"Do not blame Caesar, blame the people of Rome who have so enthusiastically acclaimed and adored him and rejoiced in their loss of freedom and danced in his path and gave him triumphal processions. Blame the people who hail him when he speaks in the Forum of the 'new, wonderful good society' which shall now be Rome, interpreted to mean 'more money, more ease, more security, more living fatly at the expense of the industrious.'" ~ Marcus Tullius Cicero
Proof that history repeats itself. Validating my degree lol :)
- Thread starter BigOleNastyGator
- Start date
Bongo, back in the day at my Catholic H.S. we were required to take four years of Latin, and we studied the writings, etc. of Cicero.
I'll never forget the Irish nun who taught the class my junior year - she pronounced his name "Kickero" with the hard C.
She also said Veni, Vidi, Vici was pronounced Weni, Widi, Wici.
You made me laugh. Needed that. I am in a murderous mood today.
I'll never forget the Irish nun who taught the class my junior year - she pronounced his name "Kickero" with the hard C.
She also said Veni, Vidi, Vici was pronounced Weni, Widi, Wici.
You made me laugh. Needed that. I am in a murderous mood today.
Well, glad to be of service, I stumbled across that today in my daily readings and new it had to get posted.
Cicero didn't have the benefit of hindsight, or else most of that statement would have been foolish. The Roman Empire DID bring great things to the Roman people.
And I know you're a Grecophile but come one, the Roman Empire was awesome. Maybe this is why we butt heads...You're a Grecophile and I'm a Romanophile.
And I know you're a Grecophile but come one, the Roman Empire was awesome. Maybe this is why we butt heads...You're a Grecophile and I'm a Romanophile.
The empire lead to purges, proscription list, caligula, nero commodus etc. It turned a republic into a tyranny, it did do wonder for a select group of people.
Now with that said they were the most civilized people in a barbaric age and admire them, but to quote someone from American history, "those who would trade freedom for security deserve neither"
see where i am going?
Details...
But yes I see where you're going.
And the Romans collapsed under the weight of their own bureaucratic greed, just like America will.
You have proven beyond all doubt that you are a FSU graduate.
In Latin alphabet there is no "J" or "W." The letter "C" does have an "S" sound and the letter "V" sounds like "W."
So for instance, when I hear lawyers pronounce "prima facie" as prye-mah fey-sha I want to scream. The proper pronunciation is pree-mah fah-key.
Lord almighty.
Dearest pompous blowhard a-hole:
I graduated from the same academically solid high school as Homer. I also graduated from Florida State University, where I CHOSE to matriculate after my Daddy said there was no way he would pay out of state tuition for Chapel Hill. That's enough dribble from you, you self important dweeb.
I merely shared with Bongo that his post brought back memories of Sister Liguori. At no point did I opine as to whether or not I agreed with her pronunciation of the language. Bongo's reply was gracious, and appreciated by me. We have developed a pleasant conversational interaction in the lounge. You, not so much.
I have decided that someone needs to bring your your slippers and then jam them up your over used rectum.
I graduated from the same academically solid high school as Homer. I also graduated from Florida State University, where I CHOSE to matriculate after my Daddy said there was no way he would pay out of state tuition for Chapel Hill. That's enough dribble from you, you self important dweeb.
I merely shared with Bongo that his post brought back memories of Sister Liguori. At no point did I opine as to whether or not I agreed with her pronunciation of the language. Bongo's reply was gracious, and appreciated by me. We have developed a pleasant conversational interaction in the lounge. You, not so much.
I have decided that someone needs to bring your your slippers and then jam them up your over used rectum.
And space comes through to take a thread headed in a laid back direction and turn it into another of his attempts to prove that he is in fact that biggest douche on the rivals network, well played.
He may have been beyond even that, as I understand it he was the wealthiest man in the whole of the empire, and thus possibly the world. The fact that he was rich doesn't change the fact that his warning was valid and Rome descended into a prolonged tyranny with some truly horrible tyrants.
I ended up watching the Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire series on Sunday morning since I was not in the mood to watch any college football hightlights. Very interesting. I didnt see all of the earlier parts but the final emperors were pretty weak. No one reason for the fall, but as usual political infighting was a major cause as usual.
Romans allow unlimited gothic migration, lose tax base, can't pay gothic mercenary soldiers any more, slowly secedes entire state to various german tribes for military service, ends up with no tax base, shrinking borders, and an unreliable mercenary army that they're paying with land grants. Just one of the many problems with Rome. While not exactly the same dynamic we suffer from the same type of immigration policy.
Much like the US they had a successful immigration policy previously it didn't fail them until they let blocks enter without assimilating.
Political similarities aside the Romans were fascinating, when you study different eras of their history you'll see where they are totally different civilizations at different points, Italian city state----->regional super power------> oligarchy-------->empire------->multinational society-------------------->balkanization--------------------->collapse.
The eastern empire carried on for another thousand years with equally fascinating characters, conflicts, and social dynamics. Belisarious and Basil II are two of my favorite, if somewhat tragic, historical figures.
I,too, have seen a lot of parallels between our current times and the eventual dissolution of the Roman Empire. The question is, what happens after? I highly doubt it just falls apart into some Mad Max-like society. Too many powerful people have too much vested interest in keeping things (relatively) civil. Would we spawn off yet another never-before-seen system, such as corporate-states like we see in dystopian future novels? Would the federal government simply begin a process of downsizing, and put more and more onus on individual states to do what they're supposed to do? Eventually we will get to the point where an ever-expanding government can no longer be maintained, so I'm fascinated by what would happen next.
I believe we're at the end of the republic and entering into some sort of nanny state tyranny, they'll hold the borders together regardless of if we all want to stay or not, because someone has to work to support their constituents, voting is already a fraud we're looking at some sort of progressive dictatorship in the birthing, who needs freedom and rights when the government knows what's best?
This post was edited on 10/21 3:55 PM by BigOleNastyGator
This post was edited on 10/21 3:55 PM by BigOleNastyGator
"The principle for which we contend is bound to reassert it's self, though it may be at another time and in another form"
Jefferson
Lookin' like those ol' Johnny Rebs were a tad more prescient than may the average run of the mill modern historical interpretation would allow.
Jefferson
Lookin' like those ol' Johnny Rebs were a tad more prescient than may the average run of the mill modern historical interpretation would allow.
I truly believe that had the South won we'd all be living better lives. Slavery was going to go away anyways, the south would have reentered the union on their terms eventually, thus eliminating the huge federal government we deal with now, it would be a better country.
Sadly, believing this concept makes you a racist... I tend to agree with the idea though. The Confederacy did not get over 90% of its popultaion that did not own slaves to fight to keep blacks enslaved. It is lazy history to just base it all on slavery. The Confederacy was threatened economically and responded militarily. The efficacy of the response is self-evident, but the reasons behind the response are much more involved than just the hatred of blacks.
The South did win and I'm not being facetious. Where in the North or the Midwest would you want to live? Where in those two areas do you think you have a higher standard and better living than in the South?
All the problems that Yankees claim exist in the South don't. Segregation and racism is rampant in the North & Midwest. Northern societies are very Orwellian.
You couldn't pay me to live North of the Mason Dixon line.
They're all moving down here and voting to recreate those societies down here. This is ironic given that they're moving down here either to find work or at least able to move down here because work is more available.
I get your points and agree to an extent, but the fact is we're all subject to the massive leviathan like federal government, had the south won we may still live in a republic today.
I get your points and agree to an extent, but the fact is we're all subject to the massive leviathan like federal government, had the south won we may still live in a republic today.
