So here, in brief, is how it came about that two good and righteous people–named Marcellus and Valerian–came to be brutally murdered. It began before their time, when certain Roman emperors had, during their reigns, given orders that Christians were fair game (hunting metaphor), and gave the dog whistles to signal the general, non-Christian population that they could rip Christians limb from limb without reprisal. GUESS WHAT?!: With the Hatred Genie let out of the bottle by those at the top, it proved virtually impossible to put it away when two kinder, more tolerant emperors came to the fore–Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius Antoninus.

You see, the population had developed a sense of Bigotry Entitlement. Once that had been officially sanctioned, the populace were not particularly interested in obeying subsequent emperors (at least not until Christianity became the “official” religion of the Empire in the fourth century) who were telling them to ease up on their acts of violence. The absence of dog whistles does not then disperse the dogs!

Marcellus and Valerian were killed for being Christians during a time when leaders in Rome were calling for decency and an end to violence–not during an active, state-sanctioned persecution.

This means that the current regime in Washington, DC, is even more dangerous than what it might do during its tenure. Yes, it can be held in check by the 2018 midterms; it can even be voted out in 2020. The regime can be followed by a kind-hearted, diversity-loving, and tolerant administration with a policy of acceptance and respect for all persons. But that does nothing at all to ensure that the Hatred Genie has dissipated or that the dogs will disperse.

Just ask the families of Marcellus and Valerian.