First published by Information Clearing House on March 24, 2004

US international aggressions under George W. Bush signaled the "outing" of a previously undisclosed movement toward military supremacy which was backed by business interests with money enough to prime the engine of the fledgling war machine and led by men like George Bush the Father, whose willingness to use violence in his pursuit of power seemed to know no moral boundaries.

During the "Dark Decade" that followed Bush's election, the press was essentially neutralized, Congressional seats were packed with Bush supporters, the Justice system was militarized, and the military was de-humanized. Africa became a place to build guilty fortunes and the ground work for conquest of the resource rich Eastern nations was laid. Wholesale sacrifices of human life, exposed in retrospect by inquiries resulting from the new activism, were callously made to the cause.

Faithful to his father’s aspirations, George Bush the Son, with backing from the Congress, has inflicted unimaginable destruction on the earth and her inhabitants and seems poised to go much further. His claim to be the chosen of God is enthusiastically supported by authoritative religious groups, making opposition to his bloody rule appear to be not only un-patriotic, but also heretical. This placing of Bush’s authority next to God’s, added to the administration’s harsh treatment of challengers and the media’s biased promotion of his image, has to date prevented activists’ fervent calls for change from being acted upon.

Through their program of indoctrination, this ruthless coalition seems to have beguiled the public into a state of compliance that is unbelievable, given our historical background. What could cause so many in this nation, by their support or silence, to become party to our government's ruthless campaign against the weakest among the population of the world?

The Robert Byrds, Kathy Kellys, Ramsey Clarks, and Cynthia McKinneys of this country have put everything on the line in their resistence to the evil force that has usurped control of our government. A remarkable number of people have united behind humanitarian and watchdog groups in an effort to ease suffering and awaken the people to the magnitude of the threat.

But it seems there is no slaughter disgraceful enough, no loss pitiful enough, and no sacrifice moving enough to stir the country's conscience to action. With the evidence that is now available, how could anyone not know the truth of what's going on. What is it then that prevents the people of this nation from rising up against the tyrants that govern us, like the founding fathers did, and cleaning up the corruption in our hallowed halls of Congress and in the White House?

It's almost as if our public consciousness has degenerated to the moral level of a primitive cult, such as that of the Aztecs, the early native people remembered for their bloody human sacrifices.

The elite among the Aztecs - the warriors, priests, and royalty - joined forces for the purpose of increasing their mutual powers. As the rulers became wealthy from plunder from conquests of neighboring tribes, the people became divorced from their government. Under the powerful priests, religious life came to be centered around daily human sacrifice of captives, required by their god Huitzilochtli for continued rain, good harvest, and success in war.

Perhaps it is a bit of a stretch to compare our responsibilities regarding the massacre of captives and civilians with that of the Aztec masses in the practice of human sacrifice. After all, our media keeps the blood and gore out of our view, making denial easier. But is there that much difference in the level of moral reasoning between the superstition behind the Aztec belief that human sacrifice was necessary for good harvests and the twisted belief being proposed by our leaders and apparently accepted by a passive public that the war and slaughter being carried on in the name of democracy could somehow be to our advantage?

The upcoming election may have contributed to the passive response of the public to government corruption. It seems that, rather than act, many have pinned their hopes for change on the election of a Democrat. But the frontrunners have said nothing about cleaning up Congress or pulling in the reins of the maverick military and industrial power conglomerates behind the government debacle. So if the Democrats win, why should we expect anything other than a return to the somewhat subdued but thoroughly corrupt "status quo" that existed before the presidency of Bush the Son?

Is "less" violence and corruption the best that we should hope for from the leaders of our country?

By the time Cortes and his Spanish band arrived at the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan, life had become unbearable for the common people, with the government resorting to mock attacks on local villages for victims to supplement their daily sacrifices. Thinking that Cortes was the benevolent god, Quetzalcoatl, come to rescue them from their brutal rulers, many joined Cortes' band in their conquest of the city. But they soon learned that their savior was as cruel as their previous tormentors.

According to Chris Harman in his article, "Blood Sacrifice," the early Aztecs avoided absorption into a ruthless community by escaping into the forest, yet they too became ruthless under the leadership of a corrupt government. The people of the Aztec nation undoubtedly had their prophets, warning them to turn from violence, but still they did not protest the murder of their neighbors or attempt to overthrow their rulers. By the time they themselves became victims of the rulers' blood-thirst, it was too late to change things.

How will we justify the events in this ugly phase of US history to generations that follow? Who could have believed that the very principles on which the nation was established would ever be trampled under the feet of our Congress and the president to whom it has ceded its power.

We may be at a crossroad - at a point where our choices will determine what kind of world we leave for our children, or whether there will be a habitable world in which they can survive. Can it be our destiny to be remembered as the nation that greedily devoured our neighbors and the wealth of our world? Let us do what we must to prove our character in this test of our worthiness for the responsibility of power. Then perhaps, with our charitable spirit restored, we can share the premiere challenge of preserving our endangered earth home, for the welfare of this and subsequent generations.