Sic Semper Tyrannis

Mankind has always resented oppression, suppression and tyranny. The theme of this article is drawn from a popular Latin expression that translates to, “Thus always to tyrants.” This is an adulterated and politically correct version of the original expression, “Sic semper evello mortem tyrannis," which means, "Thus always I bring death to tyrants." The history of dominant political world powers reveals that Rome was the sixth world power. Among the most famous of the first 12 Roman emperors were Julius Caesar and Augustus Caesar.

Apart from serving as emperors, one more thing they had in common was the fact that they had 31-day calendar months named after them. The original version of the Latin expression is attributed to the assassination of Julius Caesar, while the shorter revised version is credited to an American stage actor named John Wilkes Booth following the 1865 assassination of Abraham Lincoln, who served as the 16th president of the United States of America.

Closely linked to the two Latin expressions is another phrase that was popularised by Benjamin Franklin, one of the founding fathers of the US, “Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God.” Franklin had wanted this expression to form part of the Union’s principal symbol, the Seal of the US. Had Franklin been endowed with unchallengeable powers, alongside the phrase, “Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God,” this venerated symbol would have the image of the biblical prophet Moses pointing at the Red Sea, causing the waters to swallow the Pharoah who had persecuted ancient Israelites.

Editor's Comment
Inspect the voters' roll!

The recent disclosure by the IEC that 2,513 registrations have been turned down due to various irregularities should prompt all Batswana to meticulously review the voters' rolls and address concerns about rejected registrations.The disparities flagged by the IEC are troubling and emphasise the significance of rigorous voter registration processes.Out of the rejected registrations, 29 individuals were disqualified due to non-existent Omang...

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