THE TIMING COULDN'T HAVE BEEN MORE INTERESTING FOR THIS ITEM: Just as Pope Benedict XVI was calling for anti-Semitism to be challenged anywhere and everywhere it occurs during his Holy Land pilgrimage, along comes this item by way of the English edition of the Israeli gazetta Ha'aretz ("The Land"), ultimately by way of the German news agency DPA:

A hotel in the Austrian region of Tyrol that said it does not accept Jewish guests has caused shock in the local media and tourism industry, the daily Tiroler Tageszeitung reported Sunday.

A Vienna family of seven had had tried to make a reservation at the Haus Sonnenhof apartment hotel in the village of Serfaus, but the owner replied by e-mail that although the room was free, she did not want to take in Jewish guests because of "bad experiences" in the past.

The region around Serfaus has become popular among orthodox Jewish tourists in recent years, and several hotels in Tyrol have begun offering kosher food.

At Hotel Alpenruh-Micheluzzi, owner Petra Micheluzzi told the German Press Agency DPA that the rejection by the Sonnenhof was "bad for the image" of Serfaus.

One such incident could destroy all the hard work by others in the travel industry, she said, a view echoed by local and regional tourism officials.

"That's terrible," said Esther Fritsch, the president of the regional Jewish community. So far there have been no such incidents, she told the newspaper.

Irmgard Monz, the owner of the Haus Sonnenhof apartment hotel, could not be reached for comment on Sunday. In an interview with Tiroler Tageszeitung, she offered no justification for her e-mail.

For his part, the rejected father of five has decided to spend the summer elsewhere: "I don't want to spend my vacation in such a racist nest, and I will inform all my friends about what is going on in Tyrol," the unidentified man was quoted as saying.

No wonder Branson has this arrogant delusion of Amerikanischer Realkultur idealised and perfected, the sort as can easily be picked up by conservative-leaning "patriot" and nationalist groups who just love to take advantage of the vulnerable and easily-influenced ... and media channels like Fox Prolefeed who can second the message and present such as Holy Writ, so to speak. (Come to think of it, just how many motels in and around Branson would willingly and consciously refuse the patronage of Jews or such with "Jewish-sounding" names for reasons solely based on protecting a hubris-weighted arrogance of True Patriot Love in All Thy Sons Command made flesh--howbeit obfuscated by weasel words and attempts to invoke same if and when pressed?)

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AND TALK ABOUT YOUR WILLFUL AND DELIBERATE, YET CONSCIOUS, EXPLOITATION OF THE IGNORANT AND VULNERABLE, the sort easily expected out of a crude and base patriotism common among that ilk as is being exploited by such among "the Four Hundred" backing "astroturf" movements serving not so much the "Fundamentals of the Economy" as "the Four Hundred" and their supposed "traditional rights, privileges and powers***entitled [them] as of Natural Right by Unwritten Habit and Tradition:"

Next thing you know, expect such an element to call for the "manipulation" of TV sets and digital converter boxes used by the Lower Classes so as to intall electronic "triggers" that can suddenly switch to super-secret channels offering "elegant pornoo" "if and when deemed necessary" in their TV viewing.

Said "elegant pornoo" lacking anything remotely resembling plot or story (in other words, just random and unrelated scenes of unprotected sexual activity, with explicit hardcore being especially "advised"), and especially so the "barely legal" sort as turns out to be closer to "not quite legal." (As in the actors being asked to give false birth dates on their job applications to create the aura of their being 18 years of age when, in fact, they're probably much younger; closer inspection, thanks to digital transmission standard, will doubtless confirm this suspicion.)

And you wonder "why?"

Simple, so these Zealots and True Believers want you and I believing: The Lower Classes expected to embrace this "elegant pornoo" "wholeheartedly" "don't have any respect for morals and decency anyway; hence, give them what they deserve." (Or so these specimens of warped conservative nationalism want us thinking.)

And Another Thing: How best to tell such specimens of poverty, fecundity and stupidity most gross and arrogant that they're only being used--manipulated, even--when it comes to the "tea party" movements they're being suckered into supporting?