[radiohead]

Our present administration might do well to heed Gandalf's caution that there is no way to defeat evil militarily"

The author is an idiot. What Gandalf meant was, in their world there exists a magic ring with a mind of its own; military might wasn't the only thing that was going to defeat Mordor. They could slaughter all the orcs they wanted, and Mordor and its evil would still be around as long as the ring existed.

Gandalf, who had no problem fighting in battles himself, obviously didn't mean that we shouldn't use military might when necessary. How the heck else are you to save yourself from evil at your doorstep?

Note to author - The Lord of the Rings is not a fairy tale. Tolkien was creating a myth for England, a pre-history. That is not the same thing as a fairy tale. You might want to actually read the books.

[Paul Atreides]

Ed Firmage Jr. is a fine-art photographer based in Salt Lake City.

This probably explains a lot.

[Paul Atreides]

If there is a recurring theme that I have noticed, it is that evil must be faced, and fought. The realms of Middle Earth could appease or hide all they wanted but, eventually, Sauron was going to come knocking on their doors.

[lepton]

Tolkien was creating a myth for England, a pre-history. That is not the same thing as a fairy tale. You might want to actually read the books.

I thought Tolkien was creating an etymology for an imaginary/invented language.

[EFirmage]

Actually, it was Tolkien himself who referred to his work as a fairy tale or fairy story (in his essay "On Fairy Stories"). In his usage, the phrase is an honorable one.

You might want to try reading more Tolkien ;)