ROMAN ARCH BRIDGE

Three years ago I chose this image of the Roman Arch Bridge at Alcantara, Spain as a symbol for my business. This bridge was constructed between 104 and 106 AD by order of the Roman Emperor Trajan. On the archway over the central pier there is an inscription:


PONTEM PERPETUI MANSURUM IN SAECULA

I have built a bridge which will last forever.


The Alcántara Bridge is a combat veteran; it has in fact taken more damage from war than from the elements. The Moors destroyed the smallest arch on the left side in 1214. This was rebuilt in 1543 with stone from the original quarries. The second arch on the right side was destroyed by the Spanish to stop the Portuguese, and was repaired in 1762 by Charles III, only to be blown up again in 1809 to stop the French. Temporary repairs made in 1819 were replaced in 1860 with mortared masonry

A stylized version of the Alcántara Bridge appears on my letterheads and business paperwork, along with the Latin motto:

Vires Quod Veneratio

"Strength and Honor"



Why the Arch? To me the Arch symbolizes strength, teamwork and cooperation, and a concept of the services I provide - security consulting and technical solutions to challenges faced in military combat.

• The arch is a very strong structure that spans a space while supporting weigh, and yet no single spot holds all the weight.

• The Romans did not invent the arch, but exploited the concept in their prolific architecture, together with a construction material they did invent; cement. 

•  An arch requires all of its elements to hold it together.

The Roman Arch also symbolizes inspiration from the Ancients of the Classical Era, whom I frequently consult for wisdom and guidance.


SEAN LINNANE SENDS



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THE BIRTH OF ROME

The Rape of the Sabine Women by Nicolas Poussin, 1635

The Rape of the Sabine Women occurred in the early history of Rome, shortly after its foundation by Romulus and his mostly male followers. Seeking wives in order to found families, Romulus devised a festival of Neptune Equester and proclaimed the festival amongst Rome's neighbors. At the height of the festival Romulus gave a signal, at which the Romans grabbed the Sabine women and fought off the Sabine men. The indignant abductees were implored by Romulus to accept their new Roman husbands.

Romulus offered them free choice and promised civic and property rights to women. According to Livy he spoke to them each in person, "and pointed out to them that it was all owing to the pride of their parents in denying the right of intermarriage to their neighbors. They would live in honorable wedlock, and share all their property and civil rights, and — dearest of all to human nature — would be the mothers of free men."

Outraged at the occurrence, the king of the Caeninenses entered upon Roman territory with his army. Romulus and the Romans met the Caeninenses in battle, killed their king, and routed their army. Romulus subsequently attacked Caenina and took it at the first assault. Returning to Rome, Romulus dedicated a temple to Jupiter Feretrius (according to Livy, the first temple dedicated in Rome) and offered the spoils of the enemy king as spolia opima. According to the Fasti Triumphales, Romulus celebrated a triumph over the Caeninenses on 1 March 752 BC.

At the same time, the army of the Antemnates made an incursion into Roman territory. The Romans retaliated, and the Antemnates were defeated in battle and their town conquered. According to the Fasti Triumphales, Romulus celebrated a second triumph in 752 BC over the Antemnates.

The Crustumini also commenced hostilities, but their town too was captured by the Romans.

Roman colonies were subsequently sent to Antemnae and Crustumerium by Romulus, and many citizens of those towns also migrated to Rome (particularly the families of the captured women).

The Sabines also went to war with the Romans, led by their king Titus Tatius. When Tatius attacked Rome, he almost succeeded in capturing the city because of the treason of Tarpeia, daughter of Spurius Tarpeius, governor of the citadel on the Capitoline Hill. She opened the city gates for the Sabines in return for 'what they bore on their arms.' She believed that she would receive their golden bracelets. Instead, the Sabines crushed her to death with their shields, and she was thrown from the rock which since bore her name, the Tarpeian Rock.

