Basically, yes.

In the books it was just that they would only answer to Isldur’s Heir. They also scared the Corsairs of Umbar away from their ships, but it was an army of Dunadain (along with a few elves, like Elrond’s sons) that actually ran them off permanently, so they could use the ships to bring some of the Gondorians in the south back north to join the main battle.

There’s a bunch of loonies that believe that there are secret chambers under the sphinx that are a storehouse of esoteric knowledge. Like, how to awaken your innate powers of telepathy or spiritually teleporting to other planets. Shit like that.

It always comes back to racism. The last bastion of fools so depressingly mediocre that their only possible ‘claim’ to greatness rests not on their accomplishments, but on skin color.

Sadly that is the most plausible part, for two reasons.

For one thing, machines need constant maintenance from qualified professionals, or they break down. And, once they’re broken, you have to pay for even more expensive repairs or buy a new one. Slaves, on the other hand, you can abuse almost to the point of death and they will keep functioning; they’re also somewhat self-replicating.

The second reason is why so many people want to bring slavery back: the cruelty is the point. There’s a certain mindset that really loves lording it over people; and even better if those people are so in their power that they physically/legally cannot escape. See also: people who verbally abuse wait staff.

Of course, it’s up to debate whether a truly alien lifeform would be thinking in such a human way, but it’s certainly possible.

(That being said, these people are lunatics. Douglas Adams once said, ‘Isn't it enough to see that a garden is beautiful without having to believe that there are fairies at the bottom of it too?’ and I think that sums their insane rantings up perfectly.)

He’s a stupid vip guy?

The hard-right conservatives are making a strong push to take over school boards, and unfortunately winning a fair amount of them, since many people in the community don’t care.

It not only gives them say over what kids learn, but also is a proving ground for ideas before they take them into goverent.

So rather, a lack of a reasonable amount of wisdom then.

Either you haven’t read through the comments on this thread by people who were actually homeschooled, or you’re being deliberately obtuse.

As libertarian is someone who knows the price of everything, the value of nothing, and the age of consent in every jurisdiction.

There was a book like that, but this illustration is from a calendar James Gurney did.

‘Gigantic welfare system’? What alternate-universe US are you living in? Our welfare system is shit. We don’t even have universal healthcare!

Welfare should be to help support struggling people. Helping those who are struggling improves not only their lives, but all of society as well. This has been proven over and over again—just look at UBI programs. We should be offering more support, not less.

These people pay taxes same as legal Americans, through their employer. They should therefore get access to every American system except voting.

Edit: relevant post lol

Honestly, hard to say. Maybe, maybe not… those guys had a weird disconnect between ‘nice black man I met on the street’ and ‘slaves I own’. But even if he wouldn’t want them, what he said is still true. America should be open to everyone. Pretty much all of us are immigrants here, our families coming in search of a better life. We should be opening our doors to the world, not closing them.

Ever read up on the elections in Germany that led to Hitler’s rise?

The millionaires and billionaires that have paid for all these nominees think Trump will: 1. cut regulations for them, & 2. he’ll be easy to control.

Those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

(I admit, there’s also a bit of 3. help get Israel to start WWIII so all them rich white folks can get raptured, which is one of the reasons Biden also is supporting Israel.)

It isn’t just that. Any job seen as a ‘woman’s job’ is going to pay less. And it isn’t just for the ‘traditional’ women’s jobs, like grade school teacher or secretary. If women enter a field in significant numbers, then wages overall will fall. See veterinary work for one example.

Pisses me the fuck off.

Men who are inferior to their fellow men, are always most anxious to establish their superiority over women. -Mary Wollstonecraft

Many billionaires are not only morons, they’re racist morons. They also love the trappings of fascism—as long as they get to be the ones on top.

Have you seen that article about that one techbro rich boy and how he wants to structure San Francisco? How the techbros would wear grey shirts, and their Republican friends would red shirts, and everyone else would be forced to wear blue shirts, and those with grey and red shirts would get preferential treatment, because they would buy out the cops?

It’s a chilling article; I recommend reading it.

I mean, it’s supposed to be.

Probably still won’t stop future humans from opening the vault, sadly.

We used to have a thriving rail and trolley system in the US; in most major cities especially. The automakers destroyed it. When they were caught, they got a slap-on-the-wrist fine and the nation went with the automaker’s suggestion of building the highway system up.

So yes, there is a fundamental reason we can’t. It’s the auto makers and the politicians they own.

Wow, and they made it for around $30,000? Think I need to check it out.

I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours. ― Stephen Roberts