My Sunday Thought for 03062016: The Fall of the Western Empire

"A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largess from the public treasury. From that time on the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury, with the results that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship."

-- Sir Alex Fraser Tytler (1742-1813). Scottish jurist and historian

We seem to be dead set on proving Sir Alex correct.  Some would say this unavoidable outcome of democracy is why our forefathers founded the United States of America as a republic and not a democracy. The best laid plans of mice and men oft go astray.  Looking at the United States we see irrefutable evidence Sir Alex knew of what he spoke.

Today, as faiths and religions clash against each other, evil waits in the wings to, once again, feed off the carcass of the righteous.  If we look at the sequence of events for the great nations of history we will see the United States is progressing in lockstep off the cliff of destiny.  As you read the following steps, keep in mind the average age of the world's great civilizations has been 200 years: 

From bondage to spiritual faith;
from spiritual faith to great courage;
from courage to liberty;
from liberty to abundance;
from abundance to selfishness;
from selfishness to complacency;
from complacency to apathy;
from apathy to dependency;
from dependency back again to bondage.

By my watch, we're dead in the middle of moving from apathy to dependency.  We are already seeing some in our government flexing the ideas of complete governmental control - bondage.  The government by the people, well, that ship has sailed.  The government gives us just enough rope to keep the facade alive as they make us more and more dependent on "entitlements" half of the citizens haven't earned.  We are headed toward an outcome which is fairly certain according to history; we will fall back into bondage before the end of this century.  Our government will have its boot on our collective neck, or a foreign power will invade and enslave us.  Either way, our apathetic dependency will ensure our fall back into bondage.

Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us. For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we were not idle when we were with you, nor did we eat anyone's bread without paying for it, but with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you. It was not because we do not have that right, but to give you in ourselves an example to imitate.

-- 2 Thessalonians 3:6-9

Still having a hard time wrapping your mind around the thought?  Let's take a look at the eight most popular reasons, amongst scholars, why the Western Roman Empire finally disintegrated after a colorful 500 year run, and I will give my humble opinion of a current correlation for each:

1.  Invasions by Barbarian tribes.  I'll equate this to the not so subtle invasion by illegal aliens.

2.  Economic troubles over reliance on slave labor.  We outsource our manufacturing overseas which exacerbates joblessness and our reliance on welfare.

3.  The rise of the Eastern Empire.  Again?  It seems we are always at odds with the east.  If it isn't Japan or China it's South East Asia, South Asia, or Eastern Europe.  Now we have radical Islamic terrorists looking for nation status and pledging the destruction of the west and the United States in particular.   

4.  Over-expansion and military overspending.  With the onset of the military's philosophy of "Global Reach, Global Power," we can launch from the continental United States and be anywhere in the world in relatively short order.  Aircraft carrier task forces add almost immediate muscle to this rapid response, yet we still support permanent bases throughout the world which are redundant considering our abilities.  

5.  Government corruption and political instability.  This is so obviously evidenced by our elected officials it requires little explanation from me.  The downside for the government is the onset of computers which provide instantaneous news and commentary to the masses and allows the bullshit card to be thrown on our officials immediately.

6.  The arrival of the Huns and the migration of the Barbarian tribes.  Freedom loving governments of the world continue to allow non-vetted immigration by enemies their enemies.  The U.S. also allows thousands of admittedly non-vetted immigrants to enter our borders and conduct terrorist activities.

7.  Christianity and the loss of traditional values.  Christians and Jews are under attack and being murdered by Islamic terrorists throughout the world.  Here at home, traditional values of hard work, parenting, patriotism, faith and honesty are being diluted by our new culture of entitlement, loss of faith and a rise of godlessness, and a liberal education system where participation, the act of just breathing, is the new standard of excellence.  We have stopped teaching history in favor of kinder, gentler bullshit with little or no substance; bedtime stories which skirt ugly truths.  We have stopped teaching our young to respect anything, including their elders, the rule of law, and each other. 

8.  Weakening of the Roman Legions.  Our military is being stripped by a government administration operating without a clue as to the real state of world affairs.  We are being prepped for an invasion the like of which this country has never dreamt of landing on its own shores.

