Ides of March Takes It's Toll

A rising star falls in China, James Murdoch maintains his innocence, and Ron Blagojevich finally goes to prison. What did Caesar actually say on the Ides of March?

by David Roknich

(March 15 2012) INDYRADIO

Although former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich maintains his innocence , today he becomes another number at Englewood Correctional Center near Denver. Rod made a public statement at 5:02 pm on the eve of his surrender. It is the last news we expect from him in a while.

James Murdoch also maintains his innocence in a 7 page letter to the UK parliament, posted yesterday. Will his scalp be saved? Today is the Ides of March, when knives are bloodied and heads do roll. Surprise is the order of the day. James, the younger son of media mogul Rupert, has resigned his position at the Family Firm, and his letter follows on the heels of the arrest of Rebekah Brooks, former CEO of News International.

"It has been suggested that my decision to resign my role at News International reflected past knowledge of voicemail interception or other alleged criminal wrongdoing at News International," the younger Murdoch writes. "This is untrue."

According to Politico.com, a committee of  Parliament "will rule on whether Murdoch can maintain his position as chairman of BSkyB, the British broadcasting company controlled by News Corp."  Time will tell whether his plaint will save his head , but it is already too late for Chongqing party chief Bo Xilai .

Xinhua reported:

"BEIJING, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Chongqing party chief Bo Xilai urged on Friday that the municipality be built into a safe and health city so as to satisfy its 30 million people. While participating in a panel deliberation of the government work report by the Chongqing delegation at the ongoing parliamentary session, Bo said the crackdown on gangdom in Chongqing in southwestern China was to create a favorable environment for the people and local business... This year marks the 15th anniversary of Chongqing being uplifted to a municipality directly under the central government from a mega city in Sichuan Province."

We were alsleep when the Ides of March rolled through China, where Communist Party Central Committee was already meeting. Last week, Bo Xilai was a rising star in the Party, but a terse annoucement from Li Yuanchao, head of the Organization Department of the Central Committee, has changed everything:

"CHONGQING, March 15 (Xinhua) -- Zhang Dejiang has been appointed Party chief of Chongqing, replacing Bo Xilai, according to a decision of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee announced Thursday. Bo will no longer serve as secretary, standing committee member or member of the CPC Chongqing municipal committee."

We won't be hearing from Bo Xilai unless he manages to sneak out of China. ABC News tells why.

Julius Caesar was taken off guard by his friend, Marcus Brutus on this day in 44 BC. Although much is make of his finally words "You, too Brutus" and what was really meant, it is most likely he said nothing at all as he fell. Roman historian Suetonius¹ reports that others made claims about Caesar's last words, but he was there and heard nothing. Likewise Plutarch.

Czar  Nicholas II of Russia did have a statement to make late in the day on March 15, 1917. At about 3 in the afternoon, he calmly penned his resignation marking the end of 3 centuries of Romanov rule, as the February Revolution took control of Petrograd. Little more than a year later, he was shot by the Bolsheviks.

Here in the Midwest, it is still early on a day when heads roll and kingdoms fall. Beware the Ides of March.

1. Suetonius, The Lives of Twelve Caesars, Life of Julius Caesar, translation by JC Rolfe