Pelini 1 Thrasybulus Athena, c/o Hermes CAMS 025U 1 November 2012 Initial Speech to the Assembly: Reconciliation Agreement

Friends, Countrymen, Brothers: Today, we gather here upon the ruins of our ancestors labor and dedication. We do so not in the respect and honor which Athens had once commanded, but in solemnity and distress. Our walls have been breached, our leadership has been usurped, and above all, we have been deprived of the honor with which mighty Zeus and blessed Athena have endowed us since birth. While the Lacedaemon enemies threaten us with burnished swords and steel, we must not slink away in fear, nor shall we be pressed to carry out actions undesirable for our great citys survival. For the great leader Pericles once advised us to have as unfaltering a resolution in courage, sense of duty, and keen feeling of honor. And today, brothers, this is what we must do. As we regroup and strategize, we must again prepare for war. Not battle on land or at sea, where we have unceasingly excelled, even in defeat, but in intellect and self-preservation. My friends, I am ready again to assume leadership in this struggle. It seems that generations have passed since the previous winter, when the steadfast and courageous men of our great land followed me north to Phyle. There, foreigners, slaves, and fellow Athenian brothers banded together and slashed the cowardly Spartans in their tracks. But the enemy seemed impenetrable, and the Thirty Tyrant mongrels inside our walls committed lawless treachery, butchering our friends, neighbors, parents, and innocent children. This, all to quench their raw thirst for bloody

Pelini 2 power. But, once again, we Athenians were not to be silenced. Together with the merciful ruler Pausanias, we drove those cowardly dogs out of power and out of our magnificent fortress. My brothers, as I once led you in that seemingly hopeless escapade, my fellow democrats, your beloved heroes, and I are ready again to expel the terror that surrounds us. No longer will we suffer intimidation and surveillance. No longer will our own future slip from underneath our breastplates. No longer will we, by the power of Pallas and the might of Zeus thunderbolt, allow ourselves to lose control of our own destiny. And it begins today. We have before us on the agenda the issue dubbed the Reconciliation Agreement. The choice of justice is once again ours, and we must seize it with the same vigor which Odysseus thrust his sword into Polyphemus scheming eye. We cannot resist, lest our government again fall into hands as vicious as those of the Tyrants. And so, we must ask ourselves, What is justice? My friends, there are two paths from which we must choose. First, we can elect to forgive those once associated with the Thirty Tyrants. We can show undeserving mercy to the support they once offered, the treason they once advocated, and the murders of your own sisters, mothers, and fathers they once committed. Or, we can follow the route which Aries has made available to us. That is, to hold all those once associated with the relentless Spartans accountable for their misdeeds, and to deal with them justly and accordingly. Great Athena has made painstakingly clear that the latter must be the only wise and respectable alternative. Do not think, brothers, that you are engaging in the same activities in those vicious leaders had once practiced. It would even be a disservice to the gods on Mount Olympus, not to do so. Just as great Creon and rebellious Antigone learned in Sophocles great tragedy, mortals must not transcend the

Pelini 3 limits of their nature. If we allow these treacherous citizens to maintain freedom and pride, we will surely bring the wrath of those divinities upon our own beloved Athens. As you choose where to cast your vote, I urge you to remember those who so valiantly sacrificed their lives for this Assembly. Those few, proud, and brave, who, like our glorious Herald, sprinkled their auspicious blood upon our land, would wish only for us to carry on the task they undertook. That is, to do right by Athena and her city and hold those responsible for her temporary stall in progress up to the law. It is that progress upon which we ultimately vote today. For who can forget the years of torment when the indoctrinated youth of Sparta stormed the countryside, pillaged our families crops, and left our city to starvation? Our fathers hard labor was scorched with the relentless fire that seized the fields. Also, recall how they raided our treasuries, stole our silver, and ravaged our temples: all this with foolish joy. They forced many dissenters to flee the countryside in fear and humiliation, but now is the time to regain honor. Lastly, it is our duty to recall the most grievous of Lacedaemon offenses: their regressive idea of citizenship. Although it gives me great pain, my brothers, and Im sure it will pain you, we must never forget the civil war in which we were recently engaged. As I led the troops on Phyle, your protectors fought with unceasing dignity and courage. Some of the bravest among them were slaves, used to mining the Laurion silver mines. Others were metics, foreigners to our land only wishing to enjoy the blessings our city has to offer. Despite how the Thirty treated them, as animals, stripping them of their basic rights as people and citizens, they did not forsake their loyalty. They fought alongside many of you and me. And for that, we must be thankful and repay them with their due share: citizenship. Look around you. Our Assembly forms a new rank

