The Ents Have Gone To War

The Ents Have Gone To War
James Reynolds
In the Tolkien mythologies, the Ents are a race of human-like trees living deep in a primordial forest. Ancient, towering creatures, Ents move slowly and deliberately, requiring decades of contemplation before coming to a decision on matters great and small.  In the Middle Earth Trilogy, Ents are warned time and again of the danger they face at the hand of man, but it is not until they go to the edge of their forest and witness the destruction of their homeland that Ents rise up and defeat their foes.

For almost a decade Middle America has lived as Ents.  Buffeted by the attacks of September 11, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the housing crash of 2008, many of my countrymen had, by last autumn, turned inward, losing focus on the cost of freedom.  Overwhelmed by the rapid pace of political and social change beyond their shores, a large group of Americans -- like the Ents -- just wanted to be left alone.  But change was in the air, and on November 5, 2009 Barack Obama was elected President of the United States on a nebulous promise of "hope and change."

Fast forward to Monday, September 21, 2009: Nancy Pelosi is blubbering about "assassins,"  Jimmy Carter is whining about "color," John Stewart is screaming at the reporters of America as to why two kids scooped them on the ACORN story.  And then along comes Bertha Lewis.

The actions of Barack Obama and his minions over the past eight months have awoken the Ents from slumber.   Ask any American small business owner, all with legal and moral responsibilities to work within their company's budget.  Ask any twenty-year old  about their soon-to-be-mandatory health care plan.  Ask any senior citizen who now wonders if they will be sharing their health care with 12 million illegal aliens who, according to our president in a speech before the National Hispanic Caucus on September 17, 2009, stated that "this debate underscores the necessity of passing comprehensive immigration reform and resolving the issue of 12 million undocumented people living and working in this country once and for all."

I guess the President didn't lie in his joint session speech; he just didn't tell the truth.

In America, working people hold the political class in contempt for good reason. But we ignore them at our peril.  After years of feeling helpless, Middle America is paying attention to the people in Washington, and we do not like what we see.  For that I thank you, Mr. President.  Because of you, the Ents have gone to war.