HELLO AMERICA, SAY GOODBYE TO EMPIRE

 

HELLO AMERICA, SAY GOODBYE TO EMPIRE

 

The Ancient Roman Empire didn’t die all at once, its convulsions were protracted and painful and in Rome’s case it took several centuries to die a slow and painful death.  Ancient Rome at the height of its glory had an estimated population of over a million.  Huge for those days.  At the height of its decline Rome was derelict and with a population of around 19,000 souls.  America is well on its way in following in Rome’s footsteps.  As a nation it is heavily over-extended across the globe with over a million people in uniform permanently stationed abroad.  America’s decline is progressing at a much faster pace because everything in our world is moving faster than ever before in history.  The price of empire has come at a steep cost.

  

In ancient times it was much easier for emerging empires to progress at a steady and profitable pace because there was so much more to be exploited and taken advantage of.  In many instances little or no resistance and definitely no global outcry as barely any noteworthy reporting took place.  Historians extolled the virtues of the conquerors and the conquered were always depicted as barbarians.  Life was much simpler in those days.  Right and wrong depended on who won.

In all fairness, America’s woes cannot be solely laid bare at the feet of the current occupant of the White House, no matter how woefully ignorant he is or how out of touch his merry band of cohorts are.  America’s decline has been ongoing for decades and thankfully the emergence of a mass media presence has made it a lot more difficult to reach out for potential sources of extra and free income, no matter how much desired.  The media footprint we leave behind cannot be ignored as is the evidence of our impact and intentions.  Lives are lived under a microscope and the mass manipulation of public sentiment through state propaganda, although attempted with frequency, is much more difficult than in the past.

Everything in our lives is moving faster, success as well as decline.  America, as a nation, hasn’t as yet coined on to the fact that all imperial adventures are doomed to fail.  History is living proof but the fact checking of our current track record will be left to future generations.  Hindsight is the privilege of historians.

There have been so many attempts at empire.  It has an undeniable lure: power, conquest, wealth, dominance.  And yet the longevity of empire is laughable at best and the end result predictable.  Not a single former empire has ever regained its former glory.  All nations eventually retreat back within their own borders and it seems to zap its energy.  We only have to look at Putin and his pathetic attempt to restore Russia’s glory in size and wealth.  You don’t make America great again by annexing territories and assets that belong to other nations.

Take Holland as an example 

The tiny nation of Holland had its own golden age in the seventeenth century and Trump has longingly adopted a similar sentiment as if through his efforts alone the world once more will be laid at America’s feet and gold and glory will be their just reward.  Dream along.  Holland’s wealth and glory was obtained at the expense of colonialism and the stately canal homes in the city of Amsterdam were built from its profits.  Fun while it lasted but the Dutch were wise enough not to cry in their suds and coffee cups when it all came to an abrupt end and the English and Spanish took over.  The current prime minister, although a racist who admires Trump and his treatment of illegals, didn’t walk around with a ball cap stuck to his head at election time proclaiming, “Make Holland great again.”

Even the current batch of rightwing zealots in Germany is refraining from reintroducing a slogan that Hitler popularized, “Deutschland uberalles.”

All of us are currently faced with a global reality that is devoid of bragging rights as we have to deal with the consequences of decades of planetary abuse and exploitation, accelerated due to a huge increase in human numbers and with demands and needs that can no longer be met according to our wishes and presumed entitlements.  We have overextended ourselves in every arena and area.  Increasingly we’re scraping the bottom of the barrel. 

In every empire, past and present, the rhetoric only increases during the twilight of empire, as if disbelief and ignorance can be drowned out into oblivion by screaming and shouting even louder.  America is in debt up to its eyeballs and is overextended right across the globe.  Mired in bureaucracy and infighting.  Americans are walking around with their heads stuck up their behinds because they’re simply following a well-established pattern of behavior associated with disbelief and denial.  That they are encouraged by Daffy Donald leading the parade doesn’t help.

In England there are still people who are struggling with the demise of an empire on which the sun never set.  It is only the smart and the wise who move along.  There is not a single Italian who wants to resurrect a new Roman Empire.  Been there, done that.

When an empire convulses in its final death throes it will not go down quietly and will engage in the same desperation moves attempted by previous imperial contenders.  A lot of saber rattling and threats, puffing up military chests and determined to make a last stand.  Hello Custer, here I come.  Empires never go down gracefully, taking a neat bow before the final curtain drop.  Americans are entitled to find out the hard way.  It is all part of the empire dissolution scenario.  Chapter eleven.  Unfortunately, as Canadians, we’re sitting awfully close to the fire. 

It is rumored that the African continent is about to calve in half due to tectonic plate shifting and it may result in two landmasses separated by a new ocean.  Too bad it didn’t take place along the border separating our two nations, a timely and neat little divide, a body of water deep and wide enough to discourage spontaneous canoe rides and large rafts from making crossings.  A bit of wishful thinking on my part.

Another thing that my fertile mind has been contemplating is a mandatory global litmus test for any person contemplating a career in politics.  Not only designed to evaluate a person’s suitability, intelligence, honesty and that kind of stuff, but also to weed out potential psychopaths with dictatorial tendencies and unsavory predilections.  A certificate of worthiness if you like.  Properly vetted, tested, stamped and approved.  We would still demand regular elections and definitely insist on term limits.  Don’t allow any of them to turn politics into a lifetime occupation.  We may lose a few potential saints this way, but that is a small price to pay.  The feathering of political nests should be kept to an absolute minimum to reduce temptation and avarice.