Alarums and Excursions: If the Sybil Could See Today

Dictator Sulla with his proscription lists

Before Sulla rose to become Dictator, there was a sign:

"On 6 July 83 BC the largest building in Rome was struck by lightning. The ancient temple of Jupiter loomed on the summit of Capitoline Hill.  Here,beneath a ceiling sheathed in gold, amid trophies of statues and shields, the guardian of Rome had his shrine. back in the distant days of Kings, excavators digging the temple's foundation had found a human head.  Augurers, summoned to determine this wonder, had explained it foretold  Rome's future as head of the world.Who could doubt, then,  that it was Jupiter who had guided the Republic to its greatness? No wonder that the Senate should choose to hold its first meeting every year in the sanctum of the G-d. This was where Roman power was touched by the divine.

"But now Jupiter had decided to destroy his own temple with a thunderbolt.  This was not a promising omen. It hardly required the Sibylline books to reveal that -- which was just as well, since they too were going up in the blaze.  But what was the G-ds anger?"

-- Rubicon by Tom Holland, pg 82

This week, Washington, DC is in line with two forces of nature:

First, the earthquake that cracked the Washington Monument:




And now Hurricane Irene is soon to strike the same region.  

Where are the Augurers today? Or a Sybil to note the trends?   Are there more plagues of Egypt to enter the Beltway?

My own theory is that America cracked after the Connecticut Senatorial primary of 2006 -- Senator Lieberman was thrown out of the Democratic party for working across the aisle with the President of the other side.  Precedent was created.

The tea party groups (Fiscal Conservatives all) are being slammed just like the Social Conservatives of the 1990's were.  Rep. Waters (D-CA) telling them to "Go to Hell," is not the road to civility. 

In the last Administration, the Democrats called forth their hate against an American president who believed in Wilsonianism.  It was what the Democrats believed in under Reagan and Bush pere (and FDR, Truman, JFK and LBJ).  Did the Democrats sacrifice their soul for power? 

Before Caesar crossed the Rubicon, Sulla brought his troops to Rome in 88.  The precedent was set.  

My question: Is this foreshadowing something worse? Or has the die already been cast? 

UPDATE 8/26/11 7:33 AM: Cue the Twilight Zone music! Just as the post was about to publish -- the Internet went down due to the heat.  Divine Providence? or coincidence? You decide!


UPDATE 8/26/11 8:25 PM: Hello Instalanche readers!  Welcome!  Next month I will be reporting live, as both delegate and Blogger from the CAGOP Convention.  Please hit the Tip jar if you can!