The Roman "War on Terror"

This is an illustration of the ancient port of Ostia ... before it burned.


I didn't write this, but as a Roman history enthusiast -- OK, I like
gladiator movies -- I found this article by Robert Harris of The New
York Times interesting. Sample it below and read the rest here.
Props out to my man Rod the Spammer for the article.

"In the autumn of 68 B.C. the world's only military superpower
was dealt a profound psychological blow by a daring terrorist
attack on its very heart. Rome's port at Ostia was set on fire,
the consular war fleet destroyed, and two prominent senators,
together with their bodyguards and staff, kidnapped.

"The incident, dramatic though it was, has not attracted much
attention from modern historians. But an event that was merely
a footnote five years ago has now, in our post-9/11 world, assumed
a fresh and ominous significance. For in the panicky aftermath of
the attack, the Roman people made decisions that set them on the
path to the destruction of their Constitution, their democracy and their
liberty. One cannot help wondering if history is repeating itself."