Obama and Æthelred have many coincidences during equally cursed reigns. When we compare the lives of the worst and best English potentates, certain truths can be gleaned by our Marxist boy king. Such lessons are the subject of this essay.
I. Æthelred The Unready
Born in 966 AD,
Æthelred was crowned king at a young age because of family intrigue, only nine when his father was murdered in AD 975. His reign was a disappointment, as he followed poor advice. His long and ineffective rule was punctuated by weak decisions, highlighted by attempts to perpetually buy off Viking invaders with precious metals.
One author
describes this strategy:
Æthelred did not have the fighting spirit of others that preceded him. His method of securing peace was to buy off the Danes. The first payment of danegeld was in 991 and amounted to 10,000 pounds (weight) of silver. He should have known from history that they would return. In 994, they demanded 16,000 pounds of silver. In 1002, Olaf took 24,000 pounds of silver. This was an incredible amount, about 2 years gross national product. Corruption was rife, it was as though the leaders were working against the interests of the population. England was more or less bankrupt and starving. Even the Vikings returned to Denmark in 1005. They came back in 1006 and demanded even more danegeld. Aethelred agreed to 36,000 pounds of silver in a final attempt to buy peace.
Despite attempts to dodge war, relentless invasions by Danish marauders, along with ever-increasing demands for protection money made Æthelred abandon the throne in 1013. His nickname
really meant "ill-advised," as opposed to "unready," but the net effect of poor character, created bad standards and poor judgment, leading to disastrous results. Sadly, had only Æthelred followed Alfred's example, all of the failure could have been avoided.
II. Alfred the Great
Alfred is the only British king bearing the name "Great." He is considered by many historians the best and most influential Englishman ever. Ironically, he was the direct forebear of
Æthelred. according to Benjamin Merkle, in
The White Horse, The Life Of Alfred The Great. As a child, Alfred showed keen interest in learning, and a pious temperament. States
one writer:
King Alfred the Great (b. 849, reigned 871-899) was one of the best kings ever to rule mankind. He defended Anglo-Saxon England from Viking raids, formulated a code of laws, and fostered a rebirth of religious and scholarly activity. His reign exhibits military skill and innovation, sound governance and the ability to inspire men and plan for the future, piety and a practical commitment to the support of religion, personal scholarship and the promotion of education.
A. Military Rule
During a time of countless invasions into the British Isles, Alfred became King of Wessex after his brother perished in battle in 871. In a perpetual war with the Vikings, Alfred fought many battles, with mixed results. But Alfred had a great mind for planning, and his visionary military ideas transformed England.
Alfred decided to build up the country's defenses.
Says one writer,
Alfred wisely began reinforcing old strongholds and building new ones, reorganizing his army, and constructing and using ships for defense as early as 875, a move that would later prove a significant advantage against further aggression. He also established friendly diplomatic relations with other English kingdoms and the Welsh.
B. Faith & Learning
Alfred was, much like Israel's King David, a warrior with the heart of a poet. He believed England could only become great if the people developed scholarship. He personally became one of the greatest scholars of his age, and one of the most learned kings in history.
A pious and humble man, Alfred the Great believed the foundation of any successful king or kingdom was the blessing of the Christian God. For this reason, Alfred dedicated himself to biblical learning. Along these lines Alfred became the
first translator of the book of Psalms into his native tongue, finishing 50 psalms in this manner, writes Benjamin Merkle in
The White Horse King: The Life of Alfred the Great. He encouraged his people to learn to read English, built up the library system and made sure books in the vernacular were available.
Alfred saw the Vikings in a biblical framework, believing invading pagans were a scourge of God, according to Richard Abels in his
Alfred the Great, War, Kingship and the Culture in Anglo Saxon England. After outwitting these Danes by defeating or converting them, Alfred reformed the law by putting the Ten Commandments at its center. He also legislated against blood feuds and protected the weak and poor.
III. Barack Obama: Unready & Unfit
Barack the Unready is obviously the polar opposite of Alfred. Entering office before any
real leadership experience, Obama is deluded enough to believe leading equals just delivering clever speeches. Of course, this stillborn theory of leadership was destined to collapse upon delivery.
Dick Armey's summary of Obama, delivered in a 2010 CPAC speech, briefly caps his career:
You're intellectually shallow, you're a romantic, you're self indulgent. You've proven already to be, even to the recognition to your fellow Democrats perhaps the most incompetent President perhaps in our lifetime, you have no ability, you only have talent, and your purpose is income redistribution. You methods are transparent, you create the perception of a crisis in order to be able ride to the rescue and achieve your self indulgent purposes of controlling the distribution of income in America.
