Sunday, July 02, 2006

Guilt By Association --
Over at Ezra Klein's blog, John is creeped out by some people still using the fasces, including the French Parliament in their coat of arms and the Knights of Columbus in their seal.

One commenter notes:

(Banging head on wall: why don't they teach classical history any more?)

Those fasces represented the legitimate authority of the magistrate particularly in the Roman Republic. The French (together with our own Founding Fathers) were directly inspired by this republican model that lasted 500 years!

You can find the symbol in a number of places here in the U.S. as well -- including a particularly prominent set adorning the Podium in the U.S. Congress:
http://teachpol.tcnj.edu/amer_pol_hist/fi/00000201.jpg

It's hard to imagine dumping this symbol of republicanism with a small 'r' due to some Italian jerk of the 20th Century or because of some completely inadquate Wiki Article.
(4:27 AM)

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