The Roman Republic/Empire lasted 1,000 years. In its existance, they united the known world, created concepts and institutions that survive today. Their technology was the best of time, having plumbing, electricity and advanced medicine.
They were destroyed from within and without. The barbarians at the gates beat them down and eventually broke them. Internal corruption, greed and abuses destroyed the infastructure. They stopped growing, became decadent and died.
The US is faced with external problems that weaken us. (Terrorists, corrupt allies, bad alliances, trade deficits, etc). They are faced with internal problems that are eating away at our core. (Corrupt polititions, corporate greed, a growing obese population who could care less about anything but themselves, lack of internal programs to solve the growing issues, and a growing disenfranchisement of the voting class among other problems).
The US, like Briton, and Rome has a group of satelite states(nations) who are either protectorates (Puerto Rico), dependent on US Military for protection (Japan) primary trade partners (UK) or major military allies (UK). We have military pressences in a wide number of allied nations. (Germany, Saudi Arabia, etc.)
The similarities vary in detail...some are strikingly identical, others only if you squint alot while standing on 1 foot at high noon....but they are there.
Rome went from being a Republic, to being an Emperor. This occured when the Roman Senate gave Gaius Octavius the name Augustus and he became the undisputed emperor after years of bitter civil war. Contrary to popular belief, Gaius Julius Caesar was never emperor. He was in fact dictator of the Republic. Octavius was his heir.
The dictatorship was formed when the people and the military no longer had the desire to exist under the old rules.
For reference:
http://www.crystalinks.com/romanempire.html
His first step was to repair the bitter wounds of civil war. On January 13 of 27 BC, Octavian, in his own words, "transferred the Republic from my own power to the authority of the Senate and the Roman people." This action showed shrewd political planning, as Augustus used it purely for public show. The Senate awarded him the name of Augustus, and mobs demanded that he retain power. Augustus carefully retained the titles of traditional offices to disguise his absolute power. He kept only the offices of consul and proconsul and claimed that he held no more power than his colleagues. Some Romans complained that the loss of liberty was too great a price to pay for peace, but most recognized that under the so-called liberty of the Roman Republic, a few hundred men had divided the spoils of empire while the workers and the provincials suffered. The majority of Romans welcomed the peace and stability of the Augustan Age.
Augustus did not derive his power from any single office, but from the authority of his name and his victory. In fact, he carefully pieced together a patchwork of powers that allowed him to be an absolute ruler and yet avoid the hatred Caesar aroused as dictator. In Latin, the name Augustus implies both political authority and religious respect. The Romans had for some time called Octavian imperator, a title once awarded to victorious generals that soon became associated with the ruler and thus led to the English word emperor. In 27 BC he was first called princeps (leading man of the state), which later became the official title of the Roman emperors. His imperium, or military authority, extended throughout the empire and was greater than the power of any other governor or general.
Augustus, in reality, held as much power as any absolute dictator, but wisely disguised it with traditional names so that the other Roman officials, and particularly senators, would still feel pride in their positions. The Senate was not an elected body; it drew its membership from the Roman aristocratic classes, primarily former magistrates who had served in important administrative posts. To be a senator was a matter of status, not a formal job. Under the republic, the Senate held great authority as the institution that preserved Roman knowledge and tradition and became the dominant force in religion, public policy, and foreign affairs. Senators jealously guarded the power and the wealth that resulted from their role in Roman government.
So in Rome, you had a civil war, political manuvering and the creation of new organizations, etc.
In the US we have Homeland Security, The Patriot Act, The Patriot Act II, expanded powers given to various government agencies like the FBI/CIA, political corruption (paying a bit much at the pump? Its not supply n demand, its gouging plain and simple), and an administration that is seeking to divide a nation and distract our attention while consolidating power.
The faces are different, the names have been changed, and the techniques are different, but the road we travel down is the same. The question is....is it too late to turn the tide that was began with the first coup in the 60's?
- We can not today raise an army. Americans are too fat, lazy and self absorbed. Plus, what good will 100 armed rednecks do against 10 trained Rangers?
- Trying to vote them out only changes the face of the evil. Unless you are a member of the "Big 2" you don't stand a chance. Too much apathy, too many folks thinking "its a throwaway vote, so I aint bothering", too many barriers against entry and the decks stacked against you.
- Hoping that we are conquered by a more enlightened society seems futile. Those with more manpower are even more opressive. We got the best gear. So, unless we get invaded by Klingons, we have to figure this mess out ourselves.
The American People need to put down their remote controls, get off their couches, wake up, take the time to understand the issues, form their own -educated- opinions and then raise their voices up and make them heard. A million man march demanding the resignation of the President would be nice. A million e-mails are worthless. Million man marches occuring all over the country...now that would be a nice sign.
Maybe, its time to stop worrying about what someone said in 1965, or what 2 people do in the privacy of their homes, and start worrying about things like our childrens education, high crime, drug abuse, poverty, our roads, our air, our telecommunications and transportation systems, our land, our food and our water?
Or, we can go bomb some more 3rd world nations (who have wealth we can use), and wave the flag, and ride the charriot, as a conquering hero. Where has the guy who whispers "Remember thou art mortal!" gone?
