Congress and State legislators seem to be working overtime writing laws to usurp our rights, but we hear about Israel instead. Per capita, there are more violent deaths in many American inner-cities that in Israel, but we hear about Israel instead. China was provided better technology with which to make even better ICBMs to target us, yet we hear more about Israel. Both Kentucky and California have hot political races brewing -- at least one of which will have national impact -- but there’s no time for that news because we’re hearing of Israel.

Contrary to the snide remarks of some past Israeli leaders, Israel is not one of the United States. They get more of our federal tax money every year than many States. But Israel is still a foreign country. And, in truth, the happenings in that little foreign country have little, if any, impact on the lives of the American people. In fact, if it weren’t for a little historical and some religious interest, 95% of the American people would not give one hoot about anything that happened there.

Carter’s 1978 Camp David Peace Accord has cost the American taxpayers well over $158-billion -- that equals $1,373 per American taxpayer, or just over $57 each year. We see the results. Nothing. All we did was to arm them so they can kill each other a little better.

While it is true that Israel is suddenly being plagued by more Arab suicide bombers than usual, that information definitely should not preempt domestic news. The suicide bomber news is probably worth its own 15 minute segment on the evening news. It should not, however, preempt American news for hours on end.

On the other hand, Anti-Israeli anger stirred many Arab communities throughout Western Europe last week. Some of that has started here, too, and that gets worrisome. But, that aspect of the news has been played down quite a lot. Closer to home, in Dearborn, Michigan last week, there was a peaceful two mile protest march of about 300 Moslems. Because the march was peaceful and uneventful, it received very little press.

Not all news has been exactly solemn, though. Jesse (where’s the camera?) Jackson jumped into the fray saying he is considering a trip to the Middle East to "moderate" the problem. Not wishing to be left out, Louis Farrakhan of Nation of Islam fame then belittled Washington for foreign policies that single out Muslims for blame. Last week, Farrakhan also said he wants to travel to the Middle East to try to resolve the differences between Israelis and Muslims.

Now . . . that is something that would be worthy of an hour news show! In fact, for even stronger comedic value, perhaps some of us would like to forward other names to both Jackson and Farrakhan to round out an interesting mediation committee. Then, let’s buy them the tickets to insure they go. Laughter being the best medicine for the Middle East type of stress, who knows, they might get results. Unfortunately, Jackson later relented.

In all seriousness, the people of that area have been at it for well over 5,000 years. Well before there was a Hebrew or Moslem religion, the indigenous tribes and city-states were making war on each other. Historically, war was a usual event. Peace was unusual.

Even today, many are starting to realize that there can be no peace in that area without a decisive military victory. Which means, unfortunately, unless one side completely wipes out the other, this constant war will not end.

Of course, there could possibly be one other alternative that has never yet been tried. Everyone in the Middle East is not Moslem or Jew. In fact, there are a lot of different "types" of people indigenous to that area of the world. The numbers of different types do not really balance out, but they are close enough for what could be called a "Grand Experiment for Peace."

That "Grand Experiment" would be to combine most of those smaller countries into one United Republic, just as the United States was combined from many smaller States. That way, their federal government could act to protect the rights of each of the smaller groups and make the individual States stop bickering.

Otherwise, as the history of the Middle East shows, they will never stop fighting. Those of us who are taking sides, offering moral and material support, have become little more than enablers to this ever-constant problem.