Middle-earth, Without Immigrants 1.0

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• 1.0

Perhaps add Behind Strong Walls? It is would let you spend resources yet provide no benefit.

That is a tremendous idea, @Twood02!

Now I need to think of other useless wastes to add to the sideboard...

Haha @Twood02 I laughed about that quite a bit :D

Maybe pair this with a silvan refugee/harad doom deck because foreigners ruin everything.

@Twood02 My partner and I laughed so hard. Well done.

Thumb up from Germany! We know all about Strong Walls....

@BeornWhat about The Door is Closed! ?

Sideboard, so far:

Behind Strong Walls x3 The Door is Closed! x3 Out of Sight x3 Vanish from Sight x3

@BeornKahiel's Headdress as Donald Trump's hair?

This made my day.

Maybe throw in some Self Preservation, not just because it works with Treebeard but, you know..... apparently the "real" Middle Earthlings are the only people that matter?

Just got real up in here. @Beorn already had a fan, now he has a friend. Thank you sir.

Thank you, everyone, for the support. It is good to be reminded that I am not alone.

@BeornYou are certainly not alone in how you feel. We're all trying to cope with recent world changing events, and creative expressions like this are exactly what we need more of to bring attention to these issues and bring people together.

Here here @Amerithrash! I humbly propose @Beorn, the next deckbuidling experiment: a community effort for a series of 4 decks, designed to be played as a "full fellowship". Theme to be strength through diversity. With the recent release of the unlikely friendship, I see a lot of opportunity for creative expression on this theme.

@MagisDragonisGood idea! We could do a full Fellowship and add 3 other significant charachters from the storyline. That way we can do 4x3 heroes. I'd pick Elrond and Galadriel for their guidance and Theoden to symbolize the alliance between Rohan and Gondor.

Also, one deck should use ents and another deck should use eagles.

I like where you're headed @Shiro1981. I think I'd vote Eowyn over Theoden though - Theoden may have been King, but Eowyn makes a pretty bold statement about what a woman dresses like (and is capable of)! She's a bold representation of Rohan.

Meh.

I get the impression that you would hate on Tolkien if he were alive today. His politics were not your politics. In 1427, Elessar issued an edict prohibiting Men from entering the Shire and declaring it a Free Land under the protection of Arnor.

The right of one person necessarily entails the obligation of another person or persons. If you have a right to life, I have the obligation not to kill you; if you have a right of free speech, I have the obligation not to stop you from speaking. The first half would be pointless without the second. If any given person has the right to enter the Restored Kingdom of Men, who is it that has the obligation? Every person in the Restored Kingdom of Men? Or only the person whose property the immigrant wishes to inhabit? Or perhaps, no one person in the Restored Kingdom of Men, only the King in Gondor, even if no individual in the Restored Kingdom of Men wants him.

But yes, Trump is a dork. So was Obama. Whatever.

This deck was intended to start a conversation about things that are going on which have deeply affected me and my family. It has served it's purpose admirably.

Comparing what you assume are my politics to another man is a risky venture. All the more so when that man lived in a completely different time, in another country, and with a life experience wildly dissimilar from my own. But that's fine, I opened the floor for this conversation, and I don't just want to talk with people who agree with me.

I'm not going to address whether or not I would agree with the politics of Aragorn in the Lord of the Rings, because I think that trying to map (in any meaningful way), the politics of a work of fiction with our situation is bound to devolve into absurdity. I stand by the title and description of this deck, but I am not attempting to draw some deeper parallel between our world and that of Tolkien's writing. While it is impossible to know what Tolkien would think about our current political climate, we do know with certainty how he felt about autocratic regimes.

One of the reasons why America is great is because we have welcomed wave after wave of immigrants. I do not see this as a controversial statement, and if you disagree, I challenge you to go back through our 240 year history and try to make that case. The anti-immigrant sentiments that are de rigueur are by no means new. The same terrible lies were made about (among others): Germans, Italians, Polish, Irish, Koreans, Chinese, Japanese, Cubans, Puerto Ricans, etc. etc. etc. They were xenophobic lies then, and they are xenophobic lies now.

