The Fiddler-in-Chief

"Our ignorance of history causes us to slander our own times."--Gustave Flaubert

Don't get me wrong.

I am not happy, nor ignorant or naive about what is going on in Washington. If not for my Faith I would be a decidedly bitter creature this Christmas. So allow me to illumine a small ray of hope.

This drunk-on-power cabal we call our representatives, these men and women so obviously impressed by their own words and grandiosity will be a collective, nameless speck--a sideshow --when our history is written. Our president, on the other hand, will be front and center.

Recall: In AD 64 the great fire that broke out in Rome. Much of the city was destroyed and most of its inhabitants were left homeless. Scholars conclude the fire was set by Nero to destroy the unappealing buildings in Rome making way for the construction of marble palaces and monuments to himself. Historians of the time claim Emperor Nero was observed watching the fire, enjoying the spectacle he had created as he looked out over the city. From that the phrase, "Nero fiddled while Rome burned."

His self-possessed calm in the face of the devastation of so many lives seems remarkably cold-hearted to us. Yet, to him, the fire and destruction were part of a grander plan he had for glorifying his own name and carving a hallowed place in history for himself. Monuments to Nero. At the expense of the people.

But the citizens were mad. Hopping mad at the thought of their leader intentionally causing them harm. Incensed to the point of revolution, Nero needed a scapegoat and he needed one fast. Enter: The Christians. Nero blamed the Christians and the population, I supposed relieved to direct their anger away from the emperor were willing to believe that the Christians had done this horrible thing and so the unspeakable persecution of thousands began.

Where is the optimism and hope in all of this you are no doubt wondering?

Stay with me for a moment. When the truth regarding this health care monstrosity becomes known, when we begin to see the details of the depth and breadth of the tax increases, when the results of terrorist trials on our soil become evident, the sheer magnitude of the economic destruction and fear these policies create, will result in the need for a scapegoat.

But, those of who are informed by history (and good sense) will be wary of a leader who points fingers and places blame. A leader who seeks out private citizens to blame: companies that employ our neighbors, CEO's who manage global businesses to a budget each and every year, town hall attendees who object to a socialist experiment with our health care system, those who "cling to guns and religion." We will be wiser, calmer, better informed and we will hold our leaders accountable at the ballot box.

We won't fall for acrimonious and accusatory treachery. Instead when the fire is extinguished and the smoke clears, we will put our heads down and remove the rubble as we begin to rebuild our historical, and I believe God-given, government. It won't be easy. Never is. But we will do it because the stakes are too high to do otherwise.

So enjoy a Blessed Christmas with your families. Relax, rejuvenate. The fight will be long and harsh. We may lose our way from time to time in the wilderness of wily accusations and distortions. Yet, determined and united we will prevail, as those before us have done.

May God bless you richly as we celebrate the birth of His Son. Our Savior. And our true hope.

(romancoins.info--photo of Nero)