Like composer, like acta. LET THEM BURN!

In light of this recent recovery of our former tyrant’s acta, my suggestion for action in the senate is simple: burn it all, and burn it well.

In the past several weeks, this most noble republic has demonstrated that there is no room for tyranny. Julius Caesar attempted and failed; Marcus Antonious attempted and failed; Marcus Lepidus, Gaius Julius Caesar, and Publius Cornelius Dolabella attempted collectively to overcome the Republic and also failed; To withstand such attempts and still produce a functioning and (somewhat) unified senate is an enormous accomplishment. These things having been brought forward, I do not understand why there is even any consideration for approving Caesar’s acta. To approve of and distribute the acta accordingly would declare the Republic’s loyalty to a tyrant’s deeds, even when he is dead! Noble senators, must I remind you that there was a reason that that imperial ox was put down?

To the Caesarian party, I understand your loyalty to Caesar. I too was subject to Caesar’s charms and gifts while under his military command. However, I snapped out of the spell he placed on us and saw him for the true tyrannical, egotistical maniac he really was! Some of you fear that abolition of the acta would lead to chaos throughout the empire. My response to that is with what this great empire has witnessed here in the past few weeks (liberation of Rome, take-over by Marcus Antonious, march on Rome by a wretched and self-proclaimed triumvirate, and the assassination of Rome’s liberator himself), I think it to be in the best interest of the people that we condemn the acta to the same fate as its composer. Even if by pure insanity we support the tyrant’s obsolete requests, the floodgates will open for future tyrants who can easily claim power or advancement of their personal agendas, just by pointing to Caesar’s documents. For once, Caesarians I ask you to put aside your personal agendas for the safety and well-being of the Republic, just as noble Brutus once did.

Furthermore, in no way does my disapproval of Caesar’s acta advance my personal ambitions in this senate. The reason I am so adamantly against advocating the acta is because I firmly believed and still do believe that he was a tyrannical criminal, who had the utmost disregard for the Republic and what it stands for. It would be extremely hypocritical of the senate to accept Caesar’s acta because it would declare our loyalty to a dead tyrant’s requests. Logically, if his acta are taken into effect, then Caesar’s tyrannical system is still in effect. To accept would erase any success this senate has had in the past several weeks, and would send us back to square one: what to do about Caesar. He was a criminal, a tyrant, and an oppressor; therefore his last requests should be viewed as tyrannical; it is that simple, conscript fathers.

Also, with the recent and sudden (and extremely unexpected!) assassination of Brutus himself, accepting Caesar’s acta would be a spit on most noble Brutus’ grave. He was commended for his self-less act of putting an end to Caesar’s tyranical romp, and then cursed by Postumus’ knife. If the acta were to be accepted, wise senators, then it would appear to the people of our esteemed empire that Caesar was murdered for no reason. This, I assure you, cannot be the case. So let us put an end to Caesar’s tyrannical ways once and for all. Let the acta burn to death under the same fate as its composer!