I make this argument not as some abstract part of a political platform to which I hold blind allegiance. I say this because it is something which I know intuitively to be right and just and decent. I also happen to have seen the effects of this anti-immigration propaganda in the lives of my loved ones.

My wife immigrated to the United from Mexico only 10 years ago. Her father was a powerful man in Mexico, but he refused to submit to the will of the Cartels. They threatened to kill his family, and rather than give in to corruption, he and his family fled to the United States.

If we want to be technical about labels, they really should have been called refugees, but as Mexicans the United States government has an official position of treating them (at best) with suspicion and (at worst) with outright disrespect. Overnight, her father went from being in a position of power in the second largest state of Mexico, to cleaning toilets in office buildings. His youngest daughter, my wife, went from studying for a law degree to working two jobs at minimum wage to help support her family. I strongly suspect that those who say things like "immigrants are stealing our jobs" or "immigrants are lazy" have never taken the time to get to know an immigrant. Ignorance is so often the breeding ground for erroneous notions. Meeting people who are different from us is like the sun, it drives away all shadows of fear and mistrust.

The fact that her family does not all still work minimum wage jobs is a living testament to the American dream. They worked hard, and they earned a better life for themselves and their children. That is all any of us can aspire to. My wife is a permanent resident, but as a Mexican the process has been long and expensive. Talking to friends with spouses who immigrated from Europe, I am appalled. The process for a Mexican, without a criminal record and with job skills, is so much harder than for someone from Europe who is otherwise in a similar situation. I struggle to find any explanation for this difference other than bigotry. There has been talk of even trying to deport permanent residents if they hail from Mexico or certain Middle-Eastern countries. This would be America breaking her word to those who need her freedoms most.

On this I think Old Professor Tolkien and I would agree, most of the politicians we have now (regardless of party) are bad apples. Even the ones who might seem less bad are still involved in things like massive surveillance of their own citizens, or indiscriminate drone strikes of innocent civilians. Raising my voice in opposition to this latest idiotic wave of anti-immigrant sentiment is in no way endorsing one candidate or another, one party or another. As far as I am concerned, they are all complicit in eroding our freedoms and failing to grasp what it is that actually makes this country great. Some people project their desire for political antagonism onto others, in part because it is easier to label someone so that you can dismiss them. Discussion and compromise are much more difficult, and they involve humility and a desire for a positive outcome for everyone. These virtues seem especially lacking in public discourse lately, not to mention politics.

I can't say that I can discern in your comments exactly where you are coming from, but I respect that we may disagree on the issue of immigration, among other complex issues. Disagreement is good. With the right attitude, it is where learning and growth and compromise are born. It can also, unfortunately, lead to fear, animosity and disrespect.

As someone born here, I can fall into the trap of self-pity, of thinking that I have it hard in life. All I have to do is look over at my wife and be reminded of just how sheltered from the real challenges of life I have been. My safety is a credit to my parents, and my own hard work, and many a fickle turn of fate, but it is not something that I ever want to take for granted.

I want to extend to you an open invitation: if you ever find yourself in Austin, you should come and meet my wife. She is an amazing human being, and her story is something that inspires me every day.

@MagisDragonisGood point! I don't know the story after the events of Lord of the Rings, but I'm sure she plays a great role in it.

@Beorn and @Brownmantle At some point in time, the Mexicans didn't cross the border, the border crossed them (I nicked this one from Ralphie May). Also, all those white suited grey-haired bigots often forget Native Americans may have a thing or two to say about immigrants taking over... It's all a matter of perspective and of where we are in history.

The only thing that's not changing is the fact we're human. A person is not flawed because he or she is an immigrant, a person is flawed because he or she is human. It's a struggle for everybody not to give in to those weaknesses.

