To be "Roman" no longer meant to be from the city, or from Italy, or to be familiar with the laws or practices of Roman government, or the customs of the people, or the history of the society, instead it simply meant to command an army which still wore the traditional Roman uniform or employed Roman battle tactics, to use the traditional military hierarchy of office, and to have access to the public treasury in Italy and the neighboring provinces. Rome wasn't destroyed, it vanished after a few generations of despotism and militarism.
Absorption into the Roman Imperial system required the sacrifice of political autonomy, though not cultural traditions, and above all subservience to a destructive, all-consuming militarism which knew no borders or restraint, unburdened by civil laws or moral decency, an ideology which hilariously deemed itself as the "Roman Peace."
It was this kind of delusional and dangerous effrontery to the dignity of the empire's neighbors, along with the moral weakness that is characteristic of any society where servility to authority is the most practiced virtue, which caused the city of Rome and the military cults to be hated, then despised, and later completely destroyed and abandoned.
Only a few generations after the sale of the Empire, Rome's enemies had internalized the values and adopted the tactics of her most vicious and ruthless leaders. Understanding the game almost simultaneously along each of Rome's borders, several chieftains and tribes were able to push the top-heavy and deranged government in any direction it wished, capable of easily trouncing Rome's mercenary forces who practiced warfare so that greedy and corrupt officials could enjoy luxuries at home and exercise dominion over fellow citizens in a nominal republic.
As the Congress continues to neglect the abolishment of private campaign contributions and fails to admit the conflict of interest between business and government that now implicates every elected official who accepts private contributions, and as the largest sector of our economy continues to be dependent on the war industry, the balance of our government remains vulnerable to tyranny, terror, instability, and destruction.
In 1976, the total amount spent towards the presidential elections by both candidates was $171 million dollars. If we conservatively adjust this total for inflation, this amounts to around $600 million being spent by both sides during the entire process.
As of May 2008, the total funding for the campaigns amounts to nearly $1 Billion, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a non-partisan institute that monitors campaign spending. There is every reason to expect that the total by the end of the 2008 campaign process will be nearly double the total from 30 years ago.
30 years ago Americans faced a serious crisis in government. The President performed criminal acts and believed it within his power to terrorize and harass the citizenry.
Today, the President and his senior advisors, basically the same group who were junior advisors to Nixon and Ford, continue these same dictatorial practices, only the temporary measures taken by Congress to counter such behavior have expired.
30 years ago Americans faced an energy crisis.
Today, we are no closer to a viable solution which will free us from dependency on oil, especially foreign oil.
30 years ago, still reeling from memories of the public executions of political leaders who advocated peaceful co-existence and demilitarization, Americans relied on a charismatic character actor to restore America's image and their faith in the integrity of government.
It proved to be nothing more than a changing of the guard.
Today, we can recognize the results of valuing image above substance, of not confronting real political problems and neglecting the practice of national democracy in the name of global missions. We face the same problems, we find ourselves allegedly engaged in yet another global conflict which we are told will span more than a few generations, and all that is asked of us is that we go shopping and leave it to the professionals.
It all seems so familiar.
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