Posted on 04/24/2008 10:06:08 PM PDT by The_Republican
On June 22, 1897, about 400 million people around the world -- one-fourth of humanity -- got the day off. It was the 60th anniversary of Queen Victoria's ascension to the British throne. The Diamond Jubilee stretched over five days on land and sea, but its high point was the parade and thanksgiving service on June 22. The 11 premiers of Britain's self-governing colonies were in attendance, along with princes, dukes, ambassadors, and envoys from the rest of the world. A military procession of 50,000 soldiers included hussars from Canada, cavalrymen from New South Wales, carabineers from Naples, camel troops from Bikaner, and Gurkhas from Nepal. It was, as one historian wrote, "a Roman moment."
In London, eight-year-old Arnold Toynbee was perched on his uncle's shoulders, eagerly watching the parade. Toynbee, who grew up to become the most famous historian of his age, recalled that, watching the grandeur of the day, it felt as if the sun were "standing still in the midst of Heaven." "I remember the atmosphere," he wrote. "It was: 'Well, here we are on top of the world, and we have arrived at this peak to stay there forever. There is, of course, a thing called history, but history is something unpleasant that happens to other people. We are comfortably outside all of that I am sure.'"
But of course, history did happen to Britain. The question for the superpower of the current age is, Will history happen to the United States as well? Is it already happening? No analogy is exact, but the British Empire in its heyday is the closest any nation in the modern age has come to the United States' position today.
(Excerpt) Read more at realclearpolitics.com ...
bump 4 later
Reagan’s words of 1964 still ring true today, the USA again has a “rendezvous with destiny”...but will we show up for it?
It is amazing to see the cognitive dissonanace in some people. Zakaria spends 25 feet of pixel space talking about the dynamism of the United States and its economy and then opines that it could have been improved upon if only Madison and friends and had made it easier for our government to 'get things done.'
Quite thought-provoking and somewhat reassuring, though alarming, as well. Thanks for posting it.
Then in the 80’s, Japan was supposed to takeover with their longterm corporate planning, go-go stock and real estate prices, and buying up properties in the US, including major league sports team. Then Japan had it's lost decade in the 1990’s, while the US-invented Internet spread through the world.
There's always some chicken-little crying about global warming, US stagnation, the end-of-time and how the Mississippi river is going dry.
Don't believe it. Like Reagan always said, keep the faith. America's best times are ahead of her.
I agree - I can’t believe he criticized our system of government, when it is precisely that which has made this country great, and will continue to keep it great.
I believe it is far superior to the parliamentary system that dominates Europe, especially those that have proportional representation.
What they don't understand is that, in the long run, those things ultimately don't count for much when it comes to how people govern themselves. What does matter, indeed what is overwhelmingly important is human nature. And that doesn't change, which is why our Constitution has stood the test of time better than any other.
The secret to its success is very straightforward. It was created by people who (through long study of the past) were intimately familiar with the frailties of human nature and who made it their mission to account for those flaws when drawing up our society's groundrules.
Red Dragon Rising...
I agree with your superb post 100%.
Interesting, thought-provoking but uneven article. Worth the read, though.
Course, that's why I worry. I'm only 57, and I've seen my country go downhill for about 40 of that. Our founders also knew that the Constitution was made for Christians. You can't pass enough laws for immoral/amoral people. When God is completely erased from our culture, there won't be enough police, camera's, UAV's, scanners, or prisons, to hold all of us. Then comes the dictator, and we will be glad to get him/her. Most dictators come to power to "straighten out" anarchy.
Me too. I remember Strobe Talbott writing about our inevitable decline in TIME (the weasel).
I also remember Jimmy Carter's speech accusing Americans of a "Malaise".
It's funny how our malaise went away when The Big Boss Man whipped Carter's sad behind in the 1980 election.
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