Born at the Crest of the Empire: Just a reminder that empires don't last forever

Sunday, October 16, 2005

Internet was down this AM, so I'll catch up later today, but for now, this reminder that empires don't last forever. For when he was alive, just 200 years ago, Napoleanic France thought they would rule forever, and after his death, the British rose and fell in just 120 years. And think about the others, the Soviets, the Germans.....

Vice-Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson, conqueror of the Napoleonic French fleet and their Spanish allies here(Trafalgar) exactly 200 years ago, has been immortalised in shoals of romantic accounts inspired by his derring-do exploits as a bold but compassionate leader.

This is why we need good government, NOW!

An aside, but of interest. Napoleon's France, just 200 years ago when Lord Nelson passed on, was very likely where this blog would indicate we (U.S.) are now... at the crest of the empire, or beyond. Waterloo was a decade away, but Trafalgar had already been a harbinger of things to come. Another aside, Lord Nelson suffered terribly from seasickness, and was often noted to be desperately ill (although present on deck) in the heat of battle. Just goes to show that qualities that might make us seem unlikely to succeed in certain endeavors are not necessarily so. Wish that were the case with more of our current leaders.

Wild Bill

By Anonymous, at 10:09 PM

Born at the Crest of the Empire