Posted on 06/04/2005 12:04:01 PM PDT by Tumbleweed_Connection
No country lasts forever. That’s an inarguable fact.
History reveals three primary reasons why countries fall, governments change and ways of life vanish.
The Taliban, Saddam, Nazis and many other governments fell because of war with other nations.
Revolutions brought on by internal strife, an insurgency, social unrest and disillusionment, reduced respect and admiration of the nation’s military (note that the Marines and Army are finding it very difficult and sometimes impossible to meet their recruiting goals), loss or reduction of social values and norms, and political extremism bring down some governments. Examples include Iran in 1979, France in the late 18 th Century, China in the late 1940s, and Mexico and Russia in the early 20 th Century.
Sometimes governments just quit for a variety of reasons, resulting in ethnic fragmentation, like in the case of the Soviet Union.
Perhaps you noted that America is currently suffering from two of the three aforementioned reasons why countries fall.
Right now, America is fighting a type of war–global asymmetric warfare–that has never been fought before by any nation. Our enemies wear no uniforms, abide by no rules, attack civilian targets, are in 90 countries including our own and want every American dead and the country destroyed.
We are suffering from political extremism mostly on the left; a clear reduction of social values and norms; widespread disillusionment when it comes to the war, social issues, politics, and the economy; and even some strife (a huge homeless population, high bankruptcy rate, a massive illegal alien population consisting of between 16 and 20 million people, etc.).
What makes many Americans think America is invulnerable to collapse or destruction? Such a belief is spectacularly arrogant.
History applies to all countries. According to history, we are far more at risk than what most Americans believe.
Extremists in the media (the Denver Post’s Reggie Rivers, the Rocky Mountain News’ Jason Salzman, the New York Times’ Tom Friedman, Paul Krugman and Maureen Dowd; Bill Moyers, Air America’s Al Franken, Michael Moore, Barbra Streisand, Tim Robbins, Sean Penn, Susan Sarandon, Ed Asner, et al), politics (Howard Dean, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Rep. Barbara Boxer, Sen. Ted Kennedy, Sen. John Kerry, Sen. Robert Byrd, et al), and our collective societal commode (Ward Churchill, Louis Farrakhan, et al) are trying to dramatically change America as we know it. From their influential (upon many Americans suffering from muddy thinking) positions, such radicals fuel the flames of hate and discontent among those who are repulsed by the very idea of the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Fury, frustration and disbelief replace reason and respect when these types are forced to accept major political losses and when they realize most Americans disagree with their fanatical agendas. Their shrill fanaticism acts as an accelerant in creating an emotional inferno among the followers of such would-be tyrants, which increases the chances America falling while advancing the time line for our demise.
Nevertheless, many if not most Americans, in their complacency and ignorance of history, believe we have no reason to worry; that America will always exist regardless of history and the threats currently facing our nation.
How very, very wrong they are.
Amen...and to that might I add "The price of freedom is eternal vigilance".
Air America: Failure (means nobody's listening unlike conservative talk radio)
Al Franken:Does anyone really take him seriously, come on
Michael Moore: Oh sure Hollywood loves him, but he is a coward who has been exposed as a phony.
Barbra Streisand: HA HA HA HA very important in her own mind
Robbins, Penn, Asner and Sarandon: Do these people convince anyone of anything? I doubt it.
Howard Dean:Complete fool of whom the Dems should be embarrassed .
Boxer and Feinstein: Hey California is freakin weird and weirdo's deserve representation in Washington too.
Kennedy and Byrd; One's a punch line and one's an ex-klansman, the loser party embraces them both.
John Kerry: The French looking Senator got his ass handed to him to the tune of 3-4 million voters.
Churchill and Farrakahn: Ones a fake Indian who the real Indians shun the other would fit right in with Byrd if he were white (or Byrd was black)
Citizens protecting their borders and not waiting for big brother to do it for them. New media which catches the lies of the old one and exposes them within hours.( Remember these lies have been going on unchallenged for 40 years until now). Politicians being challenged by voters within hours of their backstabbing. Political parties more beholden to the voter now than ever. Iraq is soon to become the strongest Arab country on earth and we will be their best friend.( That gives us the two strongest in the Middle East)
I say we got a long way to go before we leave this world.
bttt
Debt, drugs, and poverty are also huge factors.
The Romans didn't think the empire would fall either.
I am sorry to say, but I don't think Americans are particulary courageous, and ceretainly not morally superior, or in good enough shape to fight.
In one respect you are correct. Our internal enemies, the liberals in government, academia, the media, and their RINO and neo-con comrades, are like termites. It is foolish to under-estimate the damage they are doing to our political, economic, and social foundations.
The Romans were on a bad position on the map. If they were isolated surrounded by seas like Japan back in that time, the kamikaze may have swept the Mongolia's fleets away. If the Romans were placed on America, probably they would have less chance being threaten by Mongolia. Too bad for them.
GK Chesterton wrote:
" -- There is no basis for democracy except in a dogma about the divine origin of man."
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There is however a firm basis for the Republic in the rationality that we are all endowed with inalienable rights to life, liberty & property, regardless of how they originated.
And how did I contradict this? (I'm curious about your use of the word "however.")
Thanks for posting #31. I used to have that clipped out and in my wallet long ago. Don't know whatever happened to it.
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There is however a firm basis for the Republic in the rationality that we are all endowed with inalienable rights to life, liberty & property, regardless of how they originated.
And how did I contradict this? (I'm curious about your use of the word "however.")
You didn't; --- Chesterton did.
I was commenting on Chesterson's assumption that "dogma about the divine origin of man." is necessary for democracy. -- Could be, -- but I don't see that as needed in our Republic.
We*re setting the stage for Hillary. The Republicans don*t have a clue. They are bogged down in compassion and decency, but fail to see the real enemy. They are in control, but have no idea how to use it. Frist can*t. Delay should be the majority leader. We need hard ball leadership, but don*t have it. The liberals use this and will completely destroy this country, that is their goal.
If you are talking about dogma in the sense of a (specific) religious doctrine, I agree. I would indicate that the DOI, as our establishing document is predicated on a non-specific but absolute belief in an eternal creator to which all nature, humans and human institutions are subordinate. If rights are inalienable, they must also be eternal and immutable. The creator that bestows them must then, be likewise. It's inescapable. Take away "Creator," from the DOI and the remainder of the premise on which this nation was founded crumbles.
Damn! Same thing happened to China, after a few thousand years. We better watch out.
Those were good books, and were highly readable because indeed they were not inconceivable, but all too much like the daily Huntley-Brinkley Report. We had Frankly Unctious back then live and in color, just as we do today.
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