Dictators and Tyrants

Throughout human history mankind has been ruled by dictators and tyrants. There have been a few exceptions. Ancient Greece, the Roman Empire, pre-Julius Ceasar (they were a republic like us before Ceasar), and in recent decades the entire western world...thanks to the United States and our willingness to use our military power to protect the freedom of others around the world. In every case, the free societies eventually gave way to dictators and tyrants. Greece, a true democracy, eventually gave way to mob-rule as all democracies do. And eventually they were taken over by the Spartans (also Greeks, but totalitarians) who were in-turn conquered by the Romans. The Romans were a republic where the people chose their leaders democratically for a few hundred years. But little by little, the people wanted their government to do more so they could spend their time drinking wine and pursuing various pleasures that did not include working. So along came Ceasar, promising "hope" and "change". Within a few short years, Ceasar - with the backing of the Roman people - reduced the Senate to a powerless group of "representatives" who's only real purpose was to make people believe they still had a voice in government. Ceasar ruled Rome as a dictator, as did his predecessors. Eventually the once mighty Roman Empire decayed from within, due to sloth and immorality, to the point that they wouldn't actually be conquered - at least not all at once- but would simply cease to function as a unified country or culture.

And in the past century most of Europe has traded the freedom and liberty that we helped them win (to say the least) for varying degrees of socialism and communism. The socialists have conquered Western Europe without firing a shot, just as Eastern Europe is emerging from half a century of communist rule. Guess our friends in England, France and Spain are slow learners. Maybe if the folks in West Berlin could have seen what was happening on the other side of that wall for 40+ years they would have been more reluctant to embrace the teachings of Marx and Lenin. Oh well, don't be surprised if they ask us to come to their rescue for a 3rd. time sooner or later. Maybe next time we should just sit it out. If we're even still a world power by then.

I apologise for the Cliff Notes version of the decline of former empires. Just wondering if any of this sounds vaguely similar to what we've been seeing here in the U.S. lately? Something to think about. Especially since the head of the National Endowment for the Arts recently compared Barack Obama to Julius Ceasar - and he meant it as a compliment.