The similarities are indeed
striking. According to History.com, the Aztecs practiced human sacrifice to
gain favor with the gods, intimidate the enemy and reinforce their power. As
described by the author:
“Large and small human sacrifices would be
made throughout the year to coincide with important calendar dates….to dedicate
temples, to reverse drought and famine, and more….Human sacrifice also served
another purpose in the expanding Aztec empire of the 15th and 16th century:
intimidation. The ritual killing of war captives and the large-scale displaying
of skulls were visceral reminders of the strength of the empire and the extent
of its dominion.” [1]
By issuing an executive order prohibiting cities and other government entities in their states from enacting vaccine requirements or mask mandates to protect against the viruses, Gov. Gregg Abbot and Gov. Rob DeSantis are
in effect stating that they have no problem with sacrificing the lives of
families and children to promote the divine goal of personal responsibility. Both governors are apparently suffering from severe
memory loss by overlooking the fact that vaccines, not personal
responsibility, were responsible for protecting us from 14 diseases that used
to be prevalent in the U.S., including polio, tetanus, influenza, hepatitis A
and B, rubella, hibs, measles, whooping
cough, pneumococcal disease, rotavirus, mumps, chickenpox, and diphtheria. [2]
To justify their actions, both
governors continue to underscore the value of personal responsibility as
the antidote for ending the illnesses, hospitalizations and mortalities from COVID-19
and the Delta variant, against the advice of medical experts and the increasing
fears of parents with children. On the contrary, both governors have used the
personal responsibility mantra as a subterfuge for their complete failure to lead
during this crisis. Effective leaders do not bury their head in the sand and suggest
that constituents find their own solutions.
Instead of helping in the war
against the spread of these deadly viruses, the governors have issued
executives orders requiring public agencies to remove any mask mandates and
have threatened to withhold the funding for public agencies that defy their executive
orders. To their credit, a number of
large school districts in Texas and Florida have chosen to defy these executive
orders and will mandate the use of masks to protect school children and
teachers. Fortunately, Dallas Judge Tonya Parker just placed a temporary
restraining order on the executive order issued by Governor Abbott – a major
achievement that will hopefully be replicated in Florida as well.
Politicians like Gov. Abbott and
Gov. DeSantis who are willing to sacrifice the lives of innocent persons,
especially children, for their personal glorification are morally equivalent to
the Aztecs and deserve to be removed from their political office at the
earliest opportunity.
[1] Roos, D. (2018 October 11). Human Sacrifice: Why the Aztecs Practiced This Gory Ritual, Accessed on 8-11-21 at: https://www.history.com/news/aztec-human-sacrifice-religion
