History repeats? Or does it merely rhyme?

Julius Caesar was a brilliant general and commanded an army of over 50,000 loyal men. His success at a military level all but guaranteed the loyalty of his soldiers. But he was seen by some as a cruel man solely driven by expanding his own personal power. As a result, he made enemies of important politicians in Rome itself. Some senior army generals, such as Pompey, were also very concerned about Caesar's intentions.

The Roman Senate ordered Caesar to hand over his army to their control. He refused, and instead advanced to the line that divided France and Italy - the River Rubicon. Roman law said that a governor was not allowed to leave his province, but Caesar ignored this law, crossed the Rubicon, and advanced to confront his enemies in Rome. The Senate considered this to be a treasonable offense, but there was little they could do. Caesar had a very powerful and experienced army and his opponents were fragmented. Pompey was killed in Egypt in 48 BC.

 Here we have Obama, who has just declared that the Senate (along with the rest of Congress) is irrelevant and powerless by signing an executive order that is in direct opposition to Congress and to the will of the people. The Federal bureaucrats will do as he says. Is this Obama's Rubicon? Only time will tell. History may well mark this as the date of the official end of the Republic.

Interesting times, indeed.