The conservative and liberal élites have been portraying Bush’s war on terrorism as a sort of crusade of good against evil. They have even tried to enlist John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (1892–1973) – author of the “Book of the Century,” The Lord of the Rings, for this endeavor. In their view, the coalition led by the United States is like the “league of the free” who fight against Sauron of Mordor – that is, bin Laden of Afghanistan. Actually, this comparison is deeply mistaken. The main character of Tolkien’s trilogy is not a person but a thing – the Ring … Continue reading Bush and the Ring