Okay, I admit that I'm not the most educated person in my tribe. Most of what I learned in high school was more like indoctrination than education. So I shouldn't be surprised that I had no idea what this odd object is. Hell, I can't even remember being aware of such a symbol before this past weekend. For those like me who don't know, it's called a fasces, and apparently it's been around for a few centuries. For the past hundred years or so, it's been adopted as the symbol for fascism by guys like these:



So you can imagine my shock when someone pointed out that the fasces could be found on the seal of the State of Colorado.



And the United States Senate.



While we're at it, let's put it in some other places too.



What the heck, why even bother trying to hide it. Let's put a couple where everyone will notice them!



Maybe I'm a bit paranoid.

But it seems to me that whoever decided it would be a good idea to use this particular object to symbolize a "democratic" government needs a good boot to the head (Maybe it was the same person who designed that creepy logo for DARPA, which has since been replaced by this one). Then again, considering the current path of western democracy, the fasci is perfectly suitable. Decades from now, we'll probably learn that PR fim Hill & Knowlton was somehow involved in making fascism palatable to the American public.

Or is this part of a conspiracy that has been going on for hundreds of years? Have you slept through it all your life?

Let me know when you wake up.

Barry