[drjimmy]

Whereas Sauron uses wraiths, dragons, monsters, and his own occult powers, Saruman uses the power of scientific rationalism. He genetically engineers a breed of super-Orcs. He invents gunpowder to blow up fortress walls. He cuts down the forest as fuel for his factories, turning his own once-beautiful realm into a Mordor-like wasteland.

Sorry, but this is just another vapid example of people reading into Tolkien what they want to get out of him. Making gunpowder? Cutting down forests? Sounds a lot to me like a liberal describing corporate interests and the "military-industrial complex." There's a reason the sixties hippies loved "Lord of the Rings" (besides the pipe-weed). By the way, 10 points to the first person who can recall which liberal first used the term "military-industrial complex"--no fair if you have to Google it.

[Little Pig]

Saruman did create some sort of bomb (the book is not as clear as the movie is), and used it to breach the walls of Helms Deep. He also started clear-cutting the forest around Isengard, and had actually started earlier in the book than he did in the movie. In the book, the Ents were already aware of Saruman's cuttings before the arrival of Pippin and Merry, though in the book many of the clearcuts were simple maliciousness on the part of orcs.

[FreedomPoster]

Eisenhower?

[Alkhin]

Sorry, but this is just another vapid example of people reading into Tolkien what they want to get out of him.

You make fun of this, and then comment in another post about the implications of the relationship between Sam and Frodo? Just what is it that YOU are reading into that relationship? I read about two characters who were a team in bringing about the destruction of the Dark Lord, but reading your statement makes me think you read something a bit more salacious! Vapid indeed!

[FierceKulak]

Eisenhower, right?
Exactly how the Urak-hai are made is not described, but GE is as good a guess as anything else.
I don't see much "reading into" of Tolkien here, jmho.