The Roman forces attacked the Sabines, who were now in possession of the citadel. The Roman advance was led by Hostus Hostilius, and the Sabine front by Mettus Curtius. When the former fell, the Roman line gave way, and they retreated to the gate of the Palatium. There Romulus gathered his men and, promising to build a temple to Jupiter Stator on that site, led the Romans back to battle.

The battle continued. Mettus Curtius was unhorsed and fled the battle, and the Romans gained the upper hand.

At that point the women intervened in the battle to reconcile the warring parties:

They went boldly into the midst of the flying missiles . . . running across the space between the two armies they tried to stop any further fighting and calm the excited passions by appealing to their fathers in the one army and their husbands in the other . . . "If," they cried, "you are weary of these ties of kindred, these marriage-bonds, then turn your anger upon us; it is we who are the cause of the war, it is we who have wounded and slain our husbands and fathers. Better for us to perish rather than live without one or the other of you, as widows or as orphans."

Following the reconciliation, the Sabines agreed to form one nation with the Romans and the Sabine king, Titus Tatius, jointly ruled Rome with Romulus until Tatius' death five years later.


Jacques-Louis David painted the other end of the story, when the women intervene to reconcile the warring parties. The Intervention of the Sabine Women was completed in 1799. It is in the Louvre Museum.


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THOR THURSDAY . . .

You like the stills? Check out the DIALOGUE:

"As lovers they are said to be . . . RAVENOUS BEASTS . . ."

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ANCIENT TRADITIONS

Yesterday's piece on the enterprising woman from Livermore, California and her affairs with the two young teenagers stirred controversy; as was my intent.

At Blog STORMBRINGER success is measured when I provoke thought & discourse, on matters of ethical and moral dilemma. Unfortunately my schedule does not always allow my to develop the debate and conversation - yesterday was a pleasant exception. Today is Monday and it's back to the Oar Deck:


"I hate these company pep talks!"


It was suggested I was rationalizing / intellectualizing justification for illegal activity, encouraging pedophilia in our society. I couldn't disagree more strongly: pedophilia is sex with a pre-pubescent child. That is wrong and as far as Blog STORMBRINGER is concerned this is where the death penalty comes in; and the Judicial system does not necessarily need to be involved. What we're discussing here is the concept of statutory rape, which is sex with a post-pubescent adolescent (beneath the age of consent) a.k.a. illicit carnal knowledge; which generally carries a much less severe penalty. The age of consent varies from state to state, of course, going as low as the age of 15 in some states.

I explored the situation from all aspects and looked at it through the prism of the Ancient World (because that's my style) but if you followed my point very carefully you will see that I reached the conclusion that yes in our modern society 13 - 16 year-old adolescents ARE considered children.

So you see I am not some kind of monster who rationalizes away immoral behavior.

The woman's actions WERE extreme; there was something disturbingly predatory in her conduct. If the young men had been a few years older or herself a few years younger perhaps it would seem less outrageous - an older woman taking a younger lover and "showing him the ropes" is not unheard of nor is it necessarily taboo; then later when the young man is with a young woman of his own age, it's not a pair of bumbling virgins in the sack.

What really struck me as outrageous was the number of charges and the high bail; 1.4 million! They really threw the book at her! Meanwhile same-sex marriage is decreed lawful by an activist judge DESPITE the will of the people of California, "medical" marijuana is a thin veil for making it legal to toke up thus stupifying the population, and San Francisco declares itself an "open city" in brazen defiance of Federal immigration laws - and nobody does a thing about it. Just let us know what the rules are so we can go by them. What laws am I allowed to break and what are you going to nail me to the wall for?

- Sean L.


From the Sociology Department of the STORMBRINGER Institute, dedicated to the study & pursuit of Strategic and Philosophical Excellence.



As practiced from the 15th to 20th centuries in Western societies, a duel was a consensual fight between two people, with matched deadly weapons, in accordance with rules explicitly or implicitly agreed upon, over a point of honor, usually accompanied by a trusted representative (who might themselves fight), and in contravention of the law.

