ALL ARE WELCOME

They say that he sacrificed himself for everyone.
Others say he sacrificed himself for the many, the elect.
Still, more say he sacrificed himself to make it possible for all.
His enemies cried out, "We have no king but Caesar!"
And they were not saved from the coming wrath.
Not many since then have been allowed to have eyes that see or ears that hear.
That is why they never ask
What if he died only for those who were in the Hades?
And what if Hades was now no more?

That would mean horror and heresy!
Outrage and unyielding angst!
Riots are needed against such blasphemy!
Worst of all, that would mean no one today can be saved.

They say it's gutsy to defy the living God.
He used a church and Bible as a cheap political prop.
He threatened to deploy the military against his citizens.
They accuse his disciples of crying out, "We have no king but Caesar!"
And he tear gasses the peaceful protestors anyway.
Not many since then have been allowed eyes to see or ears to hear.
That is why they never ask
What if he's wrong, but for all the right reasons?
And what if those reasons matter more than your virtue signaling?

That would mean violence and looting!
Stoning and constant carnage!
Riots are needed against such tyranny!
Worst of all, that would mean no one today can be saved.

The Satan

we trusted You
because You trusted in You
the You who is what You is
journalists then sold Your trust in You
universities with research grants sold it too
then doctors everywhere shifted
from whispers to screaming from hilltops
for it to be sold
experts and professionals of all kinds now sell it
like a super shammy at their State fair
and we all bought it
as seen on tv
we donated to Your cause
to receive divine blessing
to wipe out the curse
You offered the new creation we needed
confident
assertive
proven
science
nothing would go wrong
because Your gospel was announced
Your savior was going to tabernacle among us
in our flesh
in our bones
under our skin
on our phones

Infodemic

I remember the day
You responded to the damning evidence
Her story has a lot of holes in it, you said
You've heard both sides, I presume
Your gut tells you someone's lying
Yet less than five minutes passed
And all you offered was an opinion piece
dedicated to the god of Progress,
his mistress, Phobia
and their illegitimate offspring,
Science, Data, and Studies
Surely there is a conspiracy
I can feel your worried tone
And that conspiracy must include me
It could not possibly be among the Priests of culture
who risk to lose millions and billions
and trillions to deviancy

The Infected

Whether infected

or healthy

neither matters

What matters is that you follow the guidelines

Cough and sneeze

Send those droplets

containing the virus

into the air

The healthy ones breathe in

the infected droplets

or they touch a surface

with them on it

No one should assume they’re safe anymore

No one should presume they’re not infected

Symptoms don’t matter

Everyone is guilty until proven innocent

This scary, deadly virus can live 

for hours to days

and possibly weeks

on surfaces, and possibly in the air

Our public health experts have been clear

many times, publicly

about it possibly being too soon to reopen

if the guideline framework they have worked out is not followed

We should not jump over the various checkpoints

and prematurely open up

without having the capability of being able to respond

effectively and efficiently

Our concern should be 

that we will start to see little spikes

that might possibly turn into outbreaks

The consequences could be really serious

We must have an appropriate pace

that is commensurate with the dynamics of the outbreak

When an area pulls back on mitigation

we will see some cases appear

It’s the ability and capability

of responding to those cases

with good identification, isolation, and contact tracing

that will determine whether we can go forward as we try to reopen

It’s not only doing it at the appropriate time

with the appropriate constraints

but having in place the capability of responding

when the inevitable return of infections occur

Researchers still have a lot to learn about this new virus

You’re probably more likely to catch it 

from being around someone who might possibly have it 

than from touching contaminated surfaces

Buy a Dr Fauci Bobblehead to support the fight against Coronavirus

Sizan visited America (a very short story)

There once was a son who lived in a very poor home with unclean water, making everyone sick.

The father loved his son greatly, and cared about the health of others, so he sent his son to America to become great and help others.

Sizan visited America.

Everything in America was new to Sizan.

Most of the people were friendly to Sizan.

Sizan then thought, ‘I like these people! I want to help them!’

So Sizan created a plan to help everyone.

Sizan started helping by building trust among all people.

At that time, the world was suffering because of disease.

Sizan knew that people could not survive without help.

