There is a particular group of people, usually calling themselves conservatives, that use made-up outrages like this, so they can distract people from thinking about the real problems we have.

I still haven't understood why so many people lined up to see a dead woman for three seconds. The British economy would be better off if people lined up to buy a pint of bitters instead of looking at a coffin.

I know, I'm American, and I don't understand the British - guilty as charged. Even my wife is annoyed at me for not understanding or respecting tradition. Lest you think me a calloused colonial, I feel the same way when my country lines up to see a dead celebrity or politician.

This tradition of looking at dead people comes from an age when we had to be sure someone was actually dead, and it wasn't just a rumor. This way, the lines of inheritance could proceed without question. As usual, money and power were involved, but now we have reliable sources to tell us if someone is really dead - at least as long s we have a body.

If the British public had paid as much attention to the consequences of Brixet, as they have to the passing of the Queen, they would still be members of a powerful group of trading partners.