Sherlock Holmes

War has a funny was of marking the passage of time and the importance of men (I use the male noun here on purpose). I say that because Sire Author Conan Doyle is a "Sir" because he was knighted - not because he invented and developed the character of Sherlock Holmes and all of the mysteries and other characters and rich world surrounding Detective Holmes - but because he wrote a pamphlet in 1902 in defense of British actions in the Boer War. The pamphlet was titled “The War in South Africa: Its Causes and Conduct.” The nice little pamphlet justified all of the British activity during the war, including the establishment of “concentration camps,” which Doyle contended were really humanitarian refugee camps.

George Bush, the Younger used tales and stories to justify the war he started, and its torture and concentration camps and spying on US citizens. As did Donald Rumsfeld. And Paul Wolfowitz. Dick Cheney did the same. Dick is still doing it. Making the talk show circuit in an attempt to justify his actions and subvert the current regime in DC. At least George and Donald and Paul and the the others (we need a Ringo in there, too) have had the courtesy and diplomacy to be silent and let the winners govern now. Mr. Cheney has not.

Maybe Mr. Cheney should write a pamphlet and call the war a patriotic crusade to keep the homeland safe. Maybe someday he'll be knighted like Sir Author Conan Doyle. Wars have a way about them. A way of warping our mass intelligence into mass delusion.

It's a mystery.