The Pink Flamingo :: When in Rome – a Primer for Barack Obama

One of the things that bothers me about Barack Obama is his obvious lack of experience and his abject inexperience and immaturity even though he was born in 1961. Perhaps it is just our culture that coddles men now. Maybe it is his relative inexperience and the fact that he has lived a fairly sheltered existence, with little actual life experience – very little seasoning. I don’t know all the ups and downs of his life, all the little disappointments and heartaches. From his basic biography it is obvious he lived the life many kids from broken homes live, being split between parents, tossed about here and there until he ended up with his grandparents.

Sure, he has a resume that looks good, ambitious, but read between the lines. It is empty, with no real world experience. The problem is Barack Obama is not ready for prime time. Just look at his most recent faux paux. (Flopping Aces has a great commentary today) Will it cost him the election? (Flap) Given the nature of his supporters and true believers, will it really matter to them?

This alone is enough to help prove the point that Barack Obama knows nothing about this country, and has a tendency to hobnob with “above average” to bilk them of their money. His abject ignorance, arrogance, and complete lack of respect for the “average” American is starting to show.
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Savage Politics

“…In a private and well shrouded fundraiser amongst the rich elite of San Francisco, and in the mansion of Pakistan native and ardently Muslim millionaire Sohaib Abbasi (CEO of Informatica), Obama was recorded saying: “You go into these small towns in Pennsylvania and, like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing’s replaced them. And they fell through the Clinton administration, and the Bush administration, and each successive administration has said that somehow these communities are going to regenerate and they have not. And it’s not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.” In the same speech, Obama is also recorded as saying that: “When people tell me they’ve all stressed about racial discord, well, you know, try slavery for a while,” obviously playing on the sentiments of these highly affluent (White and Arab) people who would basically presume that if you have dark skin in America you must therefore be connected in some way to slavery, although, as we all know, this is CLEARLY not the case….”

No one, man or woman, should be allowed to run for any office in this country until they know something about the country. They should be means tested. If they are not having a love affair with the United States, then they should be prevented from holding office.   Let’s face it, Barack Obama is the perfect example of what happens when a politician does not understand the American people. I think the current talking point “elitist” is an over-simplification of the problem. So is the term “out of touch”, which implies having known the country previously. Will his Marxist remarks be enough to bring about a Clinton comeback?

How much of this is just the immaturity of youth? At Barack Obama’s age, he should be considered a man approaching “middle ages” and not a callow, incompetent you who doesn’t understand the world and is lacking in experience. The problem is, perhaps this is what we are dealing with. If it isn’t, then we are dealing with a man with utter contempt for this nation and someone who neither cares nor understands the American people. Neither option is acceptable in a man who wishes to be POTUS.

THE ROMAN WAY
A young man who was going places in the days of the Roman Republic   was expected to go about his life within a certain proscribed formula. Basically much of who and what we are comes from the Roman Republic. (We are so abjectly ignorant of history that we are doomed to repeat it. The problem is our culture is so politically correct, history is being erased or revised to reflect the common weaknesses of our society.   And thus we have all these ignorant wretches who know absolutely nothing about civilization, history, and culture).

Maybe the Romans had the right idea. When you consider what a person went through to become Consul, the Roman version of President of the United States, it makes a person cringe when you consider Barack Obama’s complete lack of resume. Then you think about John McCain. To use an old Roman adage, the man came up through the ranks. (Vets for McCain)    He is QUALIFIED to be the President of the United States of America. It makes one realize there are advantages to age.

I go back to my Roman history. When someone rocketed to power like Obama has, it was always an abject disaster. People died. Society would be in a full state of insurrection. He reminds me of Sulla. For those ignorant wretches who don’t know who he was. Look it up. Then be afraid, be very afraid.

SPQR
The Senate and People of Rome - Senātus Populusque Rōmānus (That's Latin for the ignorant wretches among you)

PLEBEIANS
A Plebeian is a Roman citizen.   At one time only Plebeians were allowed to serve in the military. Plebeians were encouraged to vote, which they did with gusto. All young men who wished to rise in rank, even those who were “Noble” were expected to serve in the military. A Plebeian would become a “client” of a Noble family. This provided the Noble with status and helped the Plebeian rise in social rank. The more prestigious the Noble was, the more prestige the Plebeian would have.

