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Not since the time of Julius Caesar (the real one has any nation attempted to effect Imperial Democracy. Caesar did so by marching his army, fresh from expansionist campaigns across Europe, on Rome and effectively dismantling the Roman Senate. His successor, Augustus Caesar, continued the tradition of rule by one man, and he did so by creating a state cult to the Emperor. Why did he do this? Was it purely for his own gloriosity? No. It was a necessary step in the creation of an Imperial Democracy. Rome simply could not have attempted to build nor hoped to administered such far-flung provinces as Spain, Britain, Asia Minor and Judea without a centralized, cultural ideology. Thus, not only did the Roman Republic become an Imperial Democracy, it also became a theocracy. Worship of the Emperor was mandatory.
No one is saying that George W. Bush is attempting to sanctify himself. But he has taken us all thousands of steps closer to Imperial Democracy than any of us a generation ago could have believed possible. We always thought that the system of checks and balances written into the Constitution would protect us from such a thing. Surely the Founders had no such thing on their minds, for they created a model based on the Roman Republic, not the Roman Empire, modified to reflect the lessons learned not only by the rise of Imperial Rome, but also its later incarnations in Europe and the Near East. Yet Bush, even more than Nixon before him, has declared himself exempt not only from almost every law, but also from any scrutiny that he feels he cannot control. The Dubai Ports deal is okay with him because Dubai is his friend and no one in Dubai would ever harm his person. Thus, he sees this control of our ports as not an issue, and certainly not a security issue.
No one is saying that George W. Bush doesn’t care about the security of the country. On the contrary, he is 100% hawkish and bellicose. By declaring war on an abstract idea (terrorism), which, like the abyss from which it comes, has no beginning and no end, he has in effect plunged the nation into a continual state of war. He created the Department of Homeland Security just to make sure that Citizens were on board. DHS is not about the Outside World; it’s not about strategies or understanding the geopolitical climate. It is about keeping citizens under control and making sure that they don’t cause unrest. It is about spying and about cutting away at civil liberties in the name of National Security. Augustus did this too. He had his detractors killed in various and gruesome ways.
No one is saying that George W. Bush kills his political opponents, at least not in the literal sense. But he does spend a great deal more time, money and energy on discrediting his detractors and calling them names than he does on solving serious domestic problems, like the deficit, healthcare and the 8 million Americans currently in jail. Nevertheless, Augustus would have approved of much of what Bush has done, except for the invasion of Iraq. Augustus would have sent an enemy in first destabilize the region, and then sent in his legions. He also would have mercilessly executed some of the population, just to make it clear who held the reigns of power.
No one is saying that George W. Bush aspires to Imperial Power. He believes wholeheartedly in Democracy, except when that democracy doesn’t do what he wants, or has an agenda at odds with his own. He is not the first American president to behave in this way. Social Democracies around the world have been destabilized into theocratic civil wars. Iran-Contra was the end product of a long period of destabilizing two very different governments. So, in this sense, George W. Bush is following precedent. However, one has to wonder if he really has the cojones to smash Palestine because after their recent elections. Only time will tell. Cheney probably has a solution for that problem.
No one is saying that George W. Bush doesn’t have his own brain, but it seems pretty clears at this juncture that his will to power rides a series of what appear to contradictory ideas. First, he believes in national security but is willing to hand over port security to suspect foreign governments. Second, his goal is to spread democracy around the world, except in Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and certain parts of central and south America. Third, he says he believes in free and open debate, but all attendees at this so-called Town Hall meetings are screened and must pass the Bush litmus test before being allowed within 200 yards of his Bushness.
Do the Math. Bush is to Spreading Democracy as Caesar was to Spreading Democracy.
Tags:
bush, cesar, cheney, domestic spying, free society, iraq, lies, ne cons
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Posted on 2/27/2006
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