Julius Caesar crosses the Rubicon, on his way to seize power in Rome via a military coup and become the republic's first emperor. America is not immune from suffering a similar prolonged, ignoble death to the extreme, parasitic elitism that empire breeds.
Pompey had the Senate declare Julius Caesar to be a criminal and order him to surrender his arms and troops.
The coup was conducted by Pompey and the Senate.
The Senate ignored the Tribunes' vetoes and had them assaulted.
From the Historians' History of the World edited by Henry Smith Williams:
The aristocrats hesitated, and in the meantime Caesar arrived but without his army, at Ravenna, the most southern point of his province. Then Curio formulated his measure that Caesar and Pompey should simultaneously resign their provinces and thus allay the fears of the Roman people. The plan was very well laid, and as the event showed, very cleverly arranged. The measure was put to the vote of the senate and to the astonishment of all concerned it resulted in 370 voting for the motion and twenty against it. It "therefore seemed that there were only twenty in the senate upon whom Pompey could implicitly rely. "Then take Caesar as your chief!" exclaimed the consul Marcellus in a rage as he closed the sitting.
Pompey's party was in fact in a great strait; and Caesar (probably at a high price) had attained what he wished. He had forced his adversaries to enter the list as insurrectionists. Pompey began raising troops without the necessary authority, whilst Caesar, who was with a legion at Ravenna, sent the order to his assembled troops to disband without delay. He also despatched a letter to the senate, in which he offered to resign the governorship of Cisalpine Gaul, to reduce his ten legions to two, if he were allowed to retain these and the governorship of Cisalpine Gaul until the election of the consul for 48. This document was delivered to the senate by Curio. The tribunes Mark Antony and C. Cassius insisted on its being read aloud. The sitting was stormy, and the two consuls C. Claudius MarceUus, and L. Cornelius Lentulus made a point of Caesar's appearing as a private individual before the judicature.
In accordance with their views, the motion was carried for Caesar to resign his province and to disband his army within a fixed time; his neglect to concur with this decree was to be considered high treason. In that case L. Domitius was nominated as his successor. This motion was passed on the 1st of January, 49, but the tribunes put their veto on it, and a great excitement prevailed in the city, into which Pompey had brought two legions. With this support the terrified senate, after expelling the dissentient tribunes from the curia, issued the decree which involved the declaration of war. The senate solemnly conjured the leaders, the officials supported by a military force in the city and its neighbourhood, to watch over the safety of the endangered state. The tribunes renewed their veto, but threatened by the soldiers of Pompey, against whom they were powerless, they fled from Rome and repaired to Caesar's headquarters.
Power isn't always lawful. It is then force.
An unlawful charge of treason was issued and Caesar met it by force.
That Americans would get away from their corporate diversions long enough to do so.
SPQR
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