Date: Thu, 10 Aug 2000

DATELINE LOS ANGELES: This morning, The Roman Forum put the

U.S. presidency up for auction on eBay (http://www.ebay.com) for a

minimum bid of . No longer will the presidency be restricted to a

small number of wealthy individuals and their cronies. "The presidency

belongs to all of us, so all of us should have a fair shot at it," said Cicero,

a member of The Roman Forum. "It is being auctioned off now because

its current owner is moving and an auction is the fairest way to bring it to

the attention of the largest number of possible buyers." The presidency is

being listed on eBay under the category "Collectibles: Political (US): Presidency"

and it is described as a "unique object ... 210 years old and in good condition--

a real collector's item". The auction is slated to last 10 days, and an undisclosed

reserve price has been set on the presidency. Another member of The Roman

Forum, the famed writer Petronius Arbiter, pointed out that there are historical

precedents for this auction. "The Roman Empire was auctioned off once or twice

by the Praetorian Guard," he noted. "Once in 192 A.D., as I recall." Roman Forum

member Germania added that in his campaign for the U.S. presidency, George W.

Bush has reportedly raised on the order of million from only around 800

individuals out of the entire nation. "If 800 people can own the presidency, why can't

one?" she asked.

The Roman Forum are meeting in Los Angeles during the week of

the Democratic National Convention and can be found at Side Street

Live at 425 S. Main St., 2nd floor, downtown Los Angeles. Anyone

wishing to attend their deliberations is invited to Side Street Live on

August 11, 14, 15, 16, 18, and 19 at 8 p.m. Tickets are ( with

parking stub) and for students, and there is attended parking in the

building. For reservations, leave a message at 213-620-8895. For more

information, please go to http://yin.arts.uci.edu/~players/RF .