Blast From The Past

 

"There was once, O men of Athens, something in the minds of the people that is no longer there --something that defeated the might and wealth of Persia, that vindicated the liberty of Greece, the was never conquered on land or sea, and that is now gone, leaving all Greece in turmoil and dismay.

"And what was that? Nothing elaborate or abstruse, but the simple fact all men hated those who took bribes from the seekers of power and the agents of subversion. That was accounted the greatest of crimes, so that he who was convicted of having been corrupted of bribes or by favors was condemned to the ultimate penalty, with no room for excuse and no hope for pardon.

... But now everything is for sale ... For what are now the consequnces of treason? Envy, for those who have profited; laughter for those who confess; pardon for those who are convicted; and hatred--hatred is now reserved for the man who speaks harshly of treason."

-- Demosthenes, 341 B.C. (written three years before Athens lost her independence) ,