Hallo <B>Birdland,</B><P>* bows an amiable conversational greeting *<P>In the Overall Impressions thread, you and I agree to the utmost degree. Regarding Saruman, however, we each take quite an opposite view.<P>For Saruman to be driven to impotence and irrelevance is the cruellest punishment he can suffer in Middle Earth. Or perhaps, the second cruellest. First cruellest being, Saruman's powerlessness being made known publicly.<P>Had there been ranting, railing, or lamentation, launching devilry-laden missiles of fire, forged metal, or fell voice ... that would have shown Saruman still hanging on, able to convince himself that all he had worked and planned for was not yet completely lost. <P>When the power of persuasion meets up against a larger and more powerful contrary reality, only fitting that the tongue of enchantment fall silent, that the confuser bob about confounded.<P>Gandalf the Grey
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