Our armed forces, among whose ranks I served as Advisory Team Leader in Vietnam, are in great danger of disintegrating: AWOL's are up, Marines are being sent into combat for their fourth tour, and even Baghdad, the Iraqi capital, is out control. Armed militias roam the streets unmolested, threatening to kill any woman not wearing an Islamic headscarf. Even Christian women, now in fear or their lives, are trying to pose as devout muslims by wearing headscarves.
Our war, which President Bush started for oil, is lost. The ancient ruins of Harran (see map), were called Carrhae by the Romans. They speak of another man, driven by greed, who destroyed an invincible army: Crassus (see picture), like Bush, though fabulously wealthy, physically deaf and spiritually blind, set out for Syria in his campaign against the Parthians, whose western frontier bordered the Euphrates. Their land covers much of the territory that we now call Iraq. Crassus was met by a young general, (Surenas, far left on this posting), whose army surrounded the Roman legions at Carrhae (now Harran). Surenas killed Crassus and his son, as well as 20,000 legionaires. Those who were unfortunate enough to be captured, were sold into slavery, and only a few were able to return safely to Rome.
Even in those days, news of the disastrous Roman defeat travelled quickly throughout the empire. In 42BC, Gaul, (now France), under the able leadership of Vercingetorix, revolted - a severe crisis for the Roman empire.
