John Rhys Davies interview
The understanding and candor of this actor is amazing. I've come to expect nothing but stupidity and political correctness from the Hollywood crowd, but Mr. Davies obviously has an understanding and appreciation of his culture that is rare.
Interview transcript
Wednesday, December 17, 2003
Tuesday, December 16, 2003
Well, this just has to be posted.
Having crawled forth from the spawning grounds of the lower Anduin River, they soon spread a putrid bile and vulgarity that despoiled the land. Men and Elves alike withered at the sight of the Darkling Magpies.
A small band of brave adventurers set themselves to the task of undoing the devastation wrought by the wretched Magpies. Undaunted by reports of the hideousness and stomach-wracking stench of the creatures, they bid farewell to their families and forayed to realms unknown and foreboding.
[Insert lots of detailed narrative describing riding through the forest here.]
As Bongo Baggins slowly pulled himself up the face of the rocks that sheltered the Magpie nesting ground of Limpopo, his mind raced through a hundred horrifying visions of what his eyes might soon witness. Carefully inserting the stubby fingers of his left hand into an almost-too-small crevice, he pulled himself ever so slowly over the last rock. What he saw nearly caused him to lose his grip and fall to what would have been a certain death into the gorge below. Marshalling all of his will and remembering well the admonitions of Grampalf, he steeled himself against the sensory onslaught.
His eyes were immediately drawn to the larger one, his porcine girth nearly a thing of humor. Watching him waddle about, Bongo got the sense that this creature never wearied of eating, and the carcasses of hundreds of Ho-Ho-Elorians were strewn about his nest. Bongo was certain that some dark enchantment had given this Magpie the power of flight for it was certain that his wings did not possess the necessary strength to propel his greasy, oliphant-sized body through the air. What a twisted creature it was, cast in the shape of a graceful bird, but of proportions sickeningly in conflict with nature. Just then, a second small, dark shape leapt from the back of the behemoth.
Upon more careful inspection, it was clear that this smaller shape was indeed the second of the Darkling Magpies. This one stood only to the tailfeathers of the larger creature and, in contrast to his corpulent brother, looked undernourished. His diminutive skull barely contained any plumage, and the feathers that remained there seemed ready to drop at any moment. The pale pink of his scalp shone through, looking as scaly and vermin infested as an orc's back.
Having dismounted his larger companion, the smaller Magpie began squawking and shrieking in a tongue of such vulgarity that Bongo's Hobbit ears nearly folded in upon themselves. Bongo forced himself to listen, trying to make sense of the strange language. After many hours of listening to their horrifying cackling, he realized they were attempting to enunciate a long forgotten lower language with their misshapen beaks. Beginning to understand the dark intentions they were communicating, Bongo was more zealous than ever to slay these villainous creatures and spread their bones through the Valley of Homogorn exactly as Grampalf had instructed.
Bongo retreated to the campsite where his companions were resting from their arduous journey as quickly and quietly as he could. They must not be discovered, but he had to let the others know the disturbing truth he had learned at the crest of the ridge.
"Misthanor, we must prepare to fight the Magpies! They are preparing their final assault on our kingdoms and must be stopped now!" Bongo implored the Human captain.
"Slow down, my little friend. They are but two birds, albeit the spawn of the Dark Lord himself, but mortal nonetheless. The steel of our swords shall dispatch them quickly, then we shall proceed to the Valley of Homogorn. Do not be so fearful, young Bongo."
"But you don't understand.... when their plan is complete, we will not be strong enough to overcome them. We must act now!"
"You don't mean...."
As the rest of the band crowded closely about Misthanor and Bongo, a look of understanding, disgust, and horror spread to their faces.
"Yes, Misthanor! If we don't act now, an army of Darkling Magpies will cover the skies of Middle Earth, blotting out the sun and destroying all life."
"How can they...," Misthanor stammered, his senses reeling.
"I don't know how they will produce an army of offspring, but they have been practicing the mating ritual for some time now, and if they aren't stopped, it is certain they will uncover a dark, evil secret that will allow them to succeed. I think one of them may be carrying a brood even as we speak!"
[End of Book 1]
Author's note: Okay, I’m spent. Feel free to write a sequel.
Having crawled forth from the spawning grounds of the lower Anduin River, they soon spread a putrid bile and vulgarity that despoiled the land. Men and Elves alike withered at the sight of the Darkling Magpies.
