Thread: Our Republic is Following Precisely that of the Roman Republic History, Is It Too Lat

Our Republic is Following Precisely that of the Roman Republic History, Is It Too Late?

Posted by Stingray USN Veteran on September 1, 2014 at 5:00pm
View Blog

In ancient Roman history, Cicero was the voice of liberty, the 'glue', if you will, that held the 500 year old Republic together for the final decades of the first 500 years of the thousand year old history of Rome. We, the Republic of America, are enduring precisely the same effects of the lack of character of our people that ancient Rome endured, until it was too late to rectify.
An article just came to my attention posted by Maj. General Paul Vallely that succinctly points out every relevant fact that has befallen America, in a precise duplication of what caused the downfall of Rome. Read it for yourself, absorb it, and understand that as Patriots we MUST reverse the direction and downfall we will surely endure ourselves if we fail in our efforts. It's an extremely interesting read!

Partial Transcript-

I begin with this remark of the celebrated Roman historian Livy, written 2,000 years ago:

There is an exceptionally beneficial and fruitful advantage to be derived from the study of the past. There you see, set in the clear light of historical truth, examples of every possible type. From these you can select for yourself and your country what to imitate, and also what, as being mischievous in its inception and disastrous in its consequences, you should avoid...
...Let me share with you what I call, “The Three Most Stubborn Lessons of History,” and then I’ll go back and briefly relate each to the Roman Republic:

Number One: No people who lost their character kept their liberties.

Number Two: Power that is shackled and dispersed is preferable to power that is unrestrained and centralized.

Number Three: The here-and-now is rarely as important as tomorrow.

================================================== =====

TREASON

A nation can survive its fools, and even the ambitious. But it cannot survive treason from within. An enemy at the gates is less formidable, for he is known and he carries his banners openly. But the traitor moves among those within the gate freely, his sly whispers rustling through all the galleys, heard in the very hall of government itself. For the traitor appears not a traitor—he speaks in the accents familiar to his victims, and wears their face and their garment, and he appeals to the baseness that lies deep in the hearts of all men. He rots the soul of a nation—he works secretly and unknown in the night to undermine the pillars of a city—he infects the body politic so that it can no longer resist. A murderer is less to be feared.......Cicero, 42 B.C.


Entitled 'How To Lose a Constitution' by LAWRENCE W. REED




http://patriotaction.net/profiles/bl...msg_share_post

A nation can survive its fools, and even the ambitious. But it cannot survive treason from within. An enemy at the gates is less formidable, for he is known and he carries his banners openly. But the traitor moves among those within the gate freely, his sly whispers rustling through all the galleys, heard in the very hall of government itself. For the traitor appears not a traitor—he speaks in the accents familiar to his victims, and wears their face and their garment, and he appeals to the baseness that lies deep in the hearts of all men. He rots the soul of a nation—he works secretly and unknown in the night to undermine the pillars of a city—he infects the body politic so that it can no longer resist. A murderer is less to be feared.......Cicero, 42 B.C.

Our government is full of traitors....

Lessons From Augustus

Experts discuss the legacy of the first Roman emperor

BY: Daniel Wiser
September 3, 2014 6:20 pm

The legacy of Rome’s first emperor still offers lessons—and warnings—in leadership and statecraft for politicians 2000 years after his death, experts and historians said on Wednesday.

Augustus rose to power in 31 B.C. during a tumultuous period for ancient Rome, which had been ravaged by decades of civil wars. The situation he faced was not unlike the emerging era of international disorder today, participants said at an American Enterprise Institute (AEI) event on the Roman ruler.

Augustus is remembered for returning peace and stability to the expanding Roman Empire and for making its citizens feel pride in their country again. In contrast to Augustus’ time, today’s dominant political system—liberal democracy—is under attack both in the United States and abroad, said Jonah Goldberg, AEI fellow and a nationally syndicated columnist.

Goldberg noted recent polls showing that more than three-fourths of Americans no longer trust the U.S. government to do the right thing. The growth of the state and its complexity tends to “reward the people who have the wits, the wherewithal, and the lawyers to game the system,” he said. And some commentators have even suggested that the United States should adopt a more authoritarian government, like China’s, to meet the challenges of the 21st century.

“There’s a legitimate sense [among Americans] that the system is being rigged from within to reward those with access to the system,” Goldberg said.

“I wouldn’t be surprised in 10 years if we hear more calls for an Augustan strong man to fix the system, because the system seems to be failing for a lot of people,” he added.

Democracy is also losing its legitimacy abroad, Goldberg said. Newly re-elected Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said in July that he would seek to model his administration after “illiberal” and “successful” states such as Russia, Turkey, and China.

President Barack Obama’s administration is partly to blame for the souring prospects of democracy around the world, said Jakub Grygiel, a professor at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies. The convergence of revisionist nations such as Russia and China who seek regional territory and power, along with a permissive international environment no longer led by the United States, has contributed to multiplying crises in Syria, Iraq, Ukraine, and the Asia-Pacific.

While Grygiel said there have always been “states or leaders that are not happy with the status quo,” the more “inward-looking” Obama administration has devalued deterrence and encouraged these actors to test the rules of the international system. The administration tends to view the world as harmonious and self-balancing, he said.

“The outcome [for the administration] is we don’t have to do anything in international relations—the world will fix itself without our presence,” he said.

“Rebuilding [U.S. deterrence] is going to take a lot of time and effort and be very costly,” he added.

Historians at the event said it is difficult to draw direct parallels between the 21st century and Augustus’ time. Still, today’s leaders can draw lessons from how the Roman emperor handled disorder—as well as notes of caution.

Although Augustus was essentially a military ruler who was responsible for a significant death toll, he behaved “no better or no worse than all the dictators of the time,” said Adrian Goldsworthy, a historian and author of the new book “Augustus: The First Emperor of Rome.” He restored stability to the Roman world for the first time in two centuries, expanded its borders, interacted frequently with the public, and demonstrated statesmanship to meet challenges as they emerged.

“I don’t think he goes into politics with this sense of, ‘this is what the regime should be, I’ll conform it to this,’” Goldsworthy said. “The Romans tend to be more pragmatic than that.”

Today’s political leaders, by contrast, seem to lack a governing vision, he said. They focus more on demeaning their opponents rather than proposing their own solutions.

“When you get to that mentality you’re in serious trouble, because no one can do anything,” he said. “You have to create those extraordinary measures.”

Augustus gave himself immense power over time despite keeping the trappings of republican government, such as the Senate, Goldsworthy said. A decline in democracy today could also be disguised if people become “complacent.”
“That decay isn’t very quick,” he said. “Most people can keep on living their lives. It seems OK because there’s nothing to push it over the edge.”

“That’s probably still true in the short term,” he added. “It’s not going to collapse into anarchy and civil war. But it doesn’t mean those things will never happen.”

http://freebeacon.com/politics/lessons-from-augustus/