Weeks ago, noodling around, I did a crossword-puzzle-construction fragment, interlocking the Across of Spot, Sired, Castled, Cachets, Actress, Shoed and Herds with the Down of Cash, Cache, Actor, Shred, Steeds, Silts, Press, OED [Oxford English Dictionary], and TD [Touchdown]. Then last night I bookended the letter array with “Eenie Meanie Minie Mole” and “Heinous, Drain-US WAR: hope dash’d,” also fleshing out the array with lines that made it a peculiar multicrostic. My Raging Political Muse had had me write an anti-interventionist micro-polemic. Basically it says that our intervention in Iraq created a monster that cost US–as in United States–an ocean of blood and a trillion dollars in cash. This intervention, according to various sources of various reliability, began in earnest with the Cold War and someone named Qasim (or Kassem) showing Communist leanings. There was a coup in 1963 during the Kennedy administration, and there is some evidence that the CIA provided intel, if not more, to the coup-ers. Something important happened in 1975 and something else in 1980–I am not going to pretend I know what’s what; does anyone?

But the US has been invaded, been terrorized as recently as this week, and the Obama administration promises Justice. I am glad it does not promise Vengeance. To its credit, it also promises getting to the whys and wherefores; above all, we world citizens need Understanding.

Here are the words to the multi-crostic:

Eenie Meanie Minie Mole
Cache a despot in a hole
Hang him, if desired, high
King uncastled–my o my
Cash cachets once you are done
Wed an actress–sire her son
Bāshoed, Frosted, Plath’d & Nash’d
Shepherds’ flux at night is ‘stached
Heinous, Drain-US WAR: hope dash’d

Since I cannot claim Understanding myself, my disclaimer is that this page is “inspired by real events” and not “based on real events.” Thank you, Hollywood, for these useful, mealy-mouthed phrases!