tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5721082653718997788.post8044036795060571576..comments2023-11-27T23:30:40.341-05:00Comments on Anything But Theist: America, Where the Buffalo Rome...Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02504734487692109101noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5721082653718997788.post-74928046892033207152012-02-28T23:22:39.435-05:002012-02-28T23:22:39.435-05:00A circus is fun, a service is something you get dr...A circus is fun, a service is something you get dragged to against your wishes.<br /><br />I see what you're trying to say, but by your logic, nothing changes. What's the difference between the US being a British colony or governing itself? It's still people living in America, the "clowns" are just different... and selected in a different process... and are expected to abide by different standards... and live nearby...<br /><br />So yeah, there's even now still people living in Rome, so it hasn't "fallen," but it's not like I could see a gladiatorial match in the Coliseum when I was there, and that was the circus. I did get to tour the Vatican, though... and that was like church services, being shuttled through in an orderly fashion, staring at lots of images of Jesus.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02504734487692109101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5721082653718997788.post-72566679708420904392012-02-28T23:06:08.791-05:002012-02-28T23:06:08.791-05:00What's the difference between a service and a ...What's the difference between a service and a circus?<br /><br />So in regards to the USSR, a group of statists got replaced by a slightly less authoritarian group of statists. I guess you could say the old regime fell in a way, but another took its place. As I said, same circus, new clowns.Gun-Toting Atheisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16257243603888510320noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5721082653718997788.post-53647872899672910602012-02-28T22:38:24.421-05:002012-02-28T22:38:24.421-05:00Many would say it ceased being Rome when it ceased...Many would say it ceased being Rome when it ceased being a circus, and started being like church services.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02504734487692109101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5721082653718997788.post-13415279928083909642012-02-28T22:37:24.838-05:002012-02-28T22:37:24.838-05:00Well, what was the Soviet empire certainly collaps...Well, what was the Soviet empire certainly collapsed (fell apart, if you will), with freedom for Eastern Europe, implosion of decades old dictatorships and all that resulted, e.g., Berlin Wall coming down, reunification of Germany, etc.Nickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09991410496107221875noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5721082653718997788.post-68533614028046532142012-02-28T22:37:19.545-05:002012-02-28T22:37:19.545-05:00Successorship was definitely on the decline by the...Successorship was definitely on the decline by the late Roman era, but at the same time, you do see a slight rise right at the end of meritocracy, as it's primarily military greats who are the last emperors, though by then it was pretty much doomed.<br /><br />You're certainly right, though. The factors I didn't even cover could fill books, and the emperors would constitute a few volumes all by themselves.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02504734487692109101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5721082653718997788.post-25301152624817917012012-02-28T21:09:20.289-05:002012-02-28T21:09:20.289-05:00"Why did Constantine move the capitol? "...<i>"Why did Constantine move the capitol? "</i><br /><br />He didn't move the capitol. He moved the capital.<br /><br />Rome never truly fell. There was a gradual transition of administrative duties to the Catholic Church and to local feudal lords. It underwent a transformation, but didn't 'fall', no more than the Soviet Union 'fell'; it simply transformed into the modern Russian Federation. What happened is that the political structure changed, but the people that were part of that empire lived on. Same circus, new clowns.Gun-Toting Atheisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16257243603888510320noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5721082653718997788.post-36407943989502020412012-02-28T20:50:56.349-05:002012-02-28T20:50:56.349-05:00I think you missed a factor that I actually find v...I think you missed a factor that I actually find very compelling: the fall of meritocracy of the emperors. Rome seems to have succeeded most when the next emperor was an adopted son who was chosen based on merit instead of a birth-right heir. But yeah, shit's complicated.asongehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10692945945399782212noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5721082653718997788.post-78339460725779874042012-02-28T20:03:05.080-05:002012-02-28T20:03:05.080-05:00I'm always glad to be the well from which you ...I'm always glad to be the well from which you draw inspiration for your posts.Rascal Lee Jaksonhttp://www.skepticaleye.com/noreply@blogger.com