The Scouring of the Shire

 

If you haven’t read The Return of the King in a while you might be surprised how relevant the chapter “The Scouring of the Shire” is to modern-day America. When the hobbits Merry, Pippen, Sam, and Frodo return to the shire after their adventures abroad, they’re shocked to find their brethren (most of them, anyway) bowing to the petty dictates of power-hungry usurpers, and they decide to do something about it.

I was going to write a post about it, but Mrs. Guerra beat me to it.

I think it will inspire you toward a little obstinance of your own, in your corner of the map. The party tree of liberty needs to be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots (or Tooks, as it were).

Enjoy.

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There are 11 comments.

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  1. Saint Augustine Member
    Saint Augustine
    @SaintAugustine

    Amen.

    • #1
  2. Phil Turmel Inactive
    Phil Turmel
    @PhilTurmel

    I was very disappointed when I realized this was left out of the movie.  (I recently re-read the trilogy, and concur on its relevance.)

    • #2
  3. JoelB Member
    JoelB
    @JoelB

    This came to mind while reading the linked post:

    O! thus be it ever when free men shall stand
    Between their loved homes and the foe’s desolation;
    Bless’d with victory and peace, may our Heaven-rescued land
    Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation
    Then conquer we must, for our cause it is just —
    And this be our motto — “In God is our trust!”

    And the Star-spangled Banner in triumph shall wave
    O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

    • #3
  4. Phil Turmel Inactive
    Phil Turmel
    @PhilTurmel

    Psst! @vinceguerra: your site won’t load for me.  Blank page, spinning load indicator.  Dev tools shows header elements but no body.  Enabling javascript didn’t help. /:

     

    • #4
  5. Vince Guerra Inactive
    Vince Guerra
    @VinceGuerra

    Phil Turmel (View Comment):

    Psst! @vinceguerra: your site won’t load for me. Blank page, spinning load indicator. Dev tools shows header elements but no body. Enabling javascript didn’t help. /:

     

    You mean the link? It looks good on my end. Anybody else experience that?

    https://copperlightwood.com/2020/11/awake.html

     

    • #5
  6. Spin Inactive
    Spin
    @Spin

    Vince Guerra (View Comment):

    Phil Turmel (View Comment):

    Psst! @vinceguerra: your site won’t load for me. Blank page, spinning load indicator. Dev tools shows header elements but no body. Enabling javascript didn’t help. /:

     

    You mean the link? It looks good on my end. Anybody else experience that?

    https://copperlightwood.com/2020/11/awake.html

     

    Works for me.

    • #6
  7. Spin Inactive
    Spin
    @Spin

    I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve read or listened to the Lord of the Rings trilogy.  But I have often opened the book and just read the Scouring of the Shire.  It’s what the story is about, really.  A waking up of sorts, and being changed, and belonging, but not really belonging.  

    • #7
  8. Spin Inactive
    Spin
    @Spin

    “Swagger it, swagger it, my little cock-a-whoop!”

    • #8
  9. Phil Turmel Inactive
    Phil Turmel
    @PhilTurmel

    Spin (View Comment):

    Vince Guerra (View Comment):

    Phil Turmel (View Comment):

    Psst! @vinceguerra: your site won’t load for me. Blank page, spinning load indicator. Dev tools shows header elements but no body. Enabling javascript didn’t help. /:

     

    You mean the link? It looks good on my end. Anybody else experience that?

    https://copperlightwood.com/2020/11/awake.html

     

    Works for me.

    Sigh.  It appears to be something tumblr is doing with 3rd-party tracking cookies.

    • #9
  10. Mim526 Inactive
    Mim526
    @Mim526

    Thanks for sharing a great piece, @vinceguerra.  If I may say so, your children are blessed to have such a thinking mother :-)

    This line in particular caught my attention as I’ve been pondering about justice:  “…the shaking results in justice as corruption is exposed and people decide which authority they’ll obey.”

    • #10
  11. Vince Guerra Inactive
    Vince Guerra
    @VinceGuerra

    Mim526 (View Comment):

    Thanks for sharing a great piece, @vinceguerra. If I may say so, your children are blessed to have such a thinking mother :-)

    This line in particular caught my attention as I’ve been pondering about justice: “…the shaking results in justice as corruption is exposed and people decide which authority they’ll obey.”

    Exactly. And I agree wholeheartedly.

    • #11
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