The Fate of Hong Kong

Is history repeating itself in Hong Kong? (Of course the short answer is: It always does!)

In 168 B.C. (Or was it 186?…it is not worth looking up) — at the end of the Romans Third Macedonian War, the Romans first ruled Greece with a Velvet Glove, but tiring of the Greeks demand for “Freedom” and “Democracy” the Roman Army returned to enslave many Greeks, destroyed the walls of 70 cities to alert them that they were defenseless, and destroyed and sacked the artistic city of Corinth, and ruled with an Iron Fist.

The destruction Of Hong Kong is unlikely to take place, and even the enslavement….we have become far too civilized, perhaps to our undoing. You see those highly prized house slaves who were highly educated Greek intellectuals — over two centuries the Greeks changed Roman art, education, music, architecture…almost everything.

The Greeks in Greece were even less well off than the slaves. The Greeks fell upon their Italians neighbors who lived in Greece, and killed 80,000 of them and the Romans retaliated by sacking Athens and killing perhaps hundreds of thousands of Greeks, and establishing colonies of Roman troops in Greece.

Let’s hope the Hong Kong situation turns out well. It was my choice in my youth in case I had to flee. I look Hong Kong — at least the Hong Kong of old. My wife and I enjoyed several weeks there, and I pulled several tours of Liberty there.

Love Hong Kong.When I was there, it had pure Capitalism — no state welfare at all, but no one starved. Families and charities took care of those who could not work. I am certain that my custom made shoes were cut by a seven year old and sewn on a home sewing machine by a woman 85 because that was the norm. And, yes, my ultra-liberal shipmates who supported child labor laws bought tons of shoes knowing the situation — just as union members shop today at WalMart.