The duel usually developed out of the desire of one party (the challenger) to redress a perceived insult to his honor. The goal of the duel was not so much to kill the opponent as to gain “satisfaction,” i.e., to restore one’s honor by demonstrating a willingness to risk one’s life for it.

Duels could be fought with some sort of sword or, from the 18th Century on, with pistols. For this end special sets of dueling pistols were crafted for the wealthiest of noblemen. After the offense, whether real or imagined, the offended party would demand “satisfaction” from the offender, signaling this demand with an inescapably insulting gesture, such as throwing the glove before him, hence the phrase “throwing down the gauntlet”.


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HOW IS THIS A CRIME?

LIVERMORE WOMAN FACES 67 CHARGES RELATED TO SEX WITH TWO TEENAGE BOYS.


Christine Shreeve Hubbs, a 42-year-old Livermore woman was arrested Thursday on 67 sexual assault charges against two teenage boys. (Livermore Police Department photo)

Hubbs is being held at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin in lieu of $4.3 million bail.

Apparently the mother of one of the boys went to the police after she found a nude photo of Hubbs on her son's cell phone; the boy told police that he began having sex with Hubbs in December 2008, when he was 14.

During the investigation, police learned of a second boy, now 14, had a sexual relationship with Hubbs from December 2009 through July.

Investigators say Hubbs communicated with the teens by text messages and at times used her cell phone to send sexual messages and nude pictures of herself.


The charges involve the concept of statutory rape; sexual activity between an adult and a minor (one below the age of consent). In this case the adult was a woman of course, and the minors involved were (VERY) young teenage males.

I ask how is this a crime - I mean, come on; what we have here is no more than a classic case of Cougarism; the philosophy concerning older women who prey on younger, verile men to fulfill their primal sexual desires.




Granted, in this situation the young men involved (I say men because they are obviously no longer boys) were EXTREMELY young; well beyond society's accepted equation for May-September romantic liaisons (age, divide by two, add seven). In fact, by these standards, I myself became involved in criminal activity under similar circumstances at the age of thirteen.


Grrr, Baby . . .

At the same time I acknowledge that if the tables were turned; that is, if the parties involved here were a 42-year-old man and two teenage girls beneath the age of consent, I would be amongst those leading the pack howling for the perpetrator's neck in a noose.


What's good for the Goose is not always good for the Gander . . .


Hypocrisy? Perhaps. Again, I ask how is this a crime? Amongst the ancient and traditional societies, it is not unheard of for a young man to be tutored by an older woman in the ways of physical love.



In his play Hippolytus, Euripides tells the story of Phaedra, an older, married woman in love with a much younger man.


A practice that was mentioned by many visitors to Sparta was the practice of “wife-sharing”; in accordance with the Spartan belief that breeding should be between the most physically fit parents, many older men allowed younger more fit men to impregnate their wives.

Even by the liberal standards of their day, Spartan women were particularly open-minded.

Aristotle writes:“Someone contacted a Spartan woman to ask if she would agree to let him seduce her. She said: ‘When I was a child I learned to obey my father, and I did so; then when I became a woman I obeyed my husband; so if this man is making me a proper proposal, let him put it to my husband first."


What strikes me here is not so much the crime, but the judicial system's handling of it: bail is set at 1.4 million dollars - isn't this a bit excessive? Especially considering that this occurs in a state where same-sex marriages are endorsed by the governor, marijuana shops are popping up on every street corner and entire cities flout Federal law by openly embracing illegal immigrants.

There are some crimes which are a crime regardless of what the law says. Slavery is a good example; even if it is completely legal - as it was in the United States two hundred years ago - it is still wrong and still a crime against humanity. This is the concept of natural law.


Meee-owww . . .

