"Molon labe" bumperstickers - Has anybody else seen these?

[deucemagnet]

I saw one yesterday and did a little research. It's attributed to King Leonidas I of Sparta:

The Greek phrase Molōn labe! (Μολὼν λάβε; approximate Classical Greek pronunciation , Modern Greek ), meaning "Come and take them!", is a classical expression of defiance reported by Plutarch in response to the Persian Army's demand that the Spartans surrender their weapons. It corresponds roughly to the modern equivalent English phrase "over my dead body", "bring it on" or, most closely, "come and get it". It is an exemplary use of a laconic phrase.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molon_labe

This is starting to sound a little right-wingy to me, so I search for the bumper sticker, and, sure enough, the phrase has been co-opted by the "Obama's gonna take our guns!" crowd.

http://www.lifelibertyetc.com/product.aspx?pid=32

I thought I might find an interesting story, but instead I found gun nuts. C'est la vie.

[Aristus]

1. I love it; the right-wingers embrace the Spartans, an anti-democratic people who supported

autocratic monarchy and practiced institutionalized homosexuality. Talk about strange bedfellows... :eyes:

[deucemagnet]

3. HAH!

Good observation! :rofl:

[Ikonoklast]

4. They were also losers.

Diplomacy would have been the better tactic.

[Deep13]

5. Modern Greece is essentially an extension of of the Athenian polis.

Sparta died out 200 years after Thermopylae. The static nature of their society was unable to keep up with a changing world. Eventually, the Helots simply overwhelmed them. Without their free labor, Sparta collapsed. Meanwhile, the chaotic Athenian civilization flourished.

[Ikonoklast]

6. They were doomed to fail.

Their societal model was unsustainable, although they did manage to stagger forward for a short time.

I always found the myth of their achievements more satisfying than the actual reality. Most people would be appalled if they were forced to live in such a culture.

[Deep13]

7. And as Pericles said, Athenians were just as effective on the battlefield... [edited]

...and without that brutal lifestyle.

I will say one thing about Sparta that was truly advanced for its time. Alone among Greek women, Spartan women were citizens. That scene in the 300 movie where the queen (there would have been two royal couples, actually) said Spartan women are outspoken because only they give birth to real men is an accurate quote, but of someone else.

Also, it was the Athenian navy that really won the Persian war for the Greeks. The last stand of the 300 was a hell of a statement to the invaders and to the rest of Greece. Still, it accomplished very little.

[KamaAina]

2. If they become popular enough, they'd be quite easy to spoof

"Moron lube", anyone? :evilgrin:

[Deep13]

8. My response:

δημοκρατία

[Blue_Tires]

9. yeah, "300" inspired a lot of silly wingnut jackassery

too many folks still think a CGI-overkill battle-porn popcorn movie based on a comic book was like real life or some shit...

[MineralMan]

10. It's also the slogan of the 101st Keyboard Warriors

MORAN LVBE