Fiddling While Rome Burns

"A man who has in mind an apparent advantage and promptly proceeds to dissociate this from the question of what is right shows himself to be mistaken and immoral. Such a standpoint is the parent of assassinations, poisonings, forged wills, thefts, malversations of public money, and the ruinous exploitation of provincials and Roman citizens alike. Another result is passionate desire - desire for excessive wealth, for unendurable tyranny, and ultimately for the despotic seizure of free states. These desires are the most horrible and repulsive things imaginable. The perverted intelligences of men who are animated by such feelings are competent to understand the material rewards, but not the penalties. I do not mean penalties established by law, for these they often escape. I mean the most terrible of all punishments: their own degradation." -Marcus Tullius Cicero (106-43 B.C.)

I copied this from Information Clearing House (ICH) emailtom@cox.net

It has been many years since I studied Roman history. But the parallels between the Roman Empire and the present Empire of the United States is frightening.

Had the Roman Emperors honored the system of justice their laws promised and looked to meet the needs of the common citizens, that Empire might have lasted several more centuries. But —

The insatiable quest for power, wealth, and pleasure became the motivating force for those entrusted with responsibility in the governing structure. Sex and sports became more important than justice and equal opportunity of the everyday citizens of the Empire. The rule of law no longer pertained to those in high positions. Honest concern for the basic rights and needs of society was non existent. Each level of governance was more inclined to cast blame or grant favors to those above or below, in the structure, to protect themselves from responsibility for their own failures. Those leaders were no longer influenced by conscience (they had none) and, as gods, they were not fearful of degradation in the opinions of their subjects.

How do we parallel that pattern?

Our present Administration has willfully ignored or perverted the intents of our Constitution as well as International Law and the laws of common decency. Our Supreme Court has failed to hold this Administration, the Congress or the other levels of the Justice System accountable for their dereliction of duty. Our two major political parties are more interested in the destruction of one another than they are in bipartisan effort to meet their responsibility to govern by establishing safe guards to protect our own citizens as well as humanity around the world. Degradation in the eyes of the public is longer effective in controlling moral and ethical personal habits.

Rome ignored Marcus Tullious Cicero and that Empire ceased to exist. Are we going to ignore history and Marcus' wisdom?