Posted on 03/14/2002 5:07:26 AM PST by HairOfTheDog
This is a continuation of the infamous thread New Zealander Builds Hobbit Hole originally posted on January 26, 2001 by John Farson, who at the time undoubtedly thought he had found a rather obscure article that would elicit a few replies and die out. Without knowing it, he became the founder of the Hobbit Hole. For reasons incomprehensible to some, the thread grew to over 4100 replies. It became the place for hobbits and friends of hobbits to chit chat and share LoTR news and views, hang out, and talk amongst ourselves in the comfort of familiar surroundings.
In keeping with the new posting guidelines, the thread idea is continuing here, as will the Green Dragon Inn, our more structured spin-off thread, as soon as we figure out how to move all the good discussion that has been had there. As for the Hobbit Hole, we will just start fresh, bringing only a few mathoms such as the picture above with us to make it feel like home, and perhaps a walk down memory lane:
Our discussion has been light:
It very well may be that a thread named "New Zealander builds Hobbit hole" will end up being the longest Tolkien thread of them all, with some of the best heartfelt content... Sorry John, but I would have rather it had been one with a more distinguished title!… post 252 - HairOfTheDog
However, I can still celebrate, with quiet dignity, the fact that what started as a laugh about some wacko in New Zealand has mutated and grown into a multifaceted discussion of the art, literature, and philosophy that is Tolkien. And now that I've managed to write the most pompous sentence of my entire life, I agree, Rosie… post 506 - JenB
Hah! I was number 1000!! (Elvish victory dance... wait, no; that would be too flitty) … post 1001 - BibChr
Real men don't have to be afraid of being flitty! Go for it. – post 1011 – HairOfTheDog
Seventeen years to research one mystical object seems a bit excessive… post 1007 - JenB
Okay...who's the wise guy who didn't renew Gandalf's research grant?… post 1024 – Overtaxed
To the very philosophical:
…Judas Iscariot obviously was a good man, or he wouldn't have been chosen to be one of the Apostles. He loved Jesus, like all of the Apostles, but he betrayed him. Yet without his betrayal, the Passion and Crucifixion would never have occurred, and mankind would not have been redeemed. So without his self-destruction infinite good would not have been accomplished. I certainly do not mean this to be irreverant but it seems to me that this describes the character of Gollum, in the scenes so movingly portrayed above… Lucius Cornelius Sulla
To fun but heartfelt debates about the integrity and worth of some of the characters…
…Anyone else notice how Boromir treats the hobbits? He's very fond of them but he seems to think of them as children - ruffling Frodo's hair, calls them all 'little ones'. He likes them, but I don't think he really respects them… post 1536 - JenB
Yes... Tolkien told us not to trust Boromir right off the bat when he began to laugh at Bilbo, until he realized that the Council obviously held this hobbit in high esteem. What a pompous dolt… post 1538 - HairOfTheDog
…I think almost every fault of his can be traced directly back to his blindness to anything spiritual or unseen. He considers the halflings as children, because that is what they look like. He considers the only hope of the ring to be in taking it and using it for a victory in the physical realm. He cannot see what the hobbits are truly made of, he cannot see the unseen hope of what the destruction of the ring might mean--the destruction of Sauron himself, and he cannot see the unseen danger that lies in the use of the ring itself… I just feel sorry for Boromir--he is like a blind but honorable man, trying to take the right path on the road but missing the right path entirely because he simply cannot see it… post 1548 - Penny1
Boromir isn't a jerk, he's a jock… post 2401 – Overtaxed
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Oh, I think by the time Frodo reaches the Cracks, he's not even himself anymore! I think he's not only on the brink of a dangerous place physically, he's on the brink of losing himself completely during the exchange with Gollum. But for some reason, the take-over isn't complete till he actually has to throw the Ring in. The person speaking to Gollum is not Frodo, but the "Wheel of Fire" that Sam sees. After the Ring is destroyed, Frodo not only comes back to himself, but comes back with the unbearable (to him) knowledge of what it's like to be completely without compassion. I think that's why it's so important to him to be compassionate in the Shire… post 2506 - 2Jedismom
…Regarding Frodo's compassion... it's a little too much at the end. Even Merry tells him that he's going to have to quit being so darn nice. But you're right. He's learned a lesson about evil that very few ever learn since it wasn't an external lesson but an internal one. (Those kinds of lessons have the greatest impact) Not only did he totally succumb to it, but he was rather ruthless to my little Smeagol… post 2516 - carton253
Well that Frodo was a big mean bully! (to Smeagol)… post 2519 – Overtaxed
So as you can see, everything JRR Tolkien (and Peter Jackson) is welcome here in our New Row, our soon-to-be familiar New Hobbit Hole…; philosophy, opinion, good talk and frequent silliness.
The terrorists have hit recently in Bali and Mombasa.
So? Those are not attacks on my country. Our job is to protect our shores.
Instead of launching a multi-billion dollar war that we can't afford, we should take a lesson from the Founding Fathers. They signed letters of marque to effectively deal with the Barbary Pirates.
You think I am condescending. I do not think so.
I am giving Viggo ample right and freedom to wear his little t-shirt anywhere he wants. And if he wants to get all grungy... he can wear it over to my house, I won't mind. As long as he brings the sword.
I think you missed a word.
pointing out that this thread has typically remained politics-free in an effort to keep things friendly.
Would you like a hoagie?
LOL!
Sure, I'll take a hoagy.
One of our defects as a nation is a tendency to use what have been called "weasel words." When a weasel sucks eggs the meat is sucked out of the egg. If you use a "weasel word" after another there is nothing left of the other.
--Theodore Roosevelt
Europe isn't convinced (well some of them are) because Europe isn't important.
Bali and Mombasa... the US... the world is in it together. To me that's the point... to you (if I read your posts correctly) these attacks are nothing more than isolated events that don't have bearing on one another. That's fine.
And state-sponsored terrorism is a little different than the Barabary Pirates... apples and oranges...
AHA! But I used "typically" BEFORE I said "remained", so the only word that has nothing left is the word "has".
Disclaimer: In the past, I worked with weasels attorneys. and have a degree as a paralegal. :)
You want the hoagie loaded or naked?
I hear ya!
You are right.
I am sort of fixated on this particular thought. It seems so obvious that we should hurry up and quit using their oil and creating great wealth for them while at the same time making ourselves dependent on them.
I wonder if it is a coincidence that the Left fights so adamently to prevent us from drilling in Texas and Florida or wherever, and letting us be rid of those people.
I always enjoy and appreciate your insights.
Check this out! I was over looking at DU... and saw that they were doing backflips over some toy called "Forward Command Post" that featured a US soldier in a home warfare setting.
NOW, being that it is taken from Antiwar.com, I was suspicious that it was a joke toy... but it isn't! They are actually selling this thing on their website... A soldier commando in a bombed out dollhouse! ROFL! A big brother's dream toy for all brothers with little sisters.
Despite what the globalists maintain, we are not the world's policemen. They can deal with their own problems, without U.S. tax money.
these attacks are nothing more than isolated events that don't have bearing on one another
No, I think there is some coordination between groups. However, Saddam has more in common with North Korea than Muslims in the Philippines.
And state-sponsored terrorism is a little different than the Barabary Pirates... apples and oranges...
Prove state sponsorship of terrorist attacks on America (not Bali, Mombassa, or Israel), and I'll beat the war drum. If there is solid evidence then nobody needs to be convinced. If there is solid evidence why this nonsense with U.N. inspections?
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