Beauty_pact wrote:
Blog entry by ACLU from the 26th of May (
click for link):
Quote:
The House just passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), including a provision to authorize worldwide war, which has no expiration date and will allow this president — and any future president — to go to war anywhere in the world, at any time, without further congressional authorization. The new authorization wouldn’t even require the president to show any threat to the national security of the United States. The American military could become the world’s cop, and could be sent into harm’s way almost anywhere and everywhere around the globe.
In ancient Rome this was called giving the power of imperium to someone over some territory. Thus, Congress in this way is giving all American presidents the power of imperium over the entire world.
The word "imperium" meant command and from it came "imperator" or commander which originally was what successful commanders were declared by their troops under the republic. When the principate was set up this title was often bestowed upon the First Citizen and as such often when a commander was declared to be "imperator" he'd then rush in to Rome and claim the purple. Thus, the word "emperor" comes from "imperator".
24 Jun 2011, 3:37 pm
