I Remember Byzantium

Pope Benedict XVI has taken an awful lot of grief over his Regensburg speech where he quoted the (very) late Emperor Manuel II Paleologos of Byzantium, “"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached.” The Moslem world, as usual, reacted to complaints that Islam is a violent religion with innumerable acts of religious violence.

At the time, I said I’d had about all the Islamic rage I can put up with. It’s time for the rehellenization of the Middle East. Constantinople, that great city named for the Emperor and Saint himself, fell in 1453. That was 553 years ago, and it is plenty long enough. It’s time for the reappearance of the glory that was Byzantium.

Cato the Elder had to pound on the issue for years before the Romans were willing to take care of Carthage and protect their civilization from a hostile and expansionist culture. Carthago delenda est - Carthage must be destroyed. We don't have orators like Cato these days - instead, I'm opening up my web store for bumper stickers.


Maybe we can start something. Free Constantinople! Free Antioch! Greek the common language from Macedonia to the Afghan Border! In hoc signo vinces!