The Roman Road to Baghdad

[Daveparts]

I have always enjoyed reading about history but I especially enjoy Roman history. Even though it was an ancient empire in many ways its politics were quite modern or perhaps our modern politics are quite back wards. It could be that because the Romans wrote most everything down and despite the best efforts of the Christian church much of it has survived. Enough for us to understand their politics and the purposes of their policies.

In the ancient times when an army laid siege to a city it’s residents were usually put to the sword. Or the conquering general would ride through the captured city, if he rode through on a stallion it meant death as the horse represented war. If on the other hand he rode through the city on an ass it meant salvation as the ass was a tool of commerce. So when Christ entered Jerusalem on an ass it meant more than just humbleness but life and salvation.

The Romans took that tradition one step further because ass or stallion the leadership was most always put to death or was ransomed. The Romans instead took the captured leadership back to Rome and treated them as honored guests. They entertained them and put them up in palatial villas and then finally the day of reckoning would come. They would be asked, do you like it here? Would you like to own a villa like this at home? Would you like all the comforts and luxuries Rome can supply or do you want to die?

The Romans would incorporate the ruling elite by buying them off, by trading sovereignty for luxury. The Roman’s didn’t need to post as many troops that became the local potentate’s job. Through out the Roman world the king would sit on his throne and answer to Rome and the local vassals would answer to the king.

The British Empire was built much the same way; a few thousand British troops subdued the entire sub continent of India by offering the rajah’s prosperity or the sword. In the American west the Native American tribes divided along the lines of renegade or hang around the forts. Members who had sold out their native ways and accepted the white mans ways and this was not just used as a descriptive term. This was a derogatory term as powerful as the N word is today. To the renegades, the hang around the forts were selling out their people and their pride and were exchanging sovereignty for luxury.

In modern times the term collaborator is used most often, but it is only a modern descriptive term for an ancient course of action. Vidkun Quisling was a fascist politician in Norway’s Unity party that had never achieved more than 2% of the popular vote but upon the Nazi invasion Quisling declared a coup de’ tat and ruled as a Nazi collaborator. He withdrew Norway’s mobilization order and encouraged Norwegians to serve in the German army.

His name has become synonymous with being a traitor or a hang around the fort. Quisling was legally executed after the war for being a collaborator, as collaboration is a legal crime not just a moral crime. That is as it should be the collaborator is a shill propped up to give legitimacy to an illegal occupation, only the appearance of self-rule a phony government. The conqueror rides through on the ass and hands the reigns of the stallion to his quisling.

Yet quislings always provide efficient government, the requests of his superiors are always answered quickly and completely. There will be protests and demonstrations by members of the Parliament but they won’t be too loud or last too long. They are merely for local consumption all part of the act.

George Bush and the UN have stated clearly that the standing Iraqi government was sovereign, yet when that same government demanded US occupation forces stop walling in neighborhoods the US continues unabated paying no more attention to them then they would to barking dogs. All for local consumption only a fool believes the Iraqi’s hold any real power here.

I recently read where the members of the Iraqi parliament make $30,000 dollars a month, more in fact than a US Congressman. Jalal Talabani makes 1 million dollars a month plus fringe benefits. Much more than our own President makes but these gentleman have a far more difficult task with little protection. I would advise them to spend that money like there is no tomorrow because for them there is not. It is certainly detestable enough to sell your own soul to the devil so that you may live in luxury. But to sell out the soul of your nation so that you may live in luxury and others will suffer because of it has to be ranked among the lowest human crimes.

But more than just selling out to the devil they make deals with him and call him their pal. They are on a first name basis with the devil and they think he’s just swell. Watch your clocks well gentleman, for the second’s tick away like the hours of your rule. For you are dead men walking and as surely as the clock will strike twelve you will be subjected to summery justice. Yet no one will cry for you and no one will mourn for you when you’re gone because you deserve it.

[EVDebs]

1. The thing about the donkey had to do with a prophesy of same

If my memory serves me correctly. Zecharia 9 : 9

http://www.allabouttruth.org/christian-prophecy.htm

upon further research.


Also, not winning the Crusades (for real estate) was the best thing to happen to Christianity and the West, IMHO. Non real-estate-based religion focused on spirituality. Brings us to guys like St Francis and Jacques de Molay.

This "war" as the media calls the occupation in Iraq is failing because it isn't trusted by the populace who see it as an occupation for oil. They would be correct, as we've known this all along.

Asked to leave or not, the old Nixon-era plans to seize oilfields didn't go away, it just morphed into another country:

Document reveals Nixon plan to seize Arab oil fields
'70s embargo sparked 'last resort' measure, says British memo
Lizette Alvarez, New York Times

Friday, January 2, 2004

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2004/01/02/MNG8G427D61.DTL

We should have been planning an oil-free future since the '70s, but didn't. Satanic or just plain stupid, take your pick they lead to the same destination. War is hell. So is occupation for 'empire'.

[Joe Chi Minh]

2. That "allabouttruth" is absolutely fascinating, especially the video clip

about cells and the machines inside them, and the historical accuracy of the Apostle Luke's authorship! Thank you.

[EVDebs]

3. The ONLY reason I included that website was to show the verse. PERIOD.

Anything else about the website is all about THEIR views, not necessarily MINE. All I did was google for 'jesus riding ass' and came up with this site. I don't believe in pushing an 'intelligent design' agenda etc. as this site appears to do.

As for Romans and Jesus, Andrew Lloyd Weber's "King Herod's Song" puts the Roman position quite well !

[Joe Chi Minh]

4. Tee! Hee! Shot yourself in the foot, eh? Go on! Force yourself to watch the

clip about single cells. The destruction of the notion cherished by secular fundamentalists that the lower down the chain of life, the less compex structures become, was total; single cells containing a whole system of super machines of extraordinarily specialist complexity!

[EVDebs]

5. No, just don't like state sponsorship of any religious doctrines

The Romans, the Bushes, anybodys. You're not a Freemason, so you wouldn't understand. The Founding Fathers did.