Like Rome, we seem to be failing in all the same areas.  Not surprising as our centers for education stopped teaching real history some time back; you can't learn from lessons you aren't taught.  Our citizens are running away from faith and toward immorality.  We run from righteousness and toward sin.  We have stopped praising God the way God has asked so, maybe, God has stopped listening for us.  Our faith in anything spiritual, even our faith in faith, has been usurped by those that have faith in nothing but their own false vanity. We have set fire to our house and, with all apathy we have come to expect, we seem content to watch it burn.

For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

-- Romans 15:4

If black lives truly mattered, the racial minorities in this country wouldn't keep voting for the very people working to keep them down.  They continue to complain about past slavery but keep voting to remain in self-imposed bondage by forgetting which people fought for equal rights time and time again.  Do the poor, the unemployed, and the uneducated, simply want to believe in the easy bullshit they're spoon fed because the truth is too much work?  Now it would seem the abusers have risen from their own ranks to use their own people for position and profit.  

Mexicans and Latinos come to this country and try to change it to be like the those lands they have run from.  Muslims and others escaping their own oppressive governments do the same thing.  It makes one wonder, if they so liked constantly living with a boot on their neck that they would try to change our country to mirror that of their old, why in God's name did they leave it?  This country offers an out, an escape, for those cowards not willing to fight for freedom in their own countries.  They can come here where we will embrace their cowardice, and pay them for it.  We'll go fight their wars for them and they don't have to lift a finger.  They can disrespect our Constitution, our flag, and our laws, and continue to enjoy all the free shit we give them.  They can enjoy the freedoms and benefits we are willing to die for, even if they aren't.  Gee, sounds like a lot of our own citizens.  Maybe they're where they belong after all. 

Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, for that indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more, and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.

-- 1 Thessalonians 4:912

Everyone believes candidates that make promises for a chicken in every pot, a chicken which never seem to materialize.  Instead, their politicians constantly deliver a cold, pale, bare wiener with never ending promises of more to come.  It will never come. It won't come because keeping us wanting is the only way they can maintain control.  If you can keep the dream alive, you'll have a voter for life.

What we're all waiting for won't come until we understand that you can't get something from nothing and you can't squeeze water from a stone; only Christ can do miracles, and a President ain't Him no matter what delusions they suffer from.  It seems like most people in this country, and immigrants coming to this country, are  content living up to the saying, "You really can't cure stupid."  It's like a goal we set because it's the only one we know we can attain.  Hey, you have to be proud of something, right?

How about we take this Sunday to think about our vote.  How about we ask God for guidance, and then go out and work for what our leaders get paid not to do - their job.  How about, we consider not whining and actually try to come together for the betterment of all.  How about we stop shifting the blame to elected officials we elected.  How about we finally take ownership that everything happening in this country is because we allow it to happen.

Rome is burning because we set it on fire; history repeats.  Before we choose to sit idle while civilization burns around us, let us remember the words of one of our own great leaders:

The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.

-- Thomas Jefferson

Think hard this political season about the tyrants we constantly vote into office.  Do they truly have our interests at heart, or are they simply fanning the flames of discontent, speeding headlong into the foretold life expectancy of our civilization as though what is written cannot be undone.  Are we to bear witness to the next Fall of the Western Empire?  If so, the mantle of blame will rest squarely on shoulders of those who allowed it to occur.  Mirror, anyone?

Have a pleasant Sunday, and may blessings be upon us all!

Editor's Note 

(re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card) 

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other. An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so.  This is also why, occasionally, I will present an "opinion" just to stir .
an emotional pot.  Where it may sound like I agree with the statements made, I'm more interested in getting others to consider another viewpoint. 

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and then engaging in peaceful, constructive, discussion in an arena of mutual respect concerning the opinions put forth. After over twenty years with military intelligence, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we do afterward, and what we learn from the experience.

Pastor Tony spent 22 years with Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, and instructor. He is founder of the Congregation for Religious Tolerance and author/editor of the Congregation's official blog site, "The Path," which offers a vehicle for commentary and guidance concerning one's own personal, spiritual, path toward peace and the final destination.