A small band of brave adventurers set themselves to the task of undoing the devastation wrought by the wretched Magpies. Undaunted by reports of the hideousness and stomach-wracking stench of the creatures, they bid farewell to their families and forayed to realms unknown and foreboding.
[Insert lots of detailed narrative describing riding through the forest here.]
As Bongo Baggins slowly pulled himself up the face of the rocks that sheltered the Magpie nesting ground of Limpopo, his mind raced through a hundred horrifying visions of what his eyes might soon witness. Carefully inserting the stubby fingers of his left hand into an almost-too-small crevice, he pulled himself ever so slowly over the last rock. What he saw nearly caused him to lose his grip and fall to what would have been a certain death into the gorge below. Marshalling all of his will and remembering well the admonitions of Grampalf, he steeled himself against the sensory onslaught.
His eyes were immediately drawn to the larger one, his porcine girth nearly a thing of humor. Watching him waddle about, Bongo got the sense that this creature never wearied of eating, and the carcasses of hundreds of Ho-Ho-Elorians were strewn about his nest. Bongo was certain that some dark enchantment had given this Magpie the power of flight for it was certain that his wings did not possess the necessary strength to propel his greasy, oliphant-sized body through the air. What a twisted creature it was, cast in the shape of a graceful bird, but of proportions sickeningly in conflict with nature. Just then, a second small, dark shape leapt from the back of the behemoth.
Upon more careful inspection, it was clear that this smaller shape was indeed the second of the Darkling Magpies. This one stood only to the tailfeathers of the larger creature and, in contrast to his corpulent brother, looked undernourished. His diminutive skull barely contained any plumage, and the feathers that remained there seemed ready to drop at any moment. The pale pink of his scalp shone through, looking as scaly and vermin infested as an orc's back.
Having dismounted his larger companion, the smaller Magpie began squawking and shrieking in a tongue of such vulgarity that Bongo's Hobbit ears nearly folded in upon themselves. Bongo forced himself to listen, trying to make sense of the strange language. After many hours of listening to their horrifying cackling, he realized they were attempting to enunciate a long forgotten lower language with their misshapen beaks. Beginning to understand the dark intentions they were communicating, Bongo was more zealous than ever to slay these villainous creatures and spread their bones through the Valley of Homogorn exactly as Grampalf had instructed.
Bongo retreated to the campsite where his companions were resting from their arduous journey as quickly and quietly as he could. They must not be discovered, but he had to let the others know the disturbing truth he had learned at the crest of the ridge.
"Misthanor, we must prepare to fight the Magpies! They are preparing their final assault on our kingdoms and must be stopped now!" Bongo implored the Human captain.
"Slow down, my little friend. They are but two birds, albeit the spawn of the Dark Lord himself, but mortal nonetheless. The steel of our swords shall dispatch them quickly, then we shall proceed to the Valley of Homogorn. Do not be so fearful, young Bongo."
"But you don't understand.... when their plan is complete, we will not be strong enough to overcome them. We must act now!"
"You don't mean...."
As the rest of the band crowded closely about Misthanor and Bongo, a look of understanding, disgust, and horror spread to their faces.
"Yes, Misthanor! If we don't act now, an army of Darkling Magpies will cover the skies of Middle Earth, blotting out the sun and destroying all life."
"How can they...," Misthanor stammered, his senses reeling.
"I don't know how they will produce an army of offspring, but they have been practicing the mating ritual for some time now, and if they aren't stopped, it is certain they will uncover a dark, evil secret that will allow them to succeed. I think one of them may be carrying a brood even as we speak!"
[End of Book 1]
Author's note: Okay, I’m spent. Feel free to write a sequel.
Tuesday, November 25, 2003
How the West was lost: An OFP tale
Monday is gaming night for the Landed Gentry Club, and the game of choice for several months now has been OFP. I hated this game until we found the MFCTI mod, then it suddenly became interesting to me. Without getting into the details of the game, I will just say that it is an addicting blend of first-person action, with a full complement of vehicles and weapons, and real-time strategy. The RTS elements are adequate, but certainly not what you would expect from a traditional RTS game.
