Hi Fox,

I think you point out one of the fundamental truths:

The law is there to provide an example, to set a tone and to enable those who are a bit more "human" to corral those who are not when the need arises.

However, law and the constitution to can be wielded heavily by those who seek to exploit others or insulate themselves from attack.

The same laws we live under today, minus a lot of extra city and state legislation have supported a structure which has grown from that small fraction of what it is today.

Likewise, the same laws can be used malevolently or beneficially. A sufficiently intelligent or devious individual can corrupt law to serve his own ends.

Our structure could easily support all the other nations populations - just like Roman law was spread far and wide and among diverse races and religions.

However, one of the fundamental components of an empire is its eventual dissolution.

If we learn from history we see that a series of corrupt leaders can damage an empire, make it weak and make its population decadent and weak.

Over-extension is also something which leads to collapse. One of the primary concerns of our leaders today is how to wage war on more than one front, maintain a modicum of reserve forces for other possible needs and do so without relying upon conscription or war bonds or corporate take-overs as was employed during WWII.

The US is in no position to force its beliefs on more than a few small nations at a time - even if it wanted to.

We could use nuclear blackmail on the third world countries - but this would surely lead to a nuclear strike on us from other quarters - once we were perceived as a global force of tyranny and set upon global conquest.

So your three words become more important than ever - lead by example.

The US has tried to serve as a role model for all nations ready for a freer and more intelligent governing structure.

However, many have tried and failed to capture the essence of our laws - only because those who were in a position to do so reserved some special priveleges and power to themselves. In this sense, our founding fathers were the epitome of restraint - probably due in large part to the fact they held such little power when they drafted our laws.

No, America will never become an empire in the roman sense. And reviving the term is done by many with an attempt to delegitimize the current administration's activities - and create a popular link with the rule by force and conquest.

Something some folks are all too willing to play along with. These folks have been trained better than Pavlov's dogs to follow media cues.

The true ability to think and not mimic points of view or to follow along a course designed carefully to make you think you are "thinking" - when you are really only "discovering" what they have orchestrated - is rare.

Of course, like data in a computer the more data one has, the more complex analysis one can make of anything.

Just like the more one has read - sometimes one can see the same old plot resurface again and again under a new title by a new writer.

Best wishes,

SDAI-Tech1