“…A non-Senatorial Plebeian may increase their social status to Equestrian in any of three ways:
Seek election as Tribune of the Plebs (see Roman Officials) Adoption (see Roman Family) into a Household. Adoption does not automatically provide the adopted Roman a seat in the Senate. The adopted Equestrian or Patrician must still become a Senator through political office Achieving any three of the highest military awards... Plebeians enjoy Senate representation through the Tribune of the Plebs. While the Tribune may not vote, he/she has considerable power. The Plebeian Tribune's abilities are detailed under Roman Politics and Officials….”

NOBLES
There were two classes of Roman Nobility – the Equestrian Order and the Patricians (the Caesars were Patrician, the Claudians were Plebeian then Equestrian)

“…the Patrician Houses are older and date back to Roman antiquity. The Equestrian Order is newer, Plebeian Noble Houses. If you reach Senatorial status independently of an existing House, your surname becomes the name of your noble Household, and you are encouraged to find clients. Generally your Household and clients will compose your Legion. Both Patrician and Equestrian Houses retain their noble status regardless of whether a member of the family maintains a seat in the Senate….”

THE SENATE
“…The Senate is Rome's governing body, composed of those Romans who have distinguished themselves politically by serving as elected officials. The Senate's duty is to ensure that Rome thrives in all her non-military aspects, and to act as Rome's administrative body. Rome's Senate controls the Treasury, votes on new legislation, and establishes policy. This structure helps assure that Rome is governed by the general consensus of her responsible membership. Rome was NOT a democracy (it was a Republic).

If you follow this list, you can tell how much experience a man (and only men) would need before he became Consul. The rotation was such that EVERY man of Senatorial rank was expected to follow this specific path of service. The only way to avoid this was full time military service, and even then it was expected. There were very specific requirements to command legions. One of them was to reach the rank of Quaestor. Consuls were expected to command the army in an emergency. So could governors. Every Roman male of Senatorial rank was expected to have enough experience and training to step in and full-fill any of these duties.

A MAN’S QUEST FOR RANK & POWER
(in order)
Tribune (elected)
A Tribune was not of the Senatorial rank.
He could become one later
Tribune of the Treasury

The following must be Senators (before)
They must have military experience
They must serve in the following order

Quaestor (elected)
Financial affairs of state, oversee military finances

Aedile (elected)
Public works, games, infrastructure

Praetor (elected)
Command of an army (in emergency)
Judges
1 must stay within the city walls
1 travels throughout Rome

Provincial Governor
Until this point they will hock their very souls if necessary (re: Julius Caesar)
(appointed by Senate)
This is one of the three ways a Senator can become wealthy.
1. Inheritance
2. Marriage
3. Provincial Governor

Consul (elected)
2 men served 2 year terms
same as POTUS
(note the experience required to reach the office)
Proconsul (appointed by Senate)
Roman Governor of a Province
This is the road to serious weath.

Censor (elected)
"Chief Justice of the Supreme Court"(for 18 months)
In charge of census

ProMagistrate (appointed)
Provincial Magistrates appointed by the Senate

Governor (appointed)
They can be of the office of
Praetor
ProConsul

If we were to follow this list, it is obvious Barack Obama isn't even qualified to be a United States Senator, let alone a candidate for POTUS. If you put it that way, half the people in the Senate aren't qualified, including Hillary Clinton. The irony of all of this is the way the majority of our Presidents are chosen from the ranks of governors, but may never have been in the House, Senate, or served in the military. If you follow the traditional Roman way of doing things, being a governor gives a person the experience necessary to be a qualified consul or President.

As a Republic, Rome was remarkably successful. It was only after Sulla began the descent - his actions basically giving Julius Caesar permission to do the things he did, that Rome began the transition from Republic into Empire. As Empire, Rome survived for hundreds of years, but there were few freedoms. The terribly successful Republic had died.

Today Rome survives through the Catholic Church.