Informant38

I tried. But then I saw Bill Frist on C-SPAN, talking about going to Israel. He said he met with his colleagues, and visited some hospitals, and then he said it had "given him a renewed appreciation for the 4000 years of..." and I hit the remote.
So I don't know for sure if he said something about how long the Jews/Israelis had been in possession of the so-called Holy Land, or if some other 4-millennia-long accomplishment was being given its due.
I'm assuming it was the historical residency bit.
It's been a while since I read the pertinent scripture but as I recall the Bible's very clear about how the Jews gained possession of their land, Canaan as it was known - they killed the previous owners and took their property. Nothing unique about that, it's pretty much the founding narrative of everywhere. The difference isn't even in the "God gave it to us" legal aspect, lots of people look on their own material good fortune as a sign of divine blessing.
The difference is that the American people, who are bankrolling Israel, without whom Israel wouldn't be poised to assume the reins of empire, are in the main followers of a religion for which the Biblical story of Jewish Chosen-ness is dogma. This is I believe the context from which Frist is speaking, attempting to confirm and validate that aspect of current Israeli claims to the moral high ground by virtue of essence.
None of the espousers of this idea, that Israel has a documented historical claim to the land it now occupies, will cover the rest of the bases - that the Palestinians didn't come out of nowhere even if they showed up chronologically later; and more directly, if proof of occupation means proof of ownership then the indigenous people of America and Australia and more than a few other places should have their legal due as well.
But of course that's silly. It doesn't matter about how many years anyone lived anywhere, what matters is whether God gave you the deed to your property, and the Bible is very clear on this, God only gives real estate to the Jews. Everybody else is on their own.
Something that sort of ties in with that, it being Christmas and all, is the little campaign that was running last week to set up a "liberals stole Christmas" or "liberals are stealing Christmas", or " liberals want to...", or they will if good and decent people throughout the land aren't vigilant and active in opposing them.
I'm not sure if it's still running, I'm weaning myself from the television. Probably it is a little, along with the campaign to get people to think that the media is now exposing George Bush for a villainous and treacherous boob - so that the next leader they champion won't be looked at askance by weary Americans, who are tired of being lied to, but are also scared to death they might have to see what's really happening, because it's very dark and ugly.
The media didn't support Bush all the way 100%, just until the goal of the destruction of Iraq was reached - now that's been done Bush can be let go, and a newer, cleaner hero brought forward. The American public memory may not be able to recall the foaming at the mouth cheerleading fanaticism the media gave them at the beginning of this. What they will remember is the steady erosion of Bush's image, and soon enough the twinkling presence of their newest savior.
Something that ties in with both of these or all of these points is the very real, and frightening, and ugly, and horrible fact that the city of Bethlehem is now a prison camp.
That would be a sign, in less bizarre times, that something was seriously wrong. It is a sign of that, but it doesn't fit the narrative of helpless desperate Israel battling for its survival, so it's not something the American public will be allowed to know about.

I tried, I wanted to only put uplifting and encouraging things here today, lightening up, a new attitude - but that Frist, man, I tell ya. Torquemada in a $2000 suit, biding his time, just waiting his chance.