A typical gaming session starts at around 6:00 and ends as late as 1:00 or 2:00 AM. Keep in mind that we are all 30+ year-old working stiffs, so the idea of taking a pause from blowing each other up to watch the sun rise is a little extreme for us. Our minds and bodies just don't function without sleep anymore. Regardless of the time invested, we always seem to get a good return, and last night was no different.
With Zeb fleeing the cold weather for warmer climes and family festivities, the matchup for the evening was the C&C Music Factory (just came up with this last night... the losing team members' names have been parodied for their own protection) against the almost always dominant Mechanized Nightmare (again, a little play on the initials of the players for the sake of anonymity... mostly to protect a certain individual from his wife). As expected, the Nightmare handed C&C their tank turrets on a platter in the first two games, at which point half of the Nightmare had to leave to head home. The real fun was just beginning, though.
Now I'm not one to judge my fellow combatants' commitment to victory, but last night was just a pathetic, insulting display of ineptitude. The arrogance and hubris that preceded C&C's defeat was nothing short of revolting. The way they found to lose is just not something you can make up. You almost had to experience it to get the full effect of how shockingly, profoundly, and, well, stupidly they gave victory away. Before I go any further, let me explain that these are not just sweet, emotional guys that would have felt badly for pounding me into oblivion. I say that as a compliment to them and their competitive nature. Maybe that's why I was so shocked at the conclusion of last night's final match.
Space won't really permit a full after action report, so let me try to condense the timeline a little. It was a 2v1 matchup, which is very difficult for the "1" typically, but the game seemed to start well for me. Three fairly quick towns, decent income, and I was the first to put a chopper in the air. Playing the East, I knew that helicopters would be my only hope since the M1A1 is still ridiculously "ubered" in this game at least in comparison to T-80B's. After locating the enemy base, I invested all I had in an fully-armed attack helicopter. I made a decent run, but failed to find and destroy the enemy MHQ, which had been moved to a new location. The middle game is a little fuzzy to me, but I do recall quickly losing my MHQ in a helicopter attack and soon thereafter discovering an M1A1 ravaging my base. Destroying this interloper was a frustrating experience because it required at least half a dozen AT4's. After surveying the damage, I realized that I was left with a heavy factory, light factory, and barracks. Not bad for having endured an M1 attack. I also lost a newly built Ka-50 in the attack, which seemed to be the fatal blow.
I knew the enemy was down to no more than one or two light/heavy factories and perhaps a barracks as I had made a very good chopper run shortly before the M1 hit my base. During the run, I managed to take down the MHQ and a number of buildings, but with a large number of "mini" bases (two or three building clusters) scattered around the southern coast, I just didn't have the ordnance to finish them off. Although they were in as bad a condition as I was, I figured the M1 horde would soon descend on me and end my suffering. I built as many puny T-80's as possible and was determined to lead the charge myself when I made a shocking discovery.
When resources allow, I usually build two helicopters at once so that if the first attack fails, I can quickly return in the second bird to complete the devastation before the enemy has time to recover. During the M1 assault, I tried to build a Ka-50 and get it off the ground before it could be destroyed, but I wasn't quick enough. What I didn't realize at the time, though, was that my "extra" bird from earlier was sitting just downhill from the aircraft factory, undamaged. I'll give my opponents the benefit of doubt and assume that they just overlooked it in the chaos, but whatever the reason, it was there and secured my victory.
Of course, my opponents offered up a weak, "We were just toying with you," to attempt to interdict the oncoming wave of boasting and gloating, but it was quickly overrun. I have no doubt that they could have ended the game sooner if they hadn't been so arrogant, but they instead chose to try to do silly things like take all the towns on the map, confine me to my barracks, and build profitable beachfront resorts. I could almost swear that the enemy commander was playing golf when I chased him down and blasted him. At least those looked like golf clubs sticking out of the back of the Humvee...
Monday is gaming night for the Landed Gentry Club, and the game of choice for several months now has been OFP. I hated this game until we found the MFCTI mod, then it suddenly became interesting to me. Without getting into the details of the game, I will just say that it is an addicting blend of first-person action, with a full complement of vehicles and weapons, and real-time strategy. The RTS elements are adequate, but certainly not what you would expect from a traditional RTS game.
