Wednesday, May 9, 2018

EMPIRE'S END

If history has taught us anything it is that all empires must fall. The Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Greeks under Alexander, the Egyptians, the dynasties of China, the Mongolians under the Khans, the Austro-Hungarian empire, the British, upon whose empire the sun would never set – all gone. Even the mighty Roman empire which ruled most of the Western world for 1000 years could not resist the forces of destiny.
These far-flung empires share common causes of their demise. Occupation of lands far beyond their borders, wildly inappropriate military spending that far exceeded defensive needs, government for the few at the expense of the many, and economic exploitation of the weak, both at home and internationally. All these elements led to collapse at all levels of society. Slowly, inexorably, the old empires fell into obscurity, only to be replaced by another pretender.
I feel the winds of change coming to America, like a cold breeze that precedes a blue norther. But like a blue norther, the coming winds will blow away our deeply held national myths and self-image. We are witnessing the beginning of the fall of the Ameri-Christian empire. American troops maintain a presence in 126 countries around the world. Military spending continues consume a disproportionate percentage of our wealth while our nation’s infrastructure falls into disrepair. Perhaps most alarming is the undisputed fact that our government institutions now serve the needs of the wealthiest among us while ignoring the well being of those they pledged to serve. And, as the Romans abandoned their republican traditions to a series of military dictators, so we Americans have ceded our precious democratic rights and privileges in return for unending spectacles of blood and circuses.
• When we advocate for preemptive war, we are diminished
• When we turn away refugees fleeing violence and death, we are diminished.
• When we mock young people for trying to save the lives of their classmates, we are diminished.
• When we ignore the rampant violence inherent in our society, we are diminished.
• When we take food from the mouths of the hungry, we are diminished.
• When we demonize entire races, ethnicities, and religions, we are diminished.
• When we take away healthcare from women and children, we are diminished.
• When we ignore the advice and pleadings of our faithful friends and allies, we are diminished.
• When we turn back the clock on women’s rights, we are diminished.
• When we undermine our most cherished institutions, we are diminished.
• When we abdicate our responsibility to future generations, we are diminished.
We can no longer lay claim to the moral high ground
We are no longer Ronald Reagan’s shining city on the hill.

The Pax Romana lasted for over 200 years. The Pax Americana will not last half as long.

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