From Constantinople to Washington - Sometimes One Man Matters

They say history repeats itself. Properly forewarned, it doesn’t have to.  As Americans prepare to write a pivotal history for the ages this November – one way or another – it might be helpful to take a quick look at an earlier moment in time when a much divided, fractured world faced a pivotal challenge, and how complacency sealed its fate.

Constantinople, the city founded by Constantine the Great in 330 AD and later protected by the Theodosian Walls, stood as the capital of the Roman Empire for 1,000 years. (What we refer to as the Byzantine Empire was at the time referred to as the Roman Empire.) The city, surrounded on three sides by water and walls on the other, was thought to be impregnable. 

It was attacked in 1204 by Crusaders (4^th Crusade) who were ostensibly on their way to retake Jerusalem from the Ottomans. As the result of dynastic and political battles between the east and the west, the crusaders diverted to Constantinople and sacked the city and carved up most of the Empire. (They never did breach the Theodosian walls.)

The Byzantine Empire had been shrinking for centuries and by 1400 consisted largely of Constantinople and a few Greek outposts. The city, however, sitting at a key point between Asia and Europe, still played a major role in the battle between the east and the west. 

The rising Ottoman Empire would end that century stretching from the modern states of Algeria to Yemen to Hungary.  But in 1453 Constantinople was still Christian, and a major thorn in the side of Muslim Sultan Mehmed II. He planned to fix that.

By late May, after a two-month siege of the city and making no headway, Mehmed was preparing to retreat.  A small number of his advisors suggested giving the siege one last day before they withdrew.  Mehmed agreed and on the 29^th of May the Ottomans threw everything they had at the city, and each of the first three assaults was turned back and the Ottoman generals despaired at the prospect of defeat. 

But then one of the great turning points in history happened.  Among the 40,000 defenders – vs an Ottoman force of approximately 80,000 – were 700 Genoise fighters defending the most vulnerable parts of the walls. The defenses stretched thin, these Genoise warriors had, led by their captain Giovanni Giustiniani, held the Turks at bay for two months.

Through the third assault of the day, the Genoise had performed impeccably, and the smell of victory was beginning to waft through the defenses.  At that very moment however, just as the fourth and final assault was commencing, Giustiniani was shot. Wounded, Giustiniani commanded his troops to evacuate him from the city.  Either because of a miscommunication of the evacuation order or because they were afraid they could not succeed without Giustiniani, the 700 Genoise abandoned the walls and left the most vulnerable defenses unprotected. Seeing their opportunity, the Ottomans made their move before reinforcements could be diverted and breached the walls and took the city. Mehmed would later make Constantinople the capital of the Ottoman Empire.

Giustiniani would die from his wounds two days later as he was being transported home. Given the timing of his injury history posits that he may have been shot by a traitor within the walls timed to coordinate with the last assault.

Whatever the case, Constantinople fell and all of the west became fearful that the Ottomans were going to conquer the entirety of Europe. They wouldn’t, but they would haunt many a European’s nightmare for centuries.

The ironic thing is however, the city fell because it didn’t have the resources to effectively defend itself.  Despite pleas, most of those caterwauling kings and nobles of the west had been too busy with their domestic concerns, dynastic infighting and petty jealousies to bother sending support. As a result, a mere 700 men, or in reality, one man, stood in the way of the loss of what was seen as the Christian bulwark against the Muslim menace in the east, and when he left, the city fell. 

There are lessons to be had from the kings’ and nobles’ inaction. How many times have you heard a pro-lifer say they can’t vote for Trump because they feel he’s soft on abortion? Or a free-market advocate say they can’t vote for Trump because he supports tariffs? Or someone who says he won’t vote because everyone’s corrupt?

We all know Trump is flawed. But the reality is, we’re all flawed. We just know more about Trump’s flaws because he spends so much time talking.  I dare anyone to speak for a fraction of the time Trump does and not leave a trail of breadcrumbs that the propaganda ministry can’t use to paint you as Satan.

But here’s the truth, all of those people who say they won’t vote for Trump because of this or that are basically casting a vote for that very thing, only exponentially worse. And not only that, the election of Harris will come with a cart full of other things they likely don’t want.

If Harris is elected in November, the Republic as we know it will disappear.  Democrats will eviscerate the Supreme Court. They’ll add DC and Puerto Rico as states and the GOP will never again control the Senate. They’ll implement a 45% capital gains tax and a 25% tax on unrealized gains. DEI will become the law of the land with “equity” replacing merit as the fundamental measure upon which society is built. The scientific fact of men and women will be obliterated.  They’ll outsource American foreign policy to the WEF and the economy to the climate change cultists.  The open border will remain and millions of 3^rd world “refugees” with little appreciation for American mores or allegiance to the United States will pour over the border and then suddenly, not only be able to vote, but will get houses for no money down and benefits beyond what citizens receive. And freedom of speech and the 2^nd Amendment will be distant memories before the midterms.

Given this reality, those people who say they cannot in “good conscience” vote for someone they don’t like, are in reality not of good conscience at all.  They’re cowards. As any parent who has to discipline their kid knows, sometimes adults have to make the difficult decision to do things they don’t like.  As such, when the Republic is faced with an existential threat, when the choice is between a party that wants to save it and one that seeks Communism, to choose to do nothing is a choice, a choice to empower tyranny.    

Once the Republic is gone – in fact if not in name – all of those issues over which such men of “conscience” are wringing their hands will become moot. Not only will they lose out on those issues, but they will lose out on everything else. In a tyranny you control nothing, from your money to your family to your voice. 

This is the most popular quote of the 20^th century:  “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” As pedestrian as it sounds, in 2024 it might be the most important quote of the day.  This November, anyone who decides to sit out the election because they’re offended by an imperfect man, or worse vote against him because of that imperfection, is literally voting to eviscerate the American Republic.  They deserve no respect, they deserve disdain, derision and contempt.