People often try to lay the end of the Roman Republic at Julius Caesar’s feet, but before him was a man named Sulla who proscribed — legalized (and rewarded) the killing and confiscating of property of political opponents — thousands of prominent Romans.

Antony and Augustus (then Octavian) continued this tradition, trading each other relatives for political enemies. The proscription lists were posted in the forum, and any Roman on the list could be killed for reward by his or her fellow citizens.

BTW, the crosspost link goes to an unpublished draft. I can’t view it.

And you’ve done a great service by identifying the term of art that all conservatives should use when discussing this prospect: “proscription”. People need to know exactly what they are playing with.

Of course liberals hate history, so they won’t know WTF the word means. All the better. Everyone will rush to Google and Wikipedia to educate themselves, and in the process will be forced to actually THINK. Lord knows where that might lead.

on the FISA wiretaps and GTMO as the O begins his administration and CHANGES NOTHING from President Bush’s SOP!

Conservatives are easily pushed around now because they let it happen. They dutifully submit to rules and laws enacted by their adversaries while those adversaries ignore and openly violate laws they do not like.

When this happens conservatives cry and do nothing else. The GOP lost in 2006 and 2008 because they revealed themselves as cowards as well as inept. No one likes cowards.

Conservatives eventually will risk such ancient practices as actual proscription if they continue to live on their knees, bowing to their enemies. They will either do this, or they will stand up and fight back, literally.

When you don;t have the “cahones” to fight and al lyou have is a broad yellow streak down your back then you get the liberals running over you.

see, for example – Kruschev – RETIRED, comfortably

It seems Obama has a plan to use President Bush to help him in his plans to put down the last 28% of rebellion left in this country.

In the same way that Papa Bush and Bill Clinton are best buddies now, I’ll bet that W. gets appointed to some goodwill mission.

Then Obama will tell Nancy to stop the investigations.

The Democrats won’t prosecute because no one would be found guilty. What they really want is

1) To pretend they did it for love of and future of the country.

2) Continue to have the media perpetrate number one above as well as the myth of criminal activity of the Bush administration to forever destroy any legacy.

The Liberals and MSM (redundant I know) will “report” the War on Terror a failure for not upholding the rule of law.

a republic?

   The more things like this start happening, the more I’m convinced that our republic is on the fast track towards repeating the follies which beset ancient Rome.  That republic didn’t last very long once the Senators and their magistrates started monkeying around.

   The only difference that I see betwen us today and Rome in its imperial glory days is that we’re liable to collapse a whole lot faster.  The barbarians had to walk or ride horses into town after taking a swim across some pretty large rivers and climing through some high mountains; the “barbarians” of our day can take a plane ride or sit in the back of a truck crossing a relatively porous border in order to starting doing their things here.

Of who to jail when the next Republican is elected.

Let’s start with Pelosi, Reid, Dodd and Fwanks.

We can add to the list with each passing day.

From your 3rd paragraph after the quote: trust me, the Founding Fathers knew about this; that and the French Revolution is why they all mostly hated political parties in the beginning – and ask yourself whether there’s been some sort of genetic mutation in the last *two thousand* years that would preclude the same thing happening here.

Great article Moe, with which I agree — but your math skills may be as bad as my hypertext skills!

I don’t know whether I mean to lay down in front of vehicles carrying off the heroes who did the hard things to protect the nation or to take up arms in a new revolution, but that’s the sentiment that will kick in if they start prosecuting Bush administration officials for their conduct in the war against Islamic supremacists. Over my dead body!