The Worldly Philosophers, Vol.1, Number 8 May 28, 2007 THE Worldly Philosophers Club For Individualists Who Seek Worldly Wisdom

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Mark and Jo Ann Skousen in Rome, May 2007 THE ROMAN EMPIRE: COMPARISONS TRUE AND FALSE   Study the past if you would define the future.   -- Confucius            Dear Worldly Philosophers,   After writing the several columns on our Greek and Roman heritage, I received a letter from an old friend who qualifies as a worldly philosopher:  Larry Abraham, editor of Insider Report.  Larry has amassed a library of books on politics and history, including H. J. Haskell’s New Deal in Old Rome.  He also told me about an historical novel, Pillar of Iron, by Taylor Caldwell, on the life of Cicero.  I look forward to reading it.  The best biography I’ve read is Cicero: The Life and Times of Rome’s Greatest Politician, by Anthony Everett (Random House, 2003), available in paperback.  “Cicero,” Larry wrote, “had a nose for conspiracy and did his best to expose the conspiratorial aspects of the First Triumvirate.  It was political conspiracies in Ancient Greece and Rome which turned me on to the prospect of same in contemporary life and led to my study and interest.”  So I asked Larry to write a guest column on his insights on the Roman Empire.  I’d be interested in knowing who your favorite worldly philosophers are.  Please email me at mskousen@worldlyphilosophers.com.  We’ll try to write about their lives and lessons in a future issue.  Good living, AEIOU, Marcus Aurelius   THE ROMAN EMPIRE:  COMPARISONS TRUE AND FALSE By Larry Abraham   Ever since Edward Gibbon published his now famous Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, amateur historians have been trying their best to draw comparisons between the American and Roman republics, some with frightening implications. Among the easiest to read of this genre is H.J. Haskell’s The New Deal In Old Rome, wherein the author does an eye-opening job of showing how most of the collectivist/socialist solutions offered by FDR in the 1930s were tried and ultimately discredited in Rome over two thousand years before.   Not a Democracy….. One of the least compared aspects of these two unique empires is how the founders of each went to great lengths NOT to establish a democracy, only to have their efforts described as such, well before they did in fact degenerate into same. (“A republic madam, if you can keep it,” said Ben Franklin). In world politics today, it is not an over statement to say the word “democracy” is the most over used and least understood word in the political vocabulary. This fact alone is a not-so-mute testimony to the age of historical illiteracy which plagues modern American education. When I started my own self education toward unraveling the mysteries of the ancient world, particularly Greece and Rome, I was struck by another misconception which had gained currency down through the years. Many scholars of these two periods, when trying to attribute a “cause” for their falls into irreversible decline, insist that some time sensitive imperative drove the result. Others developed whole new theories to make their case, cycle theorists the most prominent of these. Cyclical theory remains among the most popular of the modern applications and conspiracy theory the least popular or most misunderstood. Oswald Spangler is avidly studied while Hilarie Belloc is virtually ignored.   Cicero and the Political Conspiracies in Rome Examining the political conspiracies of Greece and Rome led to my own investigation into the modern world of politics and possible corollaries. Cicero’s senate speech naming Cataline as the master schemer in a far flung conspiracy to gain power, rings all too similar to the machinations of modern “wise men” to be ignored. As I looked for other examples of  Romans in the modern world, the pairing of Julius Caesar and Richard Nixon, Diocletian and Lyndon Johnson, the Gracchi brothers and the Kennedys, Pompey and Eisenhower, and Cicero himself and Robert Taft all provide spooky comparisons in both personality traits and political policy. Trying to give identical sequence to the personalities in question may be a stretch, but as the records of both Rome and the U.S. show quite adequately, certain deteriorations in the rule of law provide an atmosphere in which political skullduggery flourishes, no matter the time or place. The success of the First Triumvirate of Crassus, Pompey and Julius Caesar would not have been tolerated fifty years earlier, just as the same triumvirate of Rockefeller, Eisenhower and Nixon could not have been made in the 1920s. Both eras saw the coming together of great wealth (Crassus/Rockefeller), military popularity (Pompey/Eisenhower) and political acumen (Caesar/Nixon). In both instances the politician emerged the most successful in the quest for power, using their friendships with the military hero for popularity and the borrowed money from the wealthy partner to erase debt. Both Julius Caesar and Richard Nixon, while proclaiming traditional “republicanism,” presided over the death of their republics in every real and practical sense.   Modern Day Comparisons The careers of the Gracchus brothers Tiberius and Gaius and the Kennedys’ Jack and Bobby are interesting and weird with the biggest departure being the role of the mother in the case of the Gracchi versus the father with the Kennedy brothers. In both cases the parent was the driving force for building a political base, appealing to the ‘common people’ while enjoying great personal wealth and abusing political privilege. History reveals all to be insatiable womanizers. In both families, the older of the brothers was the more successful while the younger one rode his coat tails. And, just like the Kennedy's, the brothers Gracchi died at the hands of assassins while still young and growing in power. Comparing Diocletian with Lyndon Johnson is fascinating. Diocletian was born and raised in Dalmatia, a large, rich and very independent province, the Roman equivalent of Texas. He rose to power through a series of alliances and political deal makings rather than through broad public popularity. But once in office he knew how to wield the sword of power and became notorious for his powers of persuasion.  After inflating the coinage by extracting the last of the precious metals content, imposing wage and price controls, and engaging in protracted “no win” wars, Diocletian, like Johnson, abandoned his top office and retired to his cattle ranch in virtual political disgrace.        Recently I wrote a short monograph comparing Bill Clinton and Caligula that proved both amusing and ironic. Both men did irreparable harm to the culture of their respective governments due to public tolerance and acceptance of their personal behavior, both private and public. Drawing similarities between the collapse of Rome and the decline of the American republic is much more than a stab at implied erudition; it is a valid and useful exercise for, as George Santayana, made clear, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” However, what seems to be missing from a discussion of these similarities is an understanding of the one constant… the nature of man. And it is here where the Great Debate between lovers of Liberty and collectivists of every stripe rages eternal. Whether in ancient Rome or in modern America, society is constantly rebuilding itself on one of two arguments: that mankind is basically good and perfectible, or morally flawed and potentially dangerous. Thomas Jefferson summarized the arguments in one grand statement: “In matters of power let us hear no more of confidence in men, rather let us bind them down from mischief with the chains of the constitution.”   # # #   EDITOR’S NOTE:  If any of you are interested in subscribing to Larry Abraham’s Insider Report (highly recommended), go to www.insiderreport.net.  I am also happy to announce that Larry will join us as one of our keynote speakers at FreedomFest, the conference for worldly philosophers.  Larry’s talks are always a pleasure to listen to, and this time, he is part of the Grand Debate on the war in Iraq and U. S. foreign policy, where he and Dinesh D’Souza will debate Congressman Ron Paul and Doug Casey.  The sparks will fly!  Join Larry and 77 other experts July 5-7 in Las Vegas.  To register or ask questions:      Call Tami Holland at 1 866 266 5101, or go to www.freedomfest.com.  See you in Vegas on 7-7-7!