You’ve seen Peter Jackson’s version of LOTR, but have you seen the original Howard Hawkes version, starring Humphrey Bogart as Frodo? Available here for free. Thanks to Will Duquette for the link to the Tolkien Sarcasm Page. where Tolkien fans can find lots more Tolkien humor. There’s a Middle Earth Test where you can answer questions like this one: If Aragorn truly spent uncounted years as a lone Ranger, then where is Tonto? And why doesn’t he wear that mask?
Or this one: When Isildur had control of the One Ring, why didn’t he use it to command the Ringwraiths? Or the Elven-rings? Or the Dwarven-rings? He could have ruled the whole of Middle-earth with that Ring, yet he decided instead to just write a couple of letters and then go for an unfortunate swim. What’s his problem, anyway? Was he stupid?
C-r-r-re-e-e-a-k! Switch gears. Various bloggers (Dawn Treader, Wittingshire, Parableman) are informing me that Terri Schiavo’s death was not an uncommon occurence, that the dehydration and starvation of handicapped persons happens all the time. Is this fact supposed to comfort me or make the death of Terri Schiavo less significant? Because this sort of thing happens and has been happening for some time, I am more disturbed and alarmed at where our culture is going, not less.
See also this report of an 81-year old widow in Georgia who is not comatose, not in a PVS, who did sign a will that specified that she did not want food and water withheld, but is still being starved and dehydrated by a hospice.
Jollyblogger reviews The Great Divorce by C.S.Lewis.
Wise words of instruction from S.M. Hutchens at Mere Comments:
To children raised in homes where Christ is honored and the mind cultivated I would say, You who know and would reject your parents’ imperfections had better do it by advancing farther on the same path rather than taking another, if you value your soul. You begin by forgiving them their trespasses as God has forgiven yours—this is the first step to being greater than they are. If you leave their path, you cannot imagine the depths to which you can fall.
Your starvation report is disturbing to me too. This is the kind of thing simplicity advocates say we should ignore because we can’t do anything about it. And yet, and yet.
I do want to be wise though. Perhaps we don’t know all the facts or the few other facts that would make this acceptable. My sister, who is an RN, wouldn’t give an unequivicable ‘No” to my question about starving the disabled. She said in Terry’s case, it appeared to be the wrong course of action, but in general, there may be decisions or facts that make it permissable. Her only example that was a cancer patient refusing chemo could be considered a death sentence, but in some cases, it isn’t, so should patients or caregivers have the option to refuse it? Still with the starvation cases, I am disturbed. And your argument is right. That it’s common doesn’t make it more acceptable.
He is in “Winds of War” and “War and Remembrance”, the best novel about WWII ever written, by Herman Wouk.