Free Republic

<p>Despite real-time video, emails to the White House and desperate cries for help, our defense secretary says we didn't send rescue forces to our Benghazi consulate because we didn't know what was going on.</p> <p>In a statement bordering on the Kafkaesque, Leon Panetta told a news conference Thursday that four Americans, including our Libyan ambassador Chris Stevens, were left to die without a rescue attempt by nearby U.S. military forces because there's "a basic principle here, and the basic principle is that you don't deploy forces into harm's way without knowing what's going on, without having some real-time information about what's taking place."</p>

When the Roman Empire fell – and scholars still debate how hard, and why – much was lost, including arts, literacy, public works, and the rule of law; but the most significant was the loss of commerce. The archeological record shows a drastic drop in quantity and quality of goods and materials in the 5th century, indicating the loss of artisans and skills. Without the umbrella of security, commerce faltered, forcing regions to become more self-reliant. Specialized skills fell aside as sustainment skills became critical. Artisans and artists were replaced by the jack-of-all-trades. It would remain thus until the relative...