Tag: breads and circuses

Three Stories You Missed While The White House Parades The UFC On The Front Lawn

The second century Roman satirical poet Decimus Junius Juvenalus once famously said “Give them bread and circuses, and they will never revolt”. An astute observation of how the Roman populace became complacent in the face of abuses by their government, placated with free grain and spectacles rather than exercising their civic duties.

This phrase has been oft repeated in the centuries since, applied to numerous governments across the world. But perhaps nowhere is it more prevalent than in present-day America.

In the lead up to the much anticipated 250th anniversary of the founding of our nation, and in the midst of a wave of the worst presidential scandals in over 100 years, the Trump administration is doing everything in its power to shift attention away from the disastrous Iran War and the fact that The sitting president of the United States is implicated hundreds of times in the sexual exploitation and abuse of minors.

Whether it be by continuing the limited hangout of selective UFO disclosure, or by hosting the Ultimate Fighting Championship on the White House front lawn in some sort of weird hyper-masculine MAGA charade, the political theatrics only continue to intensify.

That being said, here are a few worthwhile stories that actually matter.

Pro-2A Pushback In Virginia

In March, the Free Thought Project reported on a massive anti gun crusade being pushed by legislators in Virginia under the new Democrat administration of former CIA analyst Abigail Spanberger. Among the myriad of infringements to Virginia’s Second Amendment rights were proposals seeking civil liability for firearms manufacturers, expansions of the already blatantly unconstitutional red flag laws, attempts to prohibit 3D printed firearms, the implementation of gun buyback programs, ending the right to open carry, and an outright ban on so-called “assault weapons”.

The most egregious of these, the “assault weapons” ban, was signed into law on May 14th, 2026. 

Thankfully, however, this callous disregard for the Constitution was immediately challenged, with several gun rights groups including the Second Amendment Foundation as well as the National Rifle Association, Gun Owners of America, and the Virginia Citizens Defense League have all filed lawsuits in response to the new legislation.

Additionally, at least four Virginia prosecutors have publicly come out in opposition to the new legislation, signaling their intent to refuse to enforce the law. According to the Washington Times:

Prosecutors in Spotsylvania, Smyth, Powhatan and Pulaski counties argued that it violates Second Amendment protections, citing the U.S. Supreme Court’s rulings in District of Columbia v. Heller in 2008 and New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen in 2022.

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Biden signs RFK Stadium land bill into law, a step toward potential Commanders stadium in Washington

President Joe Biden on Monday signed into law a bill that transfers the land that includes the old RFK Stadium from the federal government to city control, the next step to potentially pave the way for the NFL’s Washington Commanders to return to the nation’s capital.

Giving the District of Columbia control of the land for the next 99 years allows for the decaying husk of the old stadium to be torn down and the site redeveloped for any number of things. One of the possibilities is a football stadium and surrounding entertainment options at the franchise’s former home.

Owners Josh Harris, Mitch Rales and Mark Ein and Mayor Muriel Bowser stood behind Biden at the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office when he signed the D.C. Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium Campus Revitalization Act. The Commanders in a statement said it was a big win for the city and its residents.

“Washington can finally move forward on a new vision for the RFK site,” they said. “We look forward to being a part of that conversation as we evaluate a future home for the Washington Commanders.”

Bowser called this moment “the results of years of tireless and strategic advocacy, extraordinary collaboration and bipartisan leadership.”

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The New Bread and Circuses

Conservatives say Americans must “wake up” if we’re to save our country.  However, that implies that the people are asleep, unaware of increasing government oppression.

I submit that those apparently oblivious to America’s increasing tyranny aren’t really asleep.  No, much like citizens of ancient Rome, they’re distracted, placated.

In ancient Rome, the government provided bread, oil, and wine to its urban population along with entertainment — chariot races or gladiatorial fights.  Food and entertainment kept the people busy, content, with their eyes off the government.  The distractions worked.

“[The people] which formerly gave military power, high offices, legions, all, now contains itself, and eagerly desires two things only — bread and circus games.”

—Juvenal

Today, “bread and circuses” has been updated to fast food and smartphones.  The food’s not free, but it is prepared, packaged, and just a phone call away.  These meals on demand takes the worry out of dinner and give people more free time for their phones.  And these phones are today’s “circuses.”

These modern-day games are held in the Virtual Arena, AKA the internet.  Here people can listen to music, watch sports or movies, shop online, play games, meet with friends, or duel with strangers any time day or night.  This entertainment keeps the people “busy, content.”  It takes their eyes off the government.

For many Americans, this virtual world is their safe place, where they can control what they watch, whom they listen to, what they choose to believe.  In this world, they’re respected, validated as paragons of virtue.

Here they stand with those who reject hate, who serve as watchdogs to call out racists, xenophobes, homophobes, or transphobes.  These shining examples of moral superiority defend all immigrants.  They want to share America’s wealth with everyone, anyone.  They know that those crossing the border aren’t criminals, terrorists, or human traffickers — those are all lies by the rabid right, misinformation.  No, these immigrants are only looking for a better life for themselves and their families.

And these enlightened souls fight to save the planet.  They eagerly embrace any and all efforts to stop any global warming/cooling event.  They endorse drastic measures, even if such actions will leave many without a car, without heat, without a job — even if wind farms continue to kill birds (estimated 140,000 to 328,000 birds each year in North America).

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Bread and Circuses: What It Means for Once-Great Nations

Democracy, that ever-so-fleeting fancy, has a tendency to tumble into a bit of a tizz before it topples over, panting and gasping like a winded walrus.

John Adams, ever the prophet of doom, once quipped, “Democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts and murders itself”—a sentiment echoing through the corridors of time.

And sounding much like the belch of a senator post-banquet in ancient Rome, where democracy was more a concept for philosophical banter than a practice.

Indeed, Rome, with all its pomp and voracious appetite for self-indulgence, serves as a cautionary tale. It’s a well-trodden path.

Once upon a time in Rome, there was Juvenal. Not your garden-variety naysayer, but a man whose tongue was so sharp, he could slice the moral fabric of society with a mere quip.

And so, Rome bloated, not just in the midriff but in its sense of self, as leisure became the national pastime.

Back then, over 200,000 souls, their fingers sticky from pastry, found the concept of lifting a finger (unless it was to signal for another helping) utterly foreign.

Rome was transformed into a grand stage, where almost every day was a festival, and the citizens were either performers, spectators, or busy in the vomitorium making room for the next course.

Naval skirmishes in makeshift lakes, chariot races that put the fast and furious to shame, and theatre so risqué it could make a statue of Venus look prudish, were all funded by the very people it was designed to distract.

Ninety-three days of sheer, unadulterated spectacle each year, turning Rome from a republic into an extravagant production, where democracy was but a whisper drowned out by the roar of the crowd.

Sound familiar?

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