Sizan gave lots of people lots of money, power, and honor.

Sizan invested in people because people needed the help.

Sizan developed teams around the world to trace all people with disease.

For many years, Sizan tried to help, but some people mocked and hated Sizan for the help.

Thankfully, most Americans searched for the truth about Sizan.

At first, everywhere they Googled, YouTubed, and FaceBooked, they received mixed messages about Sizan.

Over time, Sizan invested in research to find a cure that was infecting everyone, and the people started to learn that there is a lot more good than bad to Sizan.

The remedy discovered by Sizan was called Semmelweis Reflex, which was very effective in treating cases of short term memory and cognitive dissonance where new information suggested that established practices were harming public health. 

Eventually, the fake news about Sizan was under control and nearly eradicated.

After that time, no matter where people searched, the people of the world found plenty of good reasons to believe the greatness of Sizan, which made Sizan very happy.

Sizan admitted that some mistakes were made, and there were some significant regrets, but Sizan learned from them all.

Sizan spent more than fifty billion dollars—tax free—to eradicate disease from the world.

Sizan eventually retired, and the gods blessed Sizan with greatness because of the great loyalty of Sizan to them.

Sizan retired in a forty three million dollar home near San Diego—one of many homes that the gods provided for Sizan.

That great city was named after the great Franciscan saint, Diego de san Nicolas.

He served among the newly conquered Canary Islands.

Simpatico Enterprises

Who will guide me?

the sheeple said

Look here!

he said

Look there!

she said

Do not listen to them! 

I will guide you—I, the one, who knows.

I can peel back the layers of truth and reveal to you all its secret inward parts.

said the gatekeeper

Why should we listen to you?

Who made you the one to authenticate?

the sheeple inquired

The Scientific Community.

said the gatekeeper

We have the degrees. 

We have letters of recommendation.

We have articles published and peer reviewed.

We have the required skills of the scientific tradition, 

to teach, train, and discern the truth.

said the gatekeeper

But I have a PhD, also.

said Mr. Humilis

And I have letters of recommendation from seven reputable universities.

said Ms. Tenir

I have dozens of articles, and even one book about my research, all of which have been peer reviewed before publication.

said Mrs. Vilificare

And I have many of the required skills of the accepted scientific tradition, too.

said Mr. Artire

Aha! But do you have the support of society?

And does society support your values or affirm your passions?

We, the ones who know, have such support and affirmation. 

By understanding and living within the rigorous thought world of the communally supported Scientific Community, we can work together to inoculate and immunize future generations against the unhealthy consumption of propaganda.

Together we become safer, at home, and essential for the future good of society.

So beware: Who you choose to listen to forms your ability to see either correctly or in a warped and twisted manner. 

Please listen to the Scientific Community instead of merely thinking independently, or following those who are offering conspiracy theories.

We want you to not only think for yourself, but also to think communally, where knowledge is cultivated and distributed by discerning knowers.

the gatekeeper sternly warned

You may hear about information wars, and even rumors of culture wars. 

But be sure to not let anyone lead you astray with fake news. 

For many will come to you in the name of the Scientific Community,

and they will try to lead you astray, as they have with many others.

Do not listen to them, or encourage them.

Do not share their nonsense.

Lean not on your own understanding,

but in all your ways acknowledge Science, 

and it will direct your paths,

in ways which the future of society must go.

the gatekeeper insisted

But we’ve heard all that before.

said the sheeple

Gatekeepers like you have been selling that dogma for two thousand years,

and we think your predictions about the future are horseshit.

Your authenticated community of knowledge was once our community, too,

until some of us attempted to publish our peer reviewed research,

and tweet our professional, data-driven opinions publicly.

Then we were arrested and jailed on trumped-up charges,

and were publicly maligned by false reports,

or had our reputations publicly twisted,

or our integrity shot with holes by the people with influence around our circles,

or we were just completely ignored as deviants.

We repeatedly asked for evidence of what was an error, 

and all we got was the typical libel of scientific cronyism.

We were fired and fined,

sued and weakened with constant financial assaults,

accused of being the ones spreading lies,

made out to have holes in our stories,

and persecuted.

We looked at the evidence according to your community guidelines and standards—which were ours at that time, too.

