Message-ID: <381CD7BE.47900A21@postoffice.pacbell.net> From: tclouie@postoffice.pacbell.net Reply-To: tclouie@pacbell.net X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.7 [en]C-PBI-NC404 (Win95; I) X-Accept-Language: en MIME-Version: 1.0 Newsgroups: rec.arts.books.tolkien Subject: Send today's soldiers??? A DISASTER. References: <3819D74D.2FA9@sympatico.ca> <381b7bc2.2908964@news.supernews.com> <7vf0av$ai7$1@bgtnsc02.worldnet.att.net> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Lines: 38 Date: Sun, 31 Oct 1999 15:58:54 -0800 NNTP-Posting-Host: 206.170.210.19 X-Complaints-To: abuse@pacbell.net X-Trace: typhoon-la.pbi.net 941414205 206.170.210.19 (Sun, 31 Oct 1999 15:56:45 PST) NNTP-Posting-Date: Sun, 31 Oct 1999 15:56:45 PST Organization: SBC Internet Services Path: chonsp.franklin.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!news-zh.switch.ch!news-ge.switch.ch!enews.sgi.com!newsfeed.berkeley.edu!cyclone.swbell.net!typhoon-la.pbi.net.POSTED!not-for-mail I agree with the general lines of Mr. Dunkerson's criticism. Time-warping modern technology and/or soldiers back to Middle-Earth would be a BIG mistake. For one thing, who would be sending (or calling for) the men and materiel? Not the good guys! The Valar would never stoop to such a deus-ex-machina stunt, as it would probably break a few of Iluvatar's rules. The closest thing to direct intervention that they tried in the wars of the Second and Third Ages was to send over the Istari (wizards), and those guys were only supposed to inspire the resistance, not do the job themselves. Therefore, the magic that brought the 21st century troops would either be quickly made available to Sauron, or wrought by Sauron himself. That kind of spell sure doesn't come from the secret fire. Even if the troops were brought back with good intentions, and were all good ol' American boys sincerely fightin' for democracy, what could stop Sauron from "drinking from the same well" and bringing back another modern army that would be more sympathetic to him? Also please consider that, in Tolkien's world, modern industrial technology is considered to be part of the arsenal of the bad guys. Remember Saruman's fire-pits? Remember the blasting-powder used by Saruman's armies at Helm's Deep? Remember the modern mills "Sharky" installed in the Shire after cutting down all those trees? This guy is at least 5,000 years ahead of his time! You think he couldn't build a few gunships after seeing them in action once? Once the forces of darkness took over the world using time-imported military technology, they could probably maintain their occupation forever by using modern espionage technology and scientific counterinsurgency methods. The Hobbits would probably be extinct in a few generations (as Tolkien himself said, by way of explaining that his fantasy war was not to be compared to a certain mid-twentieth-century war). All the Free Peoples would curse the day a Time Machine was introduced to the world! Yep, no doubt about it, any modern warfare introduced to Middle-Earth would sooner or later end up serving Sauron's purposes. Come to think of it....with war these days being so terrible (genocide, aerial bombing of civilians)....maybe we ARE really serving him!