We all know the story of Romulus & Remus...Trekies aside...and the ideals that the parable presents, yet how does it apply to the 21st century? Romulus killed his brother because his brother mocked his power, nation, and literally 'the wall.' Once ridiculed, Romulus took hiss brother's life. Possibly, Romulus felt that "It is the decisive ideological struggle of the(pre-1st) 21st century, and the calling of our generation." Now, I do not mean to credit the red-staters' president with even a pretense of forethought or classical education, but unwittingly stumbling into historical folly is certainly well within the realm of 'Captain Clueless & the Devious Three.'
Unfortunately for his imperial Majesty & his minions, the main lessons of history have been missed. Roman Imperialism was bold, financially motivated, and made no pretense of being just. Roman citizens reaped the benefits of imperial wealth and largely subjugated the conquered. Subjugation was not the only key difference between Roman & American imperialism; the Romans also made excellent use of slavery.
I daresay that had Nero--searching for a comparable emperor--conquered Iraq, he would have taken the 'terrorist' and made them into slaves. He would have crucified some of course, empowered those who supported imperial policy, recruited into legions the young, & enslaved the rest. Could it be that the Bush administration has simply taken the wrong approach, that they have failed to make appropriate use of historical precedence? Why claim to care about democracy, the Constitution, human rights, and freedom for all? True administrative goals are consumed by greed, power lust, oil, and religious bigotry, so why not subjugate the nation, steal its wealth, and enslave its people?
Of course the non-redstate-reader may detect a sense of sarcasm, irony, and hopefully disdain for the bush administration, but for those who find themselves uncertain, I am not advocating any of the affore mentioned. I am simply drawing a logical comparison between the Roman and American empires. It would be fair to say that I have a certain amount of reverence for the former & disdain for the latter. The America that was once great--by great I mean when it was led by Bill Clinton--has lost its way. Democracies tend to get lost when the religious right is mobilized. At this point, we are little more than a misguided theocracy led by an idiot. Our silence is our complicity; we cannot be silent any longer.
