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2005-01-27 Home Front: WoT

VDH: Stories of Imperial Collapse Are Getting Old

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Posted by tipper 2005-01-27 10:43:52 AM|| || Front Page|| [1 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 thanks VDH!

Posted by 2b 2005-01-27 11:27:13 AM|| 2005-01-27 11:27:13 AM|| Front Page Top

#2 Fairbanks????? Well, maybe at 60 below.....

Posted by Alaska Paul 2005-01-27 11:39:57 AM|| 2005-01-27 11:39:57 AM|| Front Page Top

#3 Honestly, I think we are just beginning our real ascent. If there is a parallel to us in world history it would be the Romans for their power, reach, effeciency, discipline and the Pax Romana. But unlike most predictions the parallel is not with Rome's decline but with the beginning of its ascendence.

It remains to be seen if we the heirs of Rome can maintain our ascendency for as long as they did (1000 yrs) but if they could do it, why couldn't we? It also remains to be seen whether it is possible for us to learn from what happened to Rome or if its even possible for humans to avoid it. How long will we be able to hold onto power justly? How long will we be able to stay a healthy civilization? Will we be able to step down graciously at some point without resorting to brutal repression in some futile attempt to contain new upstart forces in the world?

I think the answers to these questions will be a long time in coming because we're actually just getting started. I predict that the answers will be positive ones because we have already avoided so many of the problems that eventually brought Rome down. Imperialism is one. Its hard to think of a powerful people more averse to the idea of empire than Americans who still somehow keenly remember how much we disliked it when it was us. Americans dont want to be anywhere else than right here. We dont want our soldiers anywhere else than right here protecting our borders. I dont think many people understand the depth of our feelings about this nor how deep is our reluctance to send our soldiers away to foriegn lands.

As long as that never changes we'll stay in good shape.

Posted by peggy 2005-01-27 12:14:40 PM|| 2005-01-27 12:14:40 PM|| Front Page Top

#4 For a righteous fisking of the Parris article, turn to Iberian Notes.

I wrote (well, adapted) a song for the occasion (with additional lyrics by John).

Posted by Angie Schultz 2005-01-27 3:46:11 PM|| [http://darkblogules.blogspot.com] 2005-01-27 3:46:11 PM|| Front Page Top

#5 The fact that the American people voted the Democrats out of power is indicative of a nation on the ascendancy instead of in decline. Perhaps the intellectuals identify so thoroughly with the Democrats, that they have mentally transferred the malaise and innui following the implosion of the Democrats to the country as a whole. As usual, they have tried to extrapolate from a single point.

Posted by RWV 2005-01-27 7:47:53 PM|| 2005-01-27 7:47:53 PM|| Front Page Top

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