Weblog
11/08/01 08:52 PM: Beware: Roman Citizen!
This is from the television show, The West Wing. Martin Sheen’s character, President Bartlet, is talking about a recent attack by terrorists on American soldiers. I find the quote quite applicable.
“Did you know that 2000 years ago, a Roman Citizen could walk across the face of the known world free of the fear of molestation. He could walk across the earth unharmed, cloaked only in the protection of the words ‘civus romanus’: I am a Roman citizen. So great was the retribution of Rome universally understood as certain, should any harm befall even one of its citizens. Where was Morris’ protection or anyone else on that airplane? Where was the retribution for the families? Where is the warning to the rest of the world, that Americans shall walk this earth unharmed, lest the clenched fist of the most powerful nation in all mankind comes crashing down on your house? In other words… what the hell are we doing here?... Well, our behavior has produced some crappy results, in fact I’m not sure that it hasn’t induced it. I am talking about 286 American Marines in Beirut. I am talking about Somalia. I’m talking about Nairobi. He had a ten day old baby at home. We are doing nothing.”