Pelini 4 of hoplites, marching side-by-side in the battle for justice and honor. We alone have the power to restore Athenian victory. Even you, great Socrates, and your contemporary intellects cannot deny the call. We must listen to the messages of those who preceded us: Homer, Hesiod, Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides. They wrote of the greatness of our ancestral people and urge us to press onward fearlessly. Just as Orestes felt compelled to hold his own mother accountable for her faults, we must hold the felons accountable for supporting the treacherous Tyrants. If we do this, Athena will surely stand by our side, as she did Orestes, and lead us from any consequence. The fate of cowards and traitors is a dismal one, as the most intellectual among us have themselves deduced. After raping our land and ransoming our freedom, they smugly left Athens to infamy, forgetting the power its citizens can muster together. Now, their futures rest entirely in our hands. We turn to that great principle of justice, and a more perfect society can only be produced by reliance on it, as great Socrates has taught. It seems only right, then, that those whose land was left fallow are reimbursed. Those, too, who were forced to flee for fear of unwarranted execution, must redeem their reward and pride. Lastly, all of us who gather here today, who were forced to watch our wives and children die from disease and starvation, whose brothers were illegally executed, and whose hope was stolen, shall regain the vision of a bright future the gods once bestowed upon us. However, we must not remain short-sighted in our goals, nor can we be overcome by hubris in this initial blow to the enemy. Indeed, the words of the great poets warn us against this, lest we be led off the path to a stronger Athens in the same way Odysseus journey home was lengthened. The other precepts upon which this great state was built will soon dominate Assembly discussion, and we must heed the call of our ancestors.

Pelini 5 This call is the same which Cleisthenes initiated some two hundred years ago when he instituted our great tribal system. The same ideal has been echoed throughout the ages, and continues to resound in the Pnyx today. It is the call to community. No Athenian can be left behind, neither those whose relatives may have helped to found our great state, nor those who have recently joined our side because of our reputable glory. For without the unique voices and talents of each man, the state would cease to function. Certain inalienable reforms will inevitably be left up to us for a vote. I urge you to consider carefully your choices and to empathize with those who have fought so valiantly and suffered by our sides. Between us has been forged the undeniable bond of brotherhood. Therefore, all should have the option to be assimilated into our political family and have the power to cast a vote, if for no other reason than as appreciation for their persistent courage. If foreigners and slaves among us could show such fortitude when their meager lives were at stake at Phyle, then they surely will exhibit the same loyalty when considered honored members of the Assembly. Furthermore, we must look at our peers not as superiors or leaders, but as our equals. The traditional random lottery system should remain the pillar of our governments reliance on its citizens. It produces both ample daily leadership and is simultaneously a preventative measure against the inherent human thirst for power. It will also allow those who may have been silenced by the Thirty to regain their voices. The many oarsmen who bravely manned the triremes in battle have been silenced in destitution. Let them advocate for their fellows and open our eyes and ears to a plight of many Athenian brothers that, had we known it existed, we would have never allowed.

Pelini 6 Lastly, my friends, we must take measures to ensure no man ever aspires to become like the Tyrants. This can only be done by eradicating lethal Spartan values from our society. We shall not brainwash our youth, but educate them on the principles of a strong physical, moral, and intellectual foundation. Only then will our posterity be proud to say that we, their ancestors, rescued and restored Athens. Brothers, this all begins today, with one simple vote. I urge you to do what logic, sense, and even the gods know is right. Vote down this Reconciliation Agreement and hold accountable those who allowed the Spartans to steal our crops, our families, and our pride. Only then can we begin to rebuild the ruins of our great Athenian Empire.