IV. Lessons Barack Could Learn From Alfred
A. Christian Piety
Alfred the Great was
a godly king, believing a land was only safe if blessed by the God of the Bible; and a king could only be protected if his subjects took God seriously, in word and deed. Obama has no similar conviction that the fate of the nation is held in the Lord's hand. Instead, he's persuaded he must honor other religions besides Christianity, despite the likely outcome. He no longer attends services regularly, but his former church for two decades boasted an anti-American, racist, Marxist pastor, with a heart for gold.
America prospered while its people and leaders took the Bible seriously, but we struggle without these principles. According to Alfred's beliefs, Barack now leads America towards hell while touting the Islamic religion and socialism against our historic beliefs.
B. Genuine Patriotism to USA & Citizens
Alfred was totally dedicated to
defending his borders and educating his people. But his heir -- Æthelred the Unready -- was too cowardly and uncommitted to do anything but attempt to bribe his enemies. Barack has the same spirit -- lacking conviction or commitment to America, its ideals, and citizens. Consider, when Arizona passed a tough border law and Obama sued the state! Can one imagine Alfred giving a speech to the Vikings, apologizing for killing them in battle, or chastising his country for its freedoms?
C. Revival of True Scholarship
Obama was touted as an absolute genius when elected. But certainly this is false, since Barack only belches up socialist, Marxist and fascist bromides and policies. Imagine if Obama were a principled, hard worker, studying with an open mind such topics as military history, economic theories, religious doctrines, or the true story of the Founders, Framers, Constitution, and Bill of Rights! Barack is notorious for arriving at meetings late, spending little time digesting facts, making fast, superficial decisions, then running off for his basketball or golf, like a school kid. Too bad Obama didn't dedicate himself to true scholarship, like Alfred, and also devote America to remaking public schools into exacting and excellent institutions, to avoid suffering another generation of illiterates.
D. Personal Modesty
England's greatest king was famous for his modesty,
much like George Washington. In fact, upon becoming ruler, Alfred prayed God would give him an ailment, much like St Paul's, to humble him. But can anyone imagine Barack making a similar prayer? Undoubtedly, much of Obama's problem is his bottomless reservoir of arrogance, shielding him his own weaknesses, and the failure of his policies.
Of Alfred,
Assar writes:
But the Almighty not only granted to the same glorious king victories over his enemies, but also permitted him to be harassed by them, to be sunk down by adversities, and depressed by the low estate of his followers, to the end that he might learn that there is one Lord of all things, to whom every knee doth bow, and in whose hand are the hearts of kings; who puts down the mighty from their seat and exalteth the humble...
E. Commitment to Military Defense
Alfred was totally dedicated to protecting England from the perpetual assaults of Vikings. He conceived an ingenious line of fortresses creating a chain of defense, along crucial routes; and a standing army, ready always for battle.
Sadly, Obama began as an anti-military politician, promising to pull troops from Iraq and concentrate on Afghanistan, on an artificial time-line. This merely communicated Obama was so anti-war that our allies feared we would not honor our commitments and old enemies began to act out, like North Korea, Iran, and Russia. Who knows what Barack would do if America was actually attacked?
F. Dedication to Rule of Law
Alfred was so dedicated to establishing the Rule of Law in England that he made the Ten Commandments the centerpiece to his laws.
According to Winston Churchill, this formed the backbone of what became the biblically oriented English Common Law. Says Dr Francis Lee:
Alfred is perhaps best of all remembered for his famous Law Code. According to the celebrated former British Statesman and Historian Sir Winston Churchill, 2 the roots of King Alfred's Book of Laws were attempted to blend the Mosaic Code with the Christian principles of Celto-Brythonic Law and old Germanic customs. Churchill adds that the laws of Alfred, continually amplified by his successors, grew into that body of Customary Law which was administered as the 'Common Law' by the Shire and the Hundred Courts. Cf. Exodus 18:21f. Out of that, with much dexterity by feudal lawyers, the Common Law emerged (which was re-confirmed by Magna Carta in 1215).
Obama seems to fight from the very core of his being the idea of America as a Bible oriented culture, which is as we have seen, our only history. If Obama is more opposed to the Bible's message than the Anti-Christ, what hope is there for our America?
Conclusion
Alfred the Great has had a bigger impact on the Anglo-American history than any other man. It was precisely his pious Christianity, deep care for his subjects, and visionary leadership making him so successful. Yet, today these qualities are mocked and held in derision, as critics claim they make persons unfit for public service.
Likewise, to succeed, Barack must put aside the inane modern "model" of Æthelred the Unready styled leadership, and embrace the wisdom of Alfred the Great. If Obama can't do that, he'd better resign or get impeached, soon -- because he will be leading our rabble of lazy, illiterate, and willfully naive American leftists down to Hades in a hand-basket.
