Crossing the Rubicon

One of the rules of the Roman Republic was that their soldiers were not allowed to cross the Rubicon, because they didn’t want Roman soldiers in Rome. The Roman Senate understood that it would be all too easy for a general to take over the Republic with a band of loyal centurions. They understood that the centurions were trained to follow the chain of command and were trained to attack/kill.
And that’s exactly what Julius Caesar did. He took his army and he disobeyed the senate and ‘crossed the Rubicon’, and took over Rome with his loyal army.

I mention this because in the aftermath of Katrina, I was somewhat disturbed that W., instead of sending the National Guard to help flood victims, sent the Army. I do not think that the Army should be operating on American soil. Training- yes; keeping the peace- no. The Army is trained not to help, but to kill and ‘protect at all costs’. The Army is trained to shoot dissenters, while the National Guard and local police are trained in crowd control. I fear the Army operating in the United States, because they are more concerned with following orders then public safety.
And I feel that the history lesson of Caesar still applies. If you look at most 3rd world countries, the dictators are ex military or have the backing of the military. I think it would be all too easy for a general with ‘boots on the ground’ to decide that HE knows better then elected officials what’s best for America….
I feel that W. is making (another) huge mistake by seeking an easy answer and deciding that rather then have FEMA or the National Guard do what they have been trained to do, he’s asking the Army to step in… because W. feels that the Army will better follow HIS wishes. Which is another scary thought. We don’t need a general abusing the military, just a politician that the military will follow- a politician who thinks he knows better then the people what’s good for the people of the United States.