# Discussion thread for the "Polls only" thread (Part 3) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 29, 2026, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157 "2026-01-29T18:21:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 143
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2026, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2841 "2026-08-22T21:32:31Z")
I’m eligible to be president of the US, but my mother would find what was revealed about my past embarrassing, so I’ll spare her. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2026, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2842 "2026-08-22T21:56:46Z")
That assumes that Gondor _needs_ a king… I’m eligible to be president of Argentina, I would do better than the current occupant of “El sillon de Rivadavia” but that’s not a very high bar… ---
**Author:** ![Jegpeg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jegpeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jegpeg)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2026, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2843 "2026-08-23T00:30:37Z")
You can’t be worse than the current incumbent. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2026, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2844 "2026-08-23T00:40:33Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#): > > I’m eligible to be President of the USA and also Prime Minister of Canada (though probably not at the same time: conflict of interest). But the Pollster asked- _If not, are you eligible to run for president/head-of-state of a non-USA country?_ The Head of State of Canada is Charles III, represented by the governor general of Canada. I could technically be the PM of Canada (but nigh impossible) but by the time enough people keeled over so I was King of GB, the world would have much bigger problems. (According to my grandmother, I _might_ be like 1000th in line to be tsar 🙀 ) > [@dirtball](#): > > I’m eligible to be president of the US, but trust me, no one wants that. Not even me. Either one of us might likely be better than you-know-who. I would just make sure some quick changes, get a good Veep (Harris?) and resign. ---
**Author:** ![ricepad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@ricepad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricepad)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2026, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2845 "2026-08-23T21:23:44Z")
All those opening lines from poems, and not a single one about a man from Nantucket. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2026, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2846 "2026-08-23T22:09:09Z")
There once was a man from Nantucket Who kept the One Ring in a bucket. When Sauron came by And asked the man why, He said, I can’t manage to chuck it. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2026, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2847 "2026-08-23T23:19:23Z")
Nice! ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2026, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2848 "2026-08-24T14:34:46Z")
I like it, I like it! But your poll left out **Bilbo’s Last Song**! Along with **The Lay of Leithian** but that one is a bit longish. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2026, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2849 "2026-08-24T16:25:13Z")
Thanks! I left out some of the long ones like Leithian and Earendillinwe, since it seems unlikely that anyone has them memorized. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2026, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2850 "2026-08-24T16:46:34Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > I left out some of the long ones like Leithian and Earendillinwe, since it seems unlikely that anyone has them memorized. You must be new here! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2026, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2851 "2026-08-24T22:41:06Z")
I think my preferred philosophy is somewhere inbetween those two options. If you can bear to stay alive, for one thing, you might be able to escape later. For another, nobody living in society is ever absolutely free. And recognizing any rights of others will constrain you further. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2026, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2852 "2026-08-24T23:01:30Z")
A free society is not a guarantee of absolute freedom. A free society is dedicated to equal freedom for all, without privilege for some and burden for others. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2026, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2853 "2026-08-24T23:30:15Z")
True. Not really what Patrick Henry was expecting, though. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2026, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2854 "2026-08-24T23:49:54Z")
Worth noting that in Achilles’ time a third of the population in Greece were slaves. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2026, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2855 "2026-08-25T00:21:22Z")
Yes- n the Greek Classical age- around 400 and 500 BC. Achilles- if he ever existed- was in about 1200 BC, at least 1000 years earlier. No doubt there were slaves back then, captured during war, but historical details are sparse. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2026, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2856 "2026-08-25T00:37:02Z")
When I was 11, I got the music book of _The Road Goes Ever On_, with music composed by Donald Swann. I played all the songs on the piano (except for “Namárië,” which was voice alone). I memorized all of the lyrics to: - “The Road Goes Ever On” - “Upon the Hearth the Fire is Red” (called “A Walking Song” in the _LoTR_ index) - “In the Willow-Meads of Tasarinen” - “In Western Lands” (Sam’s song in Cirith Ungol) - “Namárië” - “I Sit Beside the Fire” (Bilbo’s song in Rivendell) / “A Elbereth Gilthoniel” - “Errantry” I can still sing all of those from memory, except “Errantry,” which has a ton of complex lyrics. ---
**Author:** ![Thumper668](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thumper668/32/20803_2.png) [@Thumper668](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thumper668)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2026, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2857 "2026-08-25T00:45:59Z")
I have always thought both of those quotes to be naïve. Neither is deserving of basing a philosophy on. My philosophy of life came from my grandfather. He said “give more than you take.” ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2026, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2858 "2026-08-25T01:11:24Z")
> [@Johanna](#): > > When I was 11, I got the music book of _The Road Goes Ever On_, with music composed by Donald Swann. I played all the songs on the piano (except for “Namárië,” which was voice alone). I memorized all of the lyrics to: > > - “The Road Goes Ever On” We had that on cassette, and this is the song that stuck in my head. It’s quite pleasing. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2026, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2859 "2026-08-25T02:17:11Z")
I had that, too. Might still have it somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2026, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2860 "2026-08-25T04:33:43Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > We had that on cassette, and this is the song that stuck in my head. It’s quite pleasing. I like this one better= [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/9B6dsfGazyI/maxresdefault.jpg "Roads Go Ever On - Clamavi De Profundis") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9B6dsfGazyI) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157.md?page=142) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157.md?page=144)