A typical gaming session starts at around 6:00 and ends as late as 1:00 or 2:00 AM. Keep in mind that we are all 30+ year-old working stiffs, so the idea of taking a pause from blowing each other up to watch the sun rise is a little extreme for us. Our minds and bodies just don't function without sleep anymore. Regardless of the time invested, we always seem to get a good return, and last night was no different.
With Zeb fleeing the cold weather for warmer climes and family festivities, the matchup for the evening was the C&C Music Factory (just came up with this last night... the losing team members' names have been parodied for their own protection) against the almost always dominant Mechanized Nightmare (again, a little play on the initials of the players for the sake of anonymity... mostly to protect a certain individual from his wife). As expected, the Nightmare handed C&C their tank turrets on a platter in the first two games, at which point half of the Nightmare had to leave to head home. The real fun was just beginning, though.
Now I'm not one to judge my fellow combatants' commitment to victory, but last night was just a pathetic, insulting display of ineptitude. The arrogance and hubris that preceded C&C's defeat was nothing short of revolting. The way they found to lose is just not something you can make up. You almost had to experience it to get the full effect of how shockingly, profoundly, and, well, stupidly they gave victory away. Before I go any further, let me explain that these are not just sweet, emotional guys that would have felt badly for pounding me into oblivion. I say that as a compliment to them and their competitive nature. Maybe that's why I was so shocked at the conclusion of last night's final match.
Space won't really permit a full after action report, so let me try to condense the timeline a little. It was a 2v1 matchup, which is very difficult for the "1" typically, but the game seemed to start well for me. Three fairly quick towns, decent income, and I was the first to put a chopper in the air. Playing the East, I knew that helicopters would be my only hope since the M1A1 is still ridiculously "ubered" in this game at least in comparison to T-80B's. After locating the enemy base, I invested all I had in an fully-armed attack helicopter. I made a decent run, but failed to find and destroy the enemy MHQ, which had been moved to a new location. The middle game is a little fuzzy to me, but I do recall quickly losing my MHQ in a helicopter attack and soon thereafter discovering an M1A1 ravaging my base. Destroying this interloper was a frustrating experience because it required at least half a dozen AT4's. After surveying the damage, I realized that I was left with a heavy factory, light factory, and barracks. Not bad for having endured an M1 attack. I also lost a newly built Ka-50 in the attack, which seemed to be the fatal blow.
I knew the enemy was down to no more than one or two light/heavy factories and perhaps a barracks as I had made a very good chopper run shortly before the M1 hit my base. During the run, I managed to take down the MHQ and a number of buildings, but with a large number of "mini" bases (two or three building clusters) scattered around the southern coast, I just didn't have the ordnance to finish them off. Although they were in as bad a condition as I was, I figured the M1 horde would soon descend on me and end my suffering. I built as many puny T-80's as possible and was determined to lead the charge myself when I made a shocking discovery.
When resources allow, I usually build two helicopters at once so that if the first attack fails, I can quickly return in the second bird to complete the devastation before the enemy has time to recover. During the M1 assault, I tried to build a Ka-50 and get it off the ground before it could be destroyed, but I wasn't quick enough. What I didn't realize at the time, though, was that my "extra" bird from earlier was sitting just downhill from the aircraft factory, undamaged. I'll give my opponents the benefit of doubt and assume that they just overlooked it in the chaos, but whatever the reason, it was there and secured my victory.
Of course, my opponents offered up a weak, "We were just toying with you," to attempt to interdict the oncoming wave of boasting and gloating, but it was quickly overrun. I have no doubt that they could have ended the game sooner if they hadn't been so arrogant, but they instead chose to try to do silly things like take all the towns on the map, confine me to my barracks, and build profitable beachfront resorts. I could almost swear that the enemy commander was playing golf when I chased him down and blasted him. At least those looked like golf clubs sticking out of the back of the Humvee...
Monday, November 24, 2003
Far from being rivals or enemies, religion and law are twin sisters, friends, and mutual assistants. Indeed, these two sciences run into each other. The divine law, as discovered by reason and the moral sense, forms an essential part of both.
- James Wilson
This weekend, the National Coalition to Restore the Constitution and numerous co-sponsors, including Missouri First, organized a "Faith and Freedom" rally in Jefferson City. This event was held in state capitols across the country to protest recent unconstitutional intrusions upon religious liberty by the judiciary and the rapidly growing power of the judicial branch of government. The focal point of this issue recently has been the case of Chief Justice Roy Moore of the Alabama Supreme Court, but he is not the sole victim of rampant, illegal judicial tyranny in this country.