We closely inspected the reports and claims of others with degrees and letters of recommendation,

with published and peer reviewed articles,

and all the required skills of your sacred tradition—the same skills that many of us have, too.

Yet we became convinced that the public should not listen to you, the gatekeepers of discerning knowers,

and we no longer think that your guild should be the ones to authenticate what should be cultivated and distributed to guide others.

We published and publicized the data of our experience,

yet our research has been retracted by you.

Our life saving research has been withheld from public appeal because of you.

Our stories and documentaries were taken down from social media by those conspiring with you.

The artificial labels slapped upon us consist of quacks, theorists, and criminals.

We have become the ones shoved into a concentration camp for ethical cleansing.

And our experience of knowing within the Scientific Community is revealing: 

You are the false prophets. You are the priests of culture. You are the rulers of this age, beholden to Herodian-like dynasties, centered on your precious temple, with your empire of thought built around it.

Scrabbling

This one is obsessive
like the green beans of star dollars
charred so badly that its ashes
pioneer through mounds of cream and sugar
that would, quite dogmatically
never be added to any mug

Others are compulsive
so we're told, yet this one's a broken record 
of twanging strings and acts of reading
over and over and over
with words like bees hovering around my lobes
and forty messages a day to chug

The mantra of everyone else's disorder
is repeated again and again and again
and the leitmotif of calling, leading, and Jesus praying
blessing us with a loud voice rising early in the morning
refreshing each like continually dripping water
nipping every intrigued pant leg as a puppy dog

Hourglass

This great mystery
I have been allowed to know 

this sublimely incalculable figure
                                               

Its stability

its practicality
it's inviting me

It's attentive
to detail

to simplicity 

to order

This glass
is stunning

in time

in motion

every minute of every hour

Once molten
and now cool
its pair of bulbs
connected vertically
by a slender, toned neck
teasing with perfection

Everything has its place

with it

no batteries are needed

all it asks for

is a little guidance

a turn over here 

a turn over there

Its gentle, steady, reliable flow

from top to bottom

is beyond understanding
and most glorious

every grain
every mark
every freckle is gold

an inner alchemy of divinity

Conversational Jonah

          Imagine
Jesus standing
beside your shoulder
beside your furtive glance
God is with you
like a toothache

          life
without what
would make you feel
vulnerable, exposed
testing and training your let go muscles

          without
what in your life
would you feel
humbled, silenced
Test and train
your let go muscles

          unrestrained
I wish my voice was better
I never smoked
I was a better father of my first two
I wasn't pale and freckled
I could be more generous

          and
I cared more about the gospel I used to believe
I didn't have such a predictably aloof and self aggrandizing father
the coffee here was tasty
people could and would not work for money
smart phones did not emit ionizing radiation

          indiscriminate
habituated behaviors
and responses to
living on auto-pilot
characterizing the overwhelming
proportion of self

          babble
if you really know me
then you wouldn't really love me
I want you to love me
therefore I won't let you
know the real me

          Throw this guy overboard so we can enjoy conversing again.

ZOOM Carefully

It’s very strange out there

The quarantine is confounding us all

So don’t dwell on conspiracy theories

Watch what is trending

Focus on the facts and data

As they extend each governing ordinance

One more month

One more phase

Before phase two

To reopen

For business

Social distancing is working

Not touching your face will bring relief

Wearing a mask will mitigate the communication of disease

Hand sanitizers are working

Curbside pickup is helping

We can see that the curve is flattening

Begin at the center

ZOOM carefully
Pay attention to the structure
Like a rorschach technique
The Chiasmus unfolds the synchysis
Pay attention to the pattern
ZOOM carefully

Work your way out

Beyond the aetherband

Miracle unicorn juice in the making

While microbreweries are converting

While RT-PCR tests confirm that people in general are fools

And so will each check signed by the POTUS

While normality is live streaming

To maintain the right proportion of serfdom

For monitoring who will stay at home

We all need another extension

And as many more as are needed

And many more are needed

To prepare us all for immunization

From the virus in one host to another

Infecting our minds and futures

Distorting what is reported

To stabilize the strategized reflation

Beyond the fourth wall