End of American Empire

The first signs of the end of the American Empire are very evident as of 2008. I base my premise on the collapse of other empires, like the Roman Empire, as examples. Having a government with a governing style based upon the Roman style, I believe we all should be concerned.

There are several hypotheses as to exactly what felled the Roman Empire. Some of these theories include the following reasons. Some say the Roman Empire fell because they overextended their boundaries. Others say its fall was due to inbreeding and nepotism. Still others conclude the fall happened because of mania caused by lead poisoning on account of the lead used in their plumbing (the Latin word for lead, the metal, is plumbum, the root word of plumbing). Another premise is that sheer hedonism caused the fall. A final pretext is that once Julius Caesar declared himself emperor, Rome’s end began because Romans ceased being citizens becoming instead subjects of Caesar’s whims. All of these theories are, at least, somewhat plausible. What is more, perhaps the fall happened due to a combination of all of these reasons.

Try applying them to the United States of 2008. The U.S. is currently the aggressor in an apparently endless war with Iraq, trying to extend its influence in the Middle Eastern world. Hence, they have overextended their boundaries. Moreover, this war became reality during George W. Bush’s presidency, son of President George H. W. Bush. This is nepotism. The fact Hillary Clinton made it as far as she did in the Democratic primary in 2008 underscores my point. Just because her husband was a relatively good president does not mean she would make a good president in her own right. The third parallel I see between the Roman Empire and the U.S. is that Congress is about to invalidate the Fourth Amendment, protecting Americans’ right to privacy, by butchering the FISA Act and giving the president authority to eavesdrop on all Americans’ private conversations. With this unprecedented power, I predict the president will cherry-pick any information from those conversations that shall indict ordinary citizens of treason and sedition. The U.S. Border Patrol is already seizing private computers and memory devices without probable cause. Just as Caesar took away Romans’ rights to rule themselves when he became emperor, the executive branch is taking away Americans’ rights to rule themselves aided by a cowed Congress through passing this butchered FISA bill.

In conclusion, dissolution is the natural end of governments, but complacency by citizens causes dissolution.

Lee Hartlieb
Buffalo