TrackerNeil

Larry Krasner was opposed by a number of high-profile Philadelphia Democrats, the FOP notable among them, and that did not surprise me at all. Philadelphia Democrats often look a lot more like Joe Biden than Bernie Sanders, and we in the City of Brotherly Love have tolerated candidates that for way too long. I voted for Krasner in the primary and the general because I've decided that, in a city in which Democrats outnumber Republicans 7 to 1, there is no reason I should be sending Joe Bidens to local office.

Heh...for today, at least. Honestly, after November I could not bear debating the Board Libertarian of the Week (BLOW) about how badly Trump was going to perform as president. He has, but whatever BLOW I was engaged with wouldn't be admitting it anyway.

When Paul Ryan does something like that, he's "a numbers guy." When Hillary Clinton does it, she's a corporate shill and a betrayer of all things liberal.

I think Litechick's comment is valid, and I agree with it. Any reading of LOTR returns the conclusion that the elves are just superior. They don't get sick, they don't get old, they don't die, they can walk on snow, they have ultra-keen senses, they are magical, they're hot, they're cold, they are all-temperature beings. As if that weren't enough, by the Third Age they are pretty well perfected, and have risen above all of the flaws that make characters interesting.

I think that a twelve-foot balrog is going to do just about as much damage to the Fellowship as a twenty-foot balrog. Either one will kill you dead.

I read these a few years back, and I enjoyed them. It was nice to see fantasy depart from a heteronormative model--and these books were published back in the 90s! I recall that my favorite was #4, although I can't remember the name of the book.

I admit John drove me up the wall at times--he didn't know how to agreeably disagree, and I defriended him on Facebook at one point to keep my own sanity. That said, I always had a real affection for John--there was something genuine, if occasionally maddening, about him. He was one of the "board people" I would have looked forward to meeting. I'm sorry that I never had the chance.

Not promoting my work here, but that of Babyraven, whom some may remember from the board in the old days. As part of a film class, she produced a short documentary, and I was honored to have my podcast be part of it. I am sure that Babyraven would appreciate any likes/comments you throw her way--she did a good job!

That's true, yes, but I think CT's main point was that the parts of Mordor where the "evil" citizens dwelt were destroyed, and their inhabitants with them. That spared Aragorn the onerous task of having to decide what to do with the orcs and trolls who'd served Sauron. That is the point I think he was making, and an interesting one to discuss, in my view. (I don't want to speak for you, CT, and if I have gotten you wrong I'll remove this comment.)

You realize you wrote far, far more on this than Dan and I ever did? If it makes anyone buy this book, my editor will be grateful as well. (We don't make a dime from this.) I'm not going to defend anything we wrote--we had our chance to speak and that's that--but I urge everyone to be critical not just of The Lord of the Rings but of all media. Critical analysis is vital to understanding art, and it's not harsh but loving. Trust me, we wouldn't have set out to write and publish this if we didn't love Middle-Earth and those who dwell there.

Totally agreed. Rick's plan was to put his faith both in some random junkyard people and in a burned-face dude with a history of cruel obedience to Negan. Rick is decent at the rough stuff--sticking guns in peoples' faces and killing off small groups--but when it comes to strategy, Mr Grimes isn't exactly Sun Tzu. It's not a bad idea to form an alliance with the heapsters, but good alliances are formed slowly, taking time to learn about each other and to build trust. The heapsters did nothing but make Rick fight some spiked zombie and then demand guns, neither of which reflected a deep commitment to the cause of resisting Negan. The Kingdom and Hillside make better allies because they have something at stake in this struggle; the heapsters were mere mercenaries, willing to fight for whomever paid them more. A good leader would have recognized this and kept the heapsters at arm's length, making them prove their dedication to the cause before letting them into Alexandria en masse. Rick, of course, is not a good leader; instead he's the type to make threats from his knees. No wonder Negan leaves him in charge; as Red Snow pointed out, killing him might clear the path for someone slightly more competent. Edited to add: Jadis is sure in a pickle, isn't she? She signed up with Negan with the likely expectation of quickly squashing Rick's rebellion and then claiming her share of the loot. Instead, she's got a nasty little war on her hands, and there's no way Negan's going to let her back out of it. She can't easily switch sides either; who'd trust her after her betrayal at Alexandria? Nope, she's in it now, and the best she can hope for is for a swift victory by the Saviors and a lifetime under Negan's thumb.

I'm wondering just how many times Rick has to spearhead failed uprisings against Negan before the Alexandrians finally realize they need better leadership.

I'm going to go back and delete my comment about competition, and any follow-ups; I didn't think what I was saying was controversial, and I don't want to distract from the main point of this thread.

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