Natural law (Latin: lex naturalis) has been described as a law whose content is set by nature and that therefore has validity everywhere. As classically used, natural law refers to the use of reason to analyze human nature and deduce binding rules of moral behavior.


Cougars are known to hunt in packs.


Natural law theories feature greatly in the philosophies of Thomas Aquinas, Thomas Hobbes and John Locke, and have had a profound influence on the development of English common law. Because of the intersection between natural law and natural rights, it has been cited as a component in United States Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States. The essence of Declarationism is that the founding of the United States is based on Natural law.


A cougar about to maul her prey.

More to the point of what we are discussing here might be the various sodomy laws still on the books across the United States. Although originally intended to outlaw certain sexual acts between homosexuals, many state's sodomy laws made certain heterosexual acts illegal as well. It is hard to imagine - in this day and age - a single, sexually active person in North America who has not violated some aspect of these laws.

Sodomy laws were invalidated by the 2003 Supreme Court decision Lawrence v. Texas.


Cougarism in the Bible - Genesis chapter 39: Joseph and Potiphar’s Wife (1649 painting by Guercino)


The sexual abuse or exploitation of a child is another example of Natural Law. Whether or not endorsed or tolerated by a society it is wrong, outright, anywhere and everywhere it takes place. This is obviously the issue at hand; in today's society thirteen year old males are considered children.

Perhaps I am a little more lenient because I regard the world through a prism of the Classic era; in ancient times a thirteen-year-old male was of military age; a circumstance which continued until at least the Napoleonic era.


Queen of the Cougars

Over the course of her 34-year reign, Catherine the Great of Russia racked up an impressive tally of conquests, which ended with Alexandrovich Zubov, a man 40 years younger than her.



Cougarism in popular culture: "Coo, coo, ca-choo, Mrs Robinson."



Go Team!


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SATURDAY NIGHT AT STORMBRINGER's

"Bring on the women and the dwarves!"


Bacchus was painted sometime around 1595 by Italian Baroque master Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio. You can see this painting in the Uffizi Gallery, in Florence, Italy.

Bacchus (known in Ancient Greece as Dionysus, Διόνυσος) is the Ancient Roman god of wine, the vintage, and drunkeness, wine cups, inspirational ritual madness, joyful worship, and ecstasy, wine, grapes, theater, wineskins, and fertility. Did I mention wine? The contemporary carnival celebrations of Europe, South America and even the Mardi Gras of New Orleans are in actuality modern day incarnations of the ancient Roman Bacchanalia.

I would present the Greek statue of Dionysus but I am not comfortable enough in my masculinity to post it here. - S.L.

The painting shows a youthful Bacchus reclining in classical fashion with grapes and vine leaves in his hair, fingering the drawstring of his loosely-draped robe. On a stone table in front of him is a bowl of fruit and a large carafe of red wine; with his left hand he holds out to the viewer a shallow goblet of the same wine, apparently inviting the viewer to join him.

Whether intentional or not, there is humour in this painting. The pink-faced Bacchus is an accurate portrayal of a half-drunk teenager dressed in a sheet and leaning on a mattress, but far less convincing as a Graeco-Roman god. The carafe has attracted more scholarly attention than Bacchus himself, because after the painting was cleaned, a tiny portrait of the artist working at his easel was discovered in the reflection on the glass. A reflection of Bacchus' face can also be seen on the surface of the wine in the glass he is holding.

Bacchus' offering of the wine with his left hand - despite the obvious effort this would have caused the model - has led to speculation that Caravaggio used a mirror to assist himself while working from life, doing away with the need for drawing. In other words, what appears to us as the boy's left hand was actually the artist's right.

For anyone who has ever attended Mardi Gras; take the drunkeness, gratuitous nudity, open promiscuity and sheer madness of that event, amp it up at least a tenfold and you can begin to imagine what the Roman celebration of Bacchus must have been like.



Is it just me, or does anyone else sense a similarity here? - Sean Linnane

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