Chapin Library's Hammond, other Tolkien scholars, throw Frodo in face of McCain ...

From the Christian Science Monitor (and people think we are irresponsible):


Senator McCain puts foot in pile of Shire when he reads WSJ editorial comparing Tea Party members with Hobbits.


“A reference to hobbits who vanquish Mordor, such as Senator McCain made, should be complimentary instead of disparaging,” says Wayne Hammond, recent author of “The Art of the Hobbit” and librarian at the rare books library at Williams College. “Frodo volunteers to take the Ring out of a sense of duty, not only to his own folk but to all of the free peoples of Middle-earth, while Sam, Merry, and Pippin follow him out of love and friendship as well as their own sense of obligation to humanity. Members of the Tea Party seem to share none of these values.”
(Sen. Rand Paul (R) of Kentucky, a leading tea party member, appears to agree. Calling hobbits "heroes" and McCain a “troll,” he said, “I’d rather be a hobbit than a troll.")


Congratulations to Mr Hammond for speaking out at a time when a reported 82% of our hairy citizens are dissatisfied with Congress.


This insight from Bilbo Baggins - "I don't know half of you half as well as I should like, and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve."