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Oct 15, 2003 Oh this is very embarrassing. Today I found myself desperately wanting war to break out. Yes, I can hardly believe it myself. After all, all you Uk-ers who know my work would agree that I have always been vehemently against our participation in the war in Iraq. I have written several articles decrying war and the rabid build up to it…but now, here I am, wishing that that awful tyrant would attack again, or at least provide the reason to launch another counter attack. No, I’m not talking about that tyrant Hussein, I am, of course, speaking about that dastardly Pro- Counscil for life Bonaparte…Napoleon Bonaparte. Why the rogue has even taken to calling himself Emperor and we all know what that means don’t we? It means that the recently scaled back British Navy must employ the Press Gangs again and that a certain young Commander must once more leap into the breach and continue his heroic efforts manning a ship of the line! And not a moment too soon. So who is it that has driven this quasi liberal to such an extreme pitch of war fever? Why none other than Horatio Hornblower himself, that’s who. And blast it all, I am not ashamed of it either. It all started so innocently actually. I was looking for something to read, scanning my shelves in hopes of stumbling across a book that I hadn’t already read. And there it was, Mr. Midshipman the first of the Horatio Hornblower series by C.S. Forester. At the time, I figured, “Eh, what could it hurt..” That was, of course, the beginning of the end for me. I devoured the noble exploits of young Mid Shipman Hornblower in no time, and ravenous for more I hurried over to the library and secured a copy of Leutenant Hornblower which I devoured equally as voraciously. Unfortunately, the end of Leutenant Hornblower finds our young hero unemployed as the hostilities between France and England have come to an end and thus His Majesty’s Navy has been scaled back drastically. It was a crime! I was heart struck that such a valiant and noble your officer, bright of mind and fearless of action should be reduced to scraping by on the streets of London. It was criminal. Fortunately, Bonaparte was not content to sit upon his laurels and renewed his quest for world domination. Thank goodness. But my desire for war suddenly struck me as monstrously incongruent with some of the stances that I had professed in the pages of Useless- Knowledge.com. How could I reconcile my newfound blood lust with my previous condemnation of our invasion of Iraq? Sure, the Hornblower novels are set during the Napoleanic wars, with 200 years separating them from today. Times were different, there were codes of honor that officers like Hornblower adhered to with supreme effort. The weapons of the day were far less sophisticated technologically, yet created death just as swiftly. Perhaps the difference was that those being killed were military men, rather than casual citizens caught in the collateral damage of massive armaments. But no, casual citizens died then as well. Perhaps thrilling writing and the pervading sense of intelligent honor that Hornblower exhibits have just seduced me. I don’t know, but I am sorely in a quandary about my own seeming hypocrisy. I guess that I will just have to ponder my philosophical dilemma further as I read on in the series. In the mean time, avast ye swabs and rig the mains’ls. There’s a fair wind blowing and Hornblower’s watch is upon us. ------------ Email Scott Jones: rosenquill@rocketmail.com Comment on this column in the forum. Tell a friend about this site! ------------ |
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