King County Democrats will be showin a bit o’green Thursday, March seventeenth to show pride in the life of Saint Patrick (c 387-493). He is certainly proud of us.
Named Maewyn, he was born to a wealthy family in Britain where success in the agricultural economy was based on the Roman patron-client relationship system of social control. His father received substantial tax relief because of his position as deacon in the Christian church. The Roman Governor, a paternal protector and benefactor, formed alliances with selective clients and offered financial assistance and legal protection at the expense of the exploited lower class. The Roman writer Tacitus tells us the people of Britain, more than a century before the empire evolved into a Christian state, “…were seduced into alluring vices: pillared halls, baths and choice banquets. The simple natives gave the name of „culture‟ to this aspect of their slavery” (Agricola 21).
