Roman Empire

I went to see Stuff Happens again last week--and they've definitely gotten better as the run has gone on.

There is a scene in it where Colin Powell draws a comparison to the president's need to make "an example" of Iraq to the actions of the Roman Empire. He tells the story about how if anyone so much as pricked a Roman senator with a pin, the Roman army would be sent out to that person's village to find his entire family. The army would then kill every single relative, rape the daughters, and burn their houses down. It set an example to not prick senators.

Today, while gratefully receiving my tax rebate check from the government, I'm feeling a little like the clamoring Roman mob who demanded bread handouts--handouts given to win the favor of the mob for the people in power. So is it hypocrisy that I plan to keep it anyway?