrant violating the Sabbath.
If all of the information provided by Pexton is correct however, Rubin does not observe the Sabbath in a Halakhic sense anyway. According to Pexton, she “wrote four other unrelated blog posts that night, through about 9 p.m.” I checked the time at which the Sabbath began in the D.C. area on Friday 22/7, and it was 8:11 p.m. Pexton also says “she went online at 8 p.m. Saturday.” The Sabbath ended in the D.C. area on Saturday 23/7 at 9:14 p.m. In other words, she was working anyway after the beginning of the Sabbath on Friday, and before the end of the Sabbath on Saturday.
Another strange turn of phrase, which may or may not represent Rubin’s true religious practices is that she “generally observes the Sabbath from sundown Friday until sundown Saturday.” If she is a Halakhically-observant Jew, she can’t “generally observe the Sabbath.” Either she does or she doesn’t.
If it turns out that Rubin does not strictly observe the Sabbath, trying to cover up her grave professional and moral failure by citing personal religious freedom is pretty cynical and offensive – beyond the whitewash itself.
Shmuel: Thanks, as always, for your response. (I also wondered about the times of the Sabbath on July 22/23 in the DC area.)
A related question. Let’s just assume she does honestly observe the Sabbath in a Halakhic sense. Shouldn’t she take that into account when she ponders her acts just before the Sabbath starts? For instance, she shouldn’t start doing boiling or baking late on Friday afternoon if she can’t finish before sundown? She shouldn’t make potentially slanderous blog entries if she can’t correct them later?
James,
The principle you refer to has to do with actions (like cooking or baking) forbidden specifically on the Sabbath. Since slander (or even potential slander) are forbidden all week, it would not be applicable, although someone truly concerned with the grave sin of “evil speech” might ask a non-Jewish colleague to keep an eye on things. Another Halakhic principle that might apply would be one of legal responsibility for the consequences of setting a potentially dangerous chain of events (like a fire) in motion.
If she does indeed disappear for 25 hours each week, I would say that she has a religious, professional and human responsibility to inform her readers of that fact, and to have a replacement or an editor on hand to post important corrections and updates in her absence. She screwed up and the paper screwed up, and the WP ombudsman wants to pin it on God.
. “Surely you are allowed to take actions on the Sabbath in some kind of emergency”
Absolutely. Seems to me to do otherwise is to dishonor the Sabbath.
there’s probably a loophole somewhere. Shabbas elevators stop at every floor on Saturday. You don’t touch the controls, so technically you’re not using it .
It’s a weak excuse that he peddles, one that hides behind religion.
Oy, my little nieces somehow got the idea that my wife converted when she married me. They’ve started calling her “Auntie Semite”.
LOL…you should write for comedy shows Mooser.
I found her forceful and unrepentant
i’m sure ya did pat
i liked that part, too, as if these qualities are necessarily positive. seems that those of the conservative bent have attempted to monopolize the ideal of principled behavior. unfortunately in their case, principled simply means consistent, as in they consistently adhere to their disgusting, immoral standards. i see their/her rigidity as a sign of mental illness.
Clueless about Jewish religious “rules and regulations”, even I was struck by the fact that she continued to blogpost on other issues. Such a piece of information would seem to completely obliterate the credibility of Pexton’s defense.
I really wish that I could post Clemons’ excuse for attacking Rubin on this issue, but not Goldberg. The query I presented to him concerned The Atlantic’s response to Goldberg’s rush to judgement, as well as his own response. His excuse for Goldberg was as empty of substance as Pexton’s excuse for Rubin is.
Truth be told, I’m pretty sick of these jackasses offering up this pablum as if their readers are idiots.
But on second thought, the huge numbers of “fans” these writers accumulate kinda insinuates that their readers, in a large part, ARE idiots.
God help us.
Oh, like the little likudist ignoramus couldn’t wait a day and do so simple-fact checking? What an excuse. Halakic law ate my homework.
I don’t know much about Judaism or the Sabbath but I would guess somewhere in it there is an equivilent to….”he who steals my purse steals nothing but he who steals my good name steals everything”..”or thou shall not lie or bear false witness”
I’ve read enough of Rubin and her character assassination and slurs against critics to know there’s nothing religious about her…or it’s very twisted.
RE: “Patrick Pexton, Washington Post ombudsman, defends blogger Jennifer Rubin…He cuts her a pass on late correcting because she is a religious Jew…” ~ Weiss
SPEAKING OF JENNIFER RUBIN: Inside CUFI’s 2011 Washington “Summit”, Special to JewsOnFirst.org, 07/29/11
Our eyewitness report on Christians United For Israel’s annual Washington conference
ENTIRE REPORT – link to jewsonfirst.org
Propagandists. Period.