My Name Is Spartacus

by Mike Wasdin

It will not be the governing class alone that will react in horror to the prospect of an American slave insurrection; the sheep would be equally frightened at the thought of having to think for themselves. Whatever the objections of men dispossessed by the State, they would find it unthinkable to involve themselves with rebellious slaves.

Spartacus was said to be an enigma, a freeborn provincial from Thrace . He served as an auxiliary in the Roman army in Macedonia .  He deserted the army, was outlawed, and sold into slavery. He was trained at the gladiatorial school in Batiatus in Capua , where he escaped with 70-80 gladiators. They camped on Vesuvius and were joined by other rural slaves. To feed his men in an alien land, he was forced to pillage his oppressors. The Romans were accustomed to relative security and were easy prey.

The Romans sent a force of about 3,000 recruits, hastily drafted from the region to fight against the rebel slaves. They thought they had Spartacus defeated on Vesuvius, but he led his men down the other side of the mountain, flanking the soldiers and defeating them.

As Spartacus became more powerful, the Senate became alarmed and sent two legions to kill the rebel slaves. By now Spartacus had raised about 70,000 slaves, mostly from rural areas. Spartacus would defeat the Roman armies again, but at a great price, the loss of one of his great generals, Crixus.

Spartacus would go on to win many battles before dying in a great battle against Crassus’ legions in southern Italy .  The slaves that were not killed in battle were crucified along the Appian Way from Capua to Rome .  

Spartacus should be admired for his ability to break the bonds of his oppressors. Rather than reform Roman society, Spartacus tried to bring his forces out of Italy towards freedom. The courage, tenacity, and ability of this great Thracian warrior who held Roman forces at bay for over two years and built a handful of followers into an army of over 120,000 men can only inspire admiration and respect.

Where are the freedom fighters of today? Why are the sheep so complacent to be sheep? I fear that there will be no Spartacus to save mankind from the coming slave state. Spartacus like many other warriors of the past was born into a different age, an age of honor and strength. May your chains rest lightly upon you!

I have been accused of having a dismal view of the future. Friends say that I should just “don’t worry, be happy.”  In a way, I know they are right. After all, what can one man really do to change anything? I guess it angers and saddens me that people don’t care enough about their freedom to stand up for their rights. Most people are waiting to get the handouts and scraps of freedom that the government so generously throws at them. As one person said to me, “Freedom is the right to do what you are supposed to do.” We are so fucked!

The sheep will aid their masters in the coming revolution, as they have grown accustomed to their lives as slaves. The Stockholm syndrome has taken over the masses and they now accept their slavery as the natural way of things. As for myself, I will not be a slave. If anyone should try to make me a slave, they should be aware that my name is Spartacus.