Dennis Prager: Jimmy Carter: 'Compassion for Mordor'

Town Hall ^ | January 6, 2004 | Dennis Prager

[quidnunc]

Oslo, Norway (Prager News Service, Jan. 5, 2004) – In a just-published interview with the Norwegian Society for Universal Neutrality (NSUN), former U.S. President Jimmy Carter said that the blockbuster trilogy "Lord of the Rings" is sending dangerous messages to the world's young people.

"For three hours in this latest installment of 'Lord of the Rings,' young people the world over watch my work in the United States and your work here in Europe — to get nations to disarm, not to make moral judgments about any nation other than America or Israel — undone.

"We who love peace," the Nobel Peace Prize laureate continued, "have to initiate a campaign to jolt people back to our view of the world. Let's be clear about the dangers. What if young people start identifying George W. Bush with Aragorn or Gandalf, and Saddam Hussein or Osama bin Laden with Saruman? Even worse, impressionable moviegoers might identify the American war against Iraq and so-called 'Islamic terror' with the war against the Orcs and Mordor.

"Who knows what might happen if enough young people start thinking that war is an option, or that some people or countries can be labeled 'evil,' or that there is something noble about a soldier who kills for a 'just' cause?"

The former president continued, "I hope that the European community, enlightened Democrats and progressives in America begin to realize the potential consequences of this film. There may even be a demand among American college students to allow the return of ROTC (Reserve Officers Training Corps) recruiters to campuses. People might start regarding war as an option.

"When I saw the audience in the movie theater cheer when Orcs were killed, I shuddered," Mr. Carter said, visibly pained. "The message of 'Lord of the Rings' is just plain bad.

"We must do something to counteract this celebration of violence," Mr. Carter said emphatically. "To see even trees fight and kill is enough to make any right-thinking person sick to his or her stomach.

"You Europeans, and we in America who identify with your beautiful values of moral neutrality and pacifism, must create a major public relations campaign against these films. We have to use our access to people's hearts and minds to counter that of Hollywood, which is almost always on our side, but for the sake of profits has produced this reactionary propaganda.

-snip-

[Killborn]

President James Carter: Never failing to shove his head deeper and deeper into the ground while ignoring the blaring sirens above ground. He's got no brains then and he's got no brains now. People who say Bush is stupid have never met Mr. Carter. First Idiot of the USA.

[Billthedrill]

I have to agree with Jimmuh. I mean, whose ring was it, anyway? Huh?

And I tell you what, son, if I saw a talking tree chasing my sweet butt that sucker's sap would be running down the blade of my Poulan right now, buckaroo.

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[the_Watchman]

Booting ROTC off of college campuses was just a BAD idea!

Even as a flaming conservative, I would not want an armed forces where most of the officers were trained in military academies. It seems much safer to train a large portion of the officer corp on liberal college campuses.

[Pan_Yans Wife]

"We must do something to counteract this celebration of violence," Mr. Carter said emphatically.

What about Zimbabwe, Mr. Carter? Iran? Cuba? North Korea?

You think your legacy is strong enough to pay your way into heaven?

[jwfiv]

Jimmy sold his soul to Sauron a long time ago.

Whatta anus.

All orcs must die.

All al queda must die.

To compromise with evil is allow the triumph of darkness.

[LoneRangerMassachusetts]

Peanuts

[Helix]

Carter sure has a deep grasp of Christian philosophy. (/sarcasm)

[E.Allen]

Jimmy's definitely shoving his head deeper and deeper.....but not in the ground.

[GeronL]

Norwegian Society for Universal Neutrality ???

OK... I need to get passed this and read the article.... *breathe*

[Richard Kimball]

I'm sorry, I dislike Jimmy Carter as much as anyone on FR, but Praeger waited until the last line to declare the story fictional. When I read the first part of the excerpt, I knew it had to be a parody piece, but Praeger, who is a columnist, not a humorist, ala Dave Barry, went over the line here.

[proust]

"When I saw the audience in the movie theater cheer when Orcs were killed, I shuddered," Mr. Carter said, visibly pained.

How did our nation survive this liberal puke?

[GeronL]

Jimmy Carter has officially gone over the cliff.

[Billthedrill]

Party pooper. ;-)

[sandpit]

Indeed. His a-hole is squeezing off the blood supply to his brain. Either that or mad peanut disease.

[Helix]

"This story is fictional, but not false."

Of course, it also helps if I read the full article before posting....

[proust]

Damn it, this is a parody. Thanks for cutting out the punchline.

[piasa]

While Carter is nutty enough to say something along these lines with a straight face, this is a spoof.

[piasa]

At the very beginning he put "Praeger News Service" ... so no, he didn't wait until the last part to let you know he was yanking chains.