Last night I was discussing my post about Malta and about the invasion of Italian islands by hundreds, thousands, of immigrants flooding out of North Africa with my friend Richard at Blue Ridge Forum. I wondered aloud if the Romans knew the empire was falling before it finally did. Did they see it coming?
I see, thanks to Richard, that others are thinking the same horrible thoughts—two days ago from Baron Bodissey at Gates of Vienna:
The fall of the Roman Empire was not a sudden event.
The imperial power wielded by Rome decreased gradually over the course of centuries, during which time a steady deterioration was punctuated by repeated barbarian incursions and the sacking of cities. The reach of the empire shrank by fits and starts until it was overthrown entirely and replaced by kingdoms ruled by the Germanic invaders.
In his address to the Magna Carta Foundation in Rome on Friday night, Geert Wilders referred to a significant event during the course of the fall of Rome: the freezing of the Rhine on December 31st, 406. This allowed thousands of Germanic invaders to cross the frozen river and overrun Gaul, after which they were well-positioned to invade the Italian peninsula and sack Rome itself just a few years later.
Mr. Wilders finds a parallel to these events in the current decline of Western Civilization. He notes that modern-day barbarians — immigrants from the Islamic world — are anticipating the equivalent of the freezing of the Rhine, after which they will be able to overrun and sack the copious riches of an all-but-moribund Europe.
[….]
This has been the winter of Arab discontent, and as a result of the recent upheavals in North Africa and the Middle East, the metaphorical Rhine may finally have frozen over. Instead of a river, the barbarian invaders are crossing the Mediterranean Sea. Instead of walking, they are cramming themselves into rickety boats and crossing over into Italian territory.
Please read Baron’s whole treatise, and then this from the concluding paragraphs:
The Rhine is beginning to freeze.
The PC-MC impulse is widespread and deeply embedded in Europe. It will take catastrophic circumstances to dislodge it, but a great slow-motion catastrophe is even now unfolding.
Is America far behind?