What has become increasingly apparent in recent months is that the judicial branch of the federal government is the single most powerful government entity that exists today. Far from being the legal advisors to the other two branches that the founding fathers envisioned, they have become black-robed tyrants, dispensing their opinions and personal beliefs as law backed by the police powers of the State. In case after case, judges at the federal and state levels are contravening the will of the people, completing ignoring the fact that governments derive "their just powers from the consent of the governed."
There are several constitutional solutions to the problem of judicial tyranny, and it is time for Congress to act. According to Article III of the Constitution, Congress is given the authority to establish all courts inferior to the supreme Court [note: in the text of the Constitution, "supreme" is not capitalized]. Legislation introduced this year is intended to limit the federal courts' jurisdiction over matters of religion, but many people are skeptical that such laws will withstand review by the supreme Court, so that seems like a weak approach.
The Constitution also provides for the impeachment of judges that do not exhibit "good behaviour," with the interpretation of that expression left to the Congress. Many believe that a judge must be found guilty of some federal crime to be impeached, but the Constitution requires no such standard. A reading of history provides a strong justification for the impeachment of judges who show disdain for the will of the people and refuse to allow them to enact laws consistent with their values. Impeachment is the Constitutional tool by which the people, through the legislature, can check the power of the judiciary.
Whether a tyrant wears a crown or a black robe, his power over the people is absolute and oppressive. Perhaps today, you may not feel oppressed. Perhaps today, you may feel no need to exercise a liberty that is being stripped away. But rest assured, if history is any teacher, that corrupt, self-serving tyrants will continue to chip away the bedrock of liberty upon which this nation was founded until we are indistinguishable from every other nation that has become enslaved to the absolute will of a few. The people of this country still have an opportunity to stem the tide of tyranny and regain control, but only if they demand that their legislators act boldly and decisively in carrying out their Constitutional duty.
- James Wilson
This weekend, the National Coalition to Restore the Constitution and numerous co-sponsors, including Missouri First, organized a "Faith and Freedom" rally in Jefferson City. This event was held in state capitols across the country to protest recent unconstitutional intrusions upon religious liberty by the judiciary and the rapidly growing power of the judicial branch of government. The focal point of this issue recently has been the case of Chief Justice Roy Moore of the Alabama Supreme Court, but he is not the sole victim of rampant, illegal judicial tyranny in this country.
What has become increasingly apparent in recent months is that the judicial branch of the federal government is the single most powerful government entity that exists today. Far from being the legal advisors to the other two branches that the founding fathers envisioned, they have become black-robed tyrants, dispensing their opinions and personal beliefs as law backed by the police powers of the State. In case after case, judges at the federal and state levels are contravening the will of the people, completing ignoring the fact that governments derive "their just powers from the consent of the governed."
There are several constitutional solutions to the problem of judicial tyranny, and it is time for Congress to act. According to Article III of the Constitution, Congress is given the authority to establish all courts inferior to the supreme Court [note: in the text of the Constitution, "supreme" is not capitalized]. Legislation introduced this year is intended to limit the federal courts' jurisdiction over matters of religion, but many people are skeptical that such laws will withstand review by the supreme Court, so that seems like a weak approach.
The Constitution also provides for the impeachment of judges that do not exhibit "good behaviour," with the interpretation of that expression left to the Congress. Many believe that a judge must be found guilty of some federal crime to be impeached, but the Constitution requires no such standard. A reading of history provides a strong justification for the impeachment of judges who show disdain for the will of the people and refuse to allow them to enact laws consistent with their values. Impeachment is the Constitutional tool by which the people, through the legislature, can check the power of the judiciary.
Whether a tyrant wears a crown or a black robe, his power over the people is absolute and oppressive. Perhaps today, you may not feel oppressed. Perhaps today, you may feel no need to exercise a liberty that is being stripped away. But rest assured, if history is any teacher, that corrupt, self-serving tyrants will continue to chip away the bedrock of liberty upon which this nation was founded until we are indistinguishable from every other nation that has become enslaved to the absolute will of a few. The people of this country still have an opportunity to stem the tide of tyranny and regain control, but only if they demand that their legislators act boldly and decisively in carrying out their Constitutional duty.
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