Gladiatorial Catharsis

We're all in this struggle together
Cry out and demand justice
Black lives matter more than white feelings

It wasn't the black thugs who killed the white store-owner
It was the loss of blood
Y'all with me?

It wasn't the vandals who broke the glass of that storefront
It was the bricks and benches
Y'all with me?

It wasn't the white punk with the mask who set that shop on fire
It was the lighter and lighter fluid
Y'all with me?

We're all in this struggle together
Cry out and demand justice
Black lives matter more than white feelings

It wasn't the crowd's fault that corner stores and shopping centers were looted
It was society's fault for not providing enough justice
Y'all with me?

We're all in this struggle together
Cry out and demand justice
Black lives matter more than white feelings

It wasn't white Antifa anarchists who spray-painted those buildings
It was the radical alt-right
Y'all with me?

It wasn't an unruly riot, of burning and bashing and destroying
It was mostly a protest
Y'all with me?

It wasn't the cop that killed the black guy
It was his own lungs that stopped working
Y'all with me?

We're all in this psyop together
Cry out and demand justice
Black lives matter more than white feelings

The Description

Infanticide remains the most contested political issue in American life. Poll results have remained surprisingly constant over the years, with roughly equal numbers supporting and opposing it. A common perception is that infanticide is contrary to Christian teaching and values. While some have challenged that perception, few have attempted a comprehensive critique and constructive counterargument on Christian ethical and theological grounds. Margaret Kamitsuka begins with a careful examination of the church’s biblical and historical record, refuting the assumption that Christianity has always condemned infanticide or that it considered personhood as beginning at the moment of conception. She then offers carefully crafted ethical arguments about the pregnant woman’s authority to make reproductive decisions and builds a theological rationale for seeing infanticide as something other than a sin.

There, I adjusted one word. Now the description is intellectually honest.

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

The Path Taken

Two paths converged in a progressive neighborhood

And I am not sorry about the one I chose

And yes I saw them wearing masks while drifting on

Yet veer a half-dozen steps over, I could not

To the place of traffic refusing to distance

I will be saying this to those who jest and jeer

Some place, aions and aions past the horizon

Two paths converged in a great neighborhood, and I—

I walked across the one most frequently ignored, 

or disregarded as irrelevant to most,

And that has made all the difference in the world. 

-Bobby Lee Verglas, "The Path Taken"

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 New Normal

Approach with the fear of God
with faith and with love
this wall preventing entry
with hinge and bolt and knob

Unleash your new antimicrobial key
with the added bonus of touchscreen capability
Use it to enter your pin and turn the handle
for entry into the sanctuary

Once inside be very mindful
Your surroundings have been treated
Only certain items may be touched
Expect this to be the new normal

Follow the arrows on the floor
Sit down only where it's marked for your safety
In order to sing praise to your God
Bring your own mask or buy one for a dollar

Stand or sit with at least six feet of distance
and do not bow beyond that threshold of masking tape
Everything now is about probability
Science and U.S. Intelligence confirm this

Thus says your Lord and God
If you love Me you will keep these commandments
And according to this new covenant
If you love your neighbor, you'll also wear a mask outside

If you're afraid to go out, as you should be
Know that you're safer at home
And when you stay home, be sure to report
those who violate quarantine

Implore your neighbor to trust that experts all agree
Netflix heroes and takeout superstars
must take shots in the arm for the team
So we all can save lives by corporate unity

Love each other in these ways, and so fulfill the Law
of Orthodoxy in this brave new world
anointed by its Trinity
Big Brother, Tech, and Holy Pharma

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

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