Some things never change...

So I am reading Herodotus: The Histories. This is one of those classic books I have always meant to read and only now gotten around to. Anyway, I came across a passage that seems so apropos of the whole lobbying/corruption scandal encompassing the pigs representing the Republican party today that I thought I would share it.

For those unfamiliar with Herodotus, he has been called "The Father of History" which is not nearly as fatuous a title as it initially appears to be. So far as we have records, Herodotus was the first to write down a record of events in a form that was not dramatized, based on accounts of witnesses with both sides presented. Not bad, considering he lived in 5th century BCE, 2,500 years ago. Basically he recorded events around the Mediterranean, focusing on the wars between the Persians and the Hellenes (or Greeks). Considering Herodotus Greek citizenship, he's pretty well known to have given the Persians a chance to recount events from their viewpoints - then a novel concept in recording events (novel to the Bush administration as well, they like to accuse people who do that as giving aid and comfort to the enemy. And if knowledge and intelligence is the enemy, they are right).

Herodotus was also given the title The Father of Lies which shows not everyone liked his work. More recent historical and archeological discoveries and research has bolstered many of Herodotus' writings, which has given Herodotus high stature in the eyes of historians who are not complete assholes.

If you are planning on seeing the movie, 300, which looks to be a kick ass movie about the Battle of Thermopylae, Herodotus is very relevant as his accounting of the battle is one of the prime sources available to us today.

Enough digression, back to the story at hand. We are all familiar with how things work in the world of politics today, or at least from November 1994 until November of 2006. If you want to play, you got to pay. Donors get prime treatment, direct meetings with the power brokers and various side benefits like box seats at sporting events, dinner at exclusive restaurants and access, access, access!

Compare that with the below. Our cast of characters is Lydian king Croseus and the Oracle of Delphi. In this case, the Oracle represents the power establishment and Croseus is the campaign contributor, seeking favorable prophecies for his coming military campaign against the Persians.

It begins with Croseus having received a prophecy that convinced him the the Oracle of Delphi was genuine. Croseus decided to butter them up:

After this Croesus, having resolved to propitiate the Delphic god with a magnificent sacrifice... the king melted down a vast quantity of gold, and ran it into ingots, making them six palms long, three palms broad, and one palm in thickness. The number of ingots was a hundred and seventeen, four being of refined gold, in weight two talents and a half; the others of pale gold, and in weight two talents. He also caused a statue of a lion to be made in refined gold, the weight of which was ten talents...

On the completion of these works Croesus sent them away to Delphi, and with them two bowls of an enormous size, one of gold, the other of silver, which used to stand, the latter upon the right, the former upon the left, as one entered the temple... Croesus sent also four silver casks... and two lustral vases, a golden and a silver one... Besides these various offerings, Croesus sent to Delphi many others of less account, among the rest a number of round silver basins. Also he dedicated a female figure in gold, three cubits high, which is said by the Delphians to be the statue of his baking-woman; and further, he presented the necklace and the girdles of his wife.

Herodotus, The Histories 1.50

Then, after the donations, Croseus appeals to the Oracle, seeking favorable omens for his proposed military campaign. Upon receiving his reply:

At the receipt of these oracular replies Croesus was overjoyed, and feeling sure now that he would destroy the empire of the Persians, he sent once more to Pytho, and presented to the Delphians, the number of whom he had ascertained, two gold staters apiece. In return for this the Delphians granted to Croesus and the Lydians the privilege of precedency in consulting the oracle, exemption from all charges, the right to front seats at the games, and the perpetual right of becoming at pleasure citizens of their town.

Herodotus, The Histories 1.54

Lets compare:

Since 1997, Abramoff and his wife, Pam, have given DeLay's political action committees $40,000. Additionally, the Capital Athletic Foundation, one of Abramoff's charity/slush funds gave the DeLay Foundation for Kids $25,000 in 2003...

Superbowl
In January 2000, Abramoff leased a corporate jet and sent Tim Berry, a DeLay staffer, and Tony Rudy, a former DeLay staffer-turned-lobbyist, to watch the Super Bowl and then spend a night gambling on a SunCruz ship. They were joined by two of Conrad Burns' staffers.

Skyboxes and Other Travel
DeLay was also a frequent guest of Abramoff at the lobbyist's MCI Center and FedEx Field Skyboxes. DeLay staffers were guests of Abramoff on a trip to Pebble Beach, CA, to see the US Open.

Taken from TPM Muckraker

and:

Abramoff sent congressmen on luxury trips.
Abramoff organized trips for congressmen, their aides and their families to places such as Scotland, Puerto Rico, the Marshall Islands, and Russia, as well as the 2000 Super Bowl. These trips cost tens of thousands of dollars, and often included golfing, gambling or other recreation. Abramoff's clients footed the bills.

Legislators who traveled on Abramoff's dime include Reps. Tom DeLay (R-TX), Bob Ney (R-OH), John Doolittle (R-CA), and Conrad Burns (R-MT)...

Abramoff has admitted to bribing Rep. Bob Ney (R-OH).
According to Abramoff's plea deal, he provided gifts and contributions to Ney in exchange for official acts.

Abramoff organized a trip to Scotland for Bob Ney and his staff that was paid for in part by the Tigua tribe. Ney created legislation to allow the Tiguas to regain their gaming rights - a plan that eventually failed.

Abramoff also reportedly helped guide $10,000 to the Republican committee, a donation for which Ney received credit. At the request of Abramoff, Ney entered two statements in the Congressional Record that favored the Abramoff-Kidan acquisition of SunCruz.

Abramoff paid Tony Rudy's wife in return for Rudy's help in Congress.

According to his plea deal, Abramoff paid Lisa Rudy, wife of Tom DeLay chief of staff Tony Rudy, $5,000 per month for 10 months while she worked with a group called Toward Tradition.

In return, Tony Rudy used his sway to help the Abramoff clients who supplied the funding - eLottery and the Magazine Publishers of America.

Abramoff offered to arrange meetings with President Bush for foreign heads of state.
In 2002, Abramoff used his connection to Karl Rove to set up a meeting between President Bush and Malaysian President Mahathir Mohamad. Abramoff received about $1 million from the Malaysian government for his lobbying services in 2001 and 2002.

Abramoff also offered to arrange a meeting between President Bush and President Omar Bongo of Gabon for $9 million. Though there is no record that the offer was accepted, Bush did eventually meet with Bongo.

Grover Norquist arranged meetings with Bush every year from 2001 through 2004 for Abramoff's tribal clients. For example, on May 9, 2001, Norquist arranged a meeting between the Coushatta, Choctaw and Bush. Two other corporate entities were there. The price to attend was $25,000 per person.
Taken from TPM Muckraker

Pay to play. Some things never change.