Pax Palantira

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The Pax Romana (Roman Peace) was a 200-year golden age in Rome’s history.

A series of five “good emperors”, from Augustus in 27 BC through Marcus Aurelius in 180 AD, set the realm up for success.

Augustus kicked off the Pax by centralizing command of Rome’s legions and creating the elite Praetorian Guard.

By this time, major rival powers had been subdued by the ascendent Roman Army.

With Augustus’ reforms, brutal civil wars ceased and commerce boomed. The Romans built more than 50,000 miles of stone highways. The empire became a flourishing and safe environment for trade.

Miraculous buildings like the Pantheon were completed during the Pax. It was a good time to be a Roman citizen.

RIP Charlie Kirk

September 11th is always a glum day. This year it seems especially so.

The tragic assassination of Charlie Kirk yesterday has shaken the nation. At only 31 years old, he had already accomplished much. His Turning Point USA organization was probably the most successful conservative movement among American youth. He and his wife had already built a beautiful young family.

All of it ripped away in an instant.

Most people seem to agree that we’ve reached a critical tipping point. A festering frustration with our broken culture and society.

But what will it lead to?

If we don’t guard ourselves, it could lead to a very dark place.

The Surveillance State Beckons

Soon, Americans will be tempted to believe a new Pax period can begin here.

All it will take is sacrificing liberty. Or so we will be told.

Amidst rising violence and political unrest, politicians will soon begin selling us on the benefits of a surveillance state. Of course, they won’t call it that.

They’ll call it AI-assisted investigation, smart surveillance, predictive policing. Something along those lines.

For example, wouldn’t it be great if we could utilize tech to quickly identify Charlie Kirk’s murderer?

What if we could also use it to remove dangerous illegal immigrants?

What if there was software so powerful, it could even identify criminals before they commit the crime?

Wouldn’t that be worth sacrificing a bit of privacy for? Even if it means violating the Constitution a bit?

This is the temptation we will be facing.

The technology itself probably already exists. Palantir seems a likely provider.

The question is, if the situation here in the U.S. continues to deteriorate, will citizens accept total surveillance? Reject it? Or beg for it?

Why Pax Romana Worked

The Roman peace worked because of good leadership. Augustus’ military reforms ensured soldiers were paid and given pensions.

This went a long way toward centralizing control and cooling the civil wars which had wreaked havoc on Rome for centuries.

But make no mistake, without the excellent leadership of Rome’s emperors during the Pax, none of it would have worked. Augustus’ same reforms would have failed under a weaker or more corrupt leader.

The same will be true today. The deep state can surveil and spy all they want, but if the people running the show are not of high character, it won’t fix anything. It will only create a new system which can be abused to take away the rights of citizens. We will need to remain on guard over the coming months, and years.

President Trump has a chance to take us down a different path. He can seize this opportunity to restore order in a fair and constitutional manner. But he must guard against the darker tendencies of the deep state.

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