Letter: Potomac or Rubicon? Trump imagines himself emperor

Posted 6/10/20

To the editor:

On 1 June 2020, Acting president of the United States of America Donald John Trump asserted his intentions to the American people that he and he alone controls our Republic. Is our …

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Letter: Potomac or Rubicon? Trump imagines himself emperor

Posted

To the editor:

On 1 June 2020, Acting president of the United States of America Donald John Trump asserted his intentions to the American people that he and he alone controls our Republic. Is our Grand Experiment over?

We all witnessed it in living color, live, on your preferred audio/visual entertainment device. Lawful and peaceful protesters demonstrating in Lafayette Square, an historical park in Washington DC, were forcefully removed for a presidential photo op in front of St. John's Church.

Non-verbally but by gesture and action (Lafayette Square being the Potomac) the Acting president declared himself emperor.

There's historic precedence for this action. Between 10-11 January, 49 BCE, Julius Caesar and his standing army crossed the Rubicon, a river that runs between ancient Gaul (modern France) into Roman (modern Italy) territory. That very 'act' signaled the coming end of the Roman Republic and the beginning of the Roman Empire — Julius Caesar being crowned the 1st Emperor of Rome.

Enough with the history lesson, but clearly any knowledgeable reader can draw the parallel conclusion between the two.

Like the ancient Roman Senate, the controlling majority of the neutered US Senate du jour perform as the Acting president's lapdogs, too fearful to disagree or challenge the Executive Branch on virtually any issue. It's exactly what that ancient Roman Senate did and look at how it turned out for them.

God bless America and the people who've served and serve it — and not themselves or their personal agendas.

Respectfully,

Rich Ziomek

USAF veteran

Westport

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