I thought you might a kick out of the first the letters to the editor cited here. (The premise of the letter writer is, as you pointed out, that ethics = manners, to Randy Cohen anyway.)What would Randy Cohen say about Feldman claiming that he was cropped out of the picture when nothing of the sort happened. I'd guess that that infraction would pale in comparison to the intolerance demonstrated by Feldman's classmates.
I haven't weighed in on Noah Feldman, but I'd have to say that the dishonesty of implying that the photo was cropped (and that was certainly implied, even if not stated) pales in comparison with the hideous charges Feldman makes: that modern orthodoxy advocates refusing to provide medical treatment to a non-Jew on shabbat and, worse, that modern orthodoxy is somehow responsible for Baruch Goldstein and Yigal Amir. People can debate whether Feldman should have been offended at his treatment by the school, but he certainly had no justification for retaliating with metaphorical nuclear weapons.
Noah Feldman's essay has hit far and wide. One hears of atheist polemicists such as Dawkins, Hitchens, Harris, Dennett and others, but one should add to that roster polymath professor Massimo Pigliucci, whose essay expanding on the Feldman essay's themes is available here.
It would appear that the rhetorical "nuclear weapon" would have to be either a fair hit or a lie. I do not claim to know Jewish law; not too many of us lapsed Irish-Scottish-German Catholics do. But Jewish law commands that saving the life of a non-Jew on Shabbat is mandatory, permissible, or prohibited, with perhaps gradations of "encouraged" or "discouraged" in between.
If what Feldman said about Jewish law is false, or he states as true something quite arguably not true, then he should be called out as either a liar or a reckless utterer of inaccuracies. On the other hand, if what Feldman said is true, then it is Jewish law that should stand or fall according to whatever other standard would appear applicable - decency, fairness, reasonableness, compassion, equity, or otherwise be declared immune to such standards. Whether it's nuclear weaponry or dirt balls thrown in the school yard, let the truth prevail.
Bruce, I don't want this to degenerate into a discussion of Noah Feldman, although I obviously share responsibility for leading it that way.
I'm not qualified to discuss Jewish law, but I can tell you from personal experience that every shabbat there are at least several doctors at my modern orthodox shul who are on call. They are not on call for Jewish patients only.
All I will add now is that the folks at the link you offered are giving rationalism a bad name. There are some pretty foul comments over there.
I thought that Rabbi Saul Berman had the best response to holding Yigal Amir and Baruch Goldstein as exemplars of Judaism: "That's like judging a peacock by its feces."
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