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, 2008...(Read Full Post)