Blaming immigrants and refugees is pointless. Einstein was a refugee, Hollywood has a lot to thank to those who fled Nazi Germany, the US even took in a Nazi scientist (Werner von Braun) to work on it's space program. I'm not even talking about the millions who built American cities, bridges, roads and railroads.

A few things here. I have followed this deck and it's comments, and the more recent posts have given me the desire to share some things as well.

First, @Beorn, this was a cool way to get people in the lotr lcg community involved in a discussion together; at first I chuckled at its satiric nature, but there have been some really thought provoking things they have come up through the comments, which is cool. I have appreciated your input into this community, from Beorn's Path (which significantly helped me become a better player) to your involvement with the greyco podcast, and I think I speak for all, in that your card search engine is a fantastic gift. However, your testimony about your wife, her family and yourself, is probably at the top of my list of contributions you have shared!

My wife came to America through adoption at age 11 from Brazil. A different circumstance than your wife's, but has had its own bag of obstacles and challenges that have come along with it. She saw, knew, and suffered through things, we as Americans only know through movies and literature. These stories of perseverance and change empower and inspire people on a level that political order just doesn't. As my wife and I raise two sons, we pray that they embrace valuing the people that walk this earth more than the policies that govern it.

While I am not sure that the above assertion of Aragorn's edict to protect the Shire reflects Tolkien's politics, I do see that his wonderful work of mythology teaches over and again that assumptions are not always truths. I have been reading through The Two Towers and just finished book iv. I believe there are two lessons embedded in there that can apply to our current state in the U.S.

1. Saruman' dude of fear mongering to gain the allegiance of the Dunlendings. He lied and deceived these people into believing that the people of Rohan cannot be trusted, and that they eat their captives. I feel like fear tactics are overused in politics by people of all affiliations, and individuals need to be aware of that.

2. We have two "new" Heroes, Legolas and Gimli, whom turn out to be the greatest of friends. A highlight of their friendship is that they are able to attune each other to appreciating that in which they may not fully understand. This happens when Gimli raves about the beauty of the caverns of Helm's Deep, while Legolas advocates for the wonder that is Fangorn. Through exposition you see the subtle change in perspective of each character beginning to appreciate something that they before did not, it just took a short conversation. I think we as people are often quick to run away from that which we do not know. Having a conversation with someone who is different than you or may have a slightly different experience can begin to help us see and understand things in ways which we did not before. I think this post does that for any who read it.

Thank you sir, for using your Unexpected Courage and being transparent with your personal experience to engage this community in a conversation. It takes a level of boldness that I admire, especially since the potential danger of running into a dreaded hill troll. God Bless

You need to add Gandalf's Search for more inefficiencies that you could attempt to justify in futility with alternate facts

@Beorn: Thanks so much for this, and especially for your post above. This is a horrible time in our history and if more folks opened up and shared their experiences the better off we'd all be. Our politicians lack empathy, and we're sadly following that model all too easily. Again, cheers, for all you have done and continue to do for this community.

Maravilloso post y comentarios @Beorn, tu esposa y su familia tienen todo mi respeto.

I often think of you to, and hope your situation and the one of a lot of people will be peacefull. I don't know that much about what is really done in the oversea and the impacts. I just hope that it will be great again, in the best way we can imagine it ! Sincerely, your french driver

Thank you, sir! Spending time with you and your friends in Versailles was a highlight of our vacation. All that we can do is keep fighting the good fight - to struggle against bigotry and intolerance. There are so many good people in this world, and I want to remember that when we are surrounded by negativity. I appreciate your gracious hospitality and hope that we can return to France some day.

Great deck! I loved seeing it on the ringsdb. We all love our hobbies and spare-time games but it's nice to get a reminder that real stuff is happening out there. Really bad stuff in some cases.

Unfortunately the Ents are no more native then you claim the other races to be. The Ents were awaken when the Dwarves were awaken.The only true native race would be the Elves as they were the first to awaken.

Politics aside, throw in Grey Wanderer and fine-tune a few cards, and this deck can be pretty good and competitive!