Believers and Knowers

Faith is the belief in something without evidence.  Knowledge is the belief in something based on evidence.  It appears to me our great national divide falls along the lines of faith vs. knowledge.  For example, there are those who believe the earth is flat.  They have no evidence other than saying if you look at the horizon the earth appears to be flat.  Most folks know the earth is basically spherical.  There are volumes and volumes of evidence to support this knowledge.  So what happens when a flat-earther engages in conversation with someone who has evidence to the contrary?  It has been my experience that once the evidence is presented there is little for the flat-earther to do other than call the “knower” names, imply they do not support certain values, that they are rude, insensitive and not respectful.  It is an ongoing dilemma.  What should a person say who has knowledge and knows better?  Acquiescence implies there is validity in the believers’ belief.  And yet, to push the case just makes it worse. 

When confronted with facts believers can only attack and they do so without facts.  They do so with more beliefs.  Knowers are more than willing to change their perspective if there are facts to support an alternative view.  If one bases one’s position on the issues based on knowledge then of course as knowledge changes position changes.  That is not true of believers.  Believers believe they hold the truth because they believe it and for no other reason.  Just because one believes something to be true does not make it true.  Just because one wants something to be true does not make it true.  And just because one heard someone else say it is true does not make it true.

All this is made worse by spokespeople for believers who promote non-knowledge based positions that believers are more than willing to accept even though there is no evidence, or even though the evidence is all to the contrary.  There are multiple examples of this.  Some believe Obama committed treason and should be tried.  There is no evidence to support this position.  The evidence is all to the contrary.  But if a believer trusts a spokesperson who promotes conspiracy theories without fact then the believer will not be swayed.  The same is true of what believers believe about Clinton and emails, Benghazi, Uranium, etc.  All the evidence is to the contrary but believers do not want to hear that.  The same is true of the pandemic.  There is no evidence it was a Democratic hoax or developed in Chinese laboratories as a weapon.  But because certain spokespeople for the believers claim that it is true, believers go on believing it despite the facts.

I thought we reached the zenith of this bizarre conflict when a spokesperson for the believers announced that there was such a thing as “alternative” facts.  Yes, there can be conflicting evidence on a topic that has yet to be resolved via further investigation, but there is no such thing, by definition, of alternative facts.  This statement was clearly an effort to validate non-supported beliefs when in conflict with the facts.

When medical research showed that an aspirin a day could significantly help people with clogged arteries, those at risk of heart attacks and strokes, then doctors immediately began telling their patients to begin taking an aspirin every day.  No conflict.  No protests.  The facts were the facts.  When medical research showed that smoking was a significant health risk and should cease, there was a huge backlash led by the tobacco companies.  Eventually, the facts won out and everyone seems to know that smoking is bad for one’s health.  But there were economic consequences for recognizing that fact and there were addiction consequences for recognizing the facts so the facts were fought.

Science is not a liberal conspiracy.  Knowledge is a good thing, not a bad thing.  Why does anyone need to say this to a nation that has prospered tremendously due to our ability to innovate, explore, and develop via science?  Surely, everyone supports the collection of data to confirm or reject certain positions.  Not so.  It is never been so.  Just ask Copernicus when he showed that the earth was not the center of our universe or our solar system and was persecuted by the church for saying such blasphemous things.

Here is a list of those things that I currently perceive are a source of conflict between the believers and the knowers:

Knowers:  Trump is a consummate liar.  Believers:  Trump does not lie.

Knowers:  A free press must be able to investigate the wrongdoing of those in power positions.  Believers:  A free press is the enemy of the people and the main reason Trump is attacked.

Knowers:  Trump has been charged with committing multiple crimes for which he has yet to be held accountable.  Believers:  Trump has done no wrong and it is the media and the Democrats who are after him.

Knowers:  The COVID-19 pandemic is a serious risk to our way of life and the health and well-being of our nation and the world.  If we do not shut down, wear masks, maintain social distancing, etc., the number of deaths will continue to escalate.  Believers:  The entire virus thing is a hoax or at least nothing significant and has been overplayed so that the economy looks bad in November for political reasons and they will not wear a mask.

Knowers:  Trump will be seen as the worst and most corrupt President in our history using any variable of analysis.  Believers:  God chose Trump, he can do no wrong.

The above is just a sampling.  The list goes on and on regarding guns, abortion, police profiling, race relations, gender equity, gender preference, health care, etc., etc.  There are vast bodies of research out there on each of these topics, almost all of which is in conflict with what many believers believe to be true, or want to believe to be true.

We have no chance of advancing as a nation if we act on belief when it is in conflict with knowledge.  There has not been one single scientifically validated set of facts that has ever been replaced by a belief system.  The opposite, however, happens almost daily. 

I seek to be a knower.  When I hear something new and it does not seem to ring true I investigate.  I use fact-checkers, I use search engines to find articles on the topic, and I seek to find who supports the new something.  I am able to discard an entire array of conspiracy theories and erroneous belief systems doing this.  I do the work.  I do the reading.  On the other hand, if I find there is evidence to the contrary, evidence that supports the new thing, I will suspend my belief and seek more evidence.  My thoughts are likely to change.  I am not defensive about it because my position should always be fact-based so if there are new facts I should change.  And I do.

I spend a lot of time talking to believers.  For many, they are not interested in the facts and their minds are made up.  I find that ever so sad and ever so scary.  Had humans always operated that way we would still likely live in caves organized by clans, hunting and gathering food, and worshipping gods of weather and fertility.  I recommend that those who stick to their beliefs regardless of the facts should take all their technology, their cell phones, TV’s, microwaves, computers, and Roombas to the nearest Best Buy and turn them in to be recycled.  It is not reasonable to argue with science and benefit from the fruits of science at the same time.

Please be a knower.  Please know that if your beliefs are in conflict with the evidence and the facts you must abandon your beliefs.  Otherwise, we will all continue to suffer from ill-informed decision-making that has grown to threaten the very existence of this democracy, this secular government, grounded in knowledge and advanced by the application of that knowledge.  The truth will set us all free.  Beliefs without evidence will keep us shackled.

(PS:  Yesterday the new White House Press Secretary announced to reporters that the President was not going to let science get in the way of what needed to be done.  So, there you go.)

What Do You Expect?

A classic study in 1968 conducted by Rosenthal and Jacobson discovered a powerful link between teacher expectations and student achievement.  Teachers in a school were accustomed to reviewing the student IQ scores of their incoming students.  Low and behold those students with the highest IQ scores made the A’s and those whose scores were not so stellar made lower grades.  The study, however, gave teachers erroneous random scores rather than the actual scores.  There was no connection between the actual IQ score and the random score the teachers saw.  Low and behold those students with the highest random number made the A’s and those students whose random number was not so stellar made the lower grades.  Kids with actual low IQ scores performed better than kids with actual high IQ scores if their random number was higher.  Powerful data, and the study has been replicated and verified multiple times.  An entire set of instructional strategies emerged from these data to help teachers expect the best from all their students and communicate such to even the lowest-performing students. 

Do the achievement scores of high IQ kids still matter?  Of course, they do.  But high IQ students tend to do very well.  Black students not so much.  Poor students not so much.  If I was still in education I would be very tempted to start a “Black Kids’ Scores Matter” movement.

And that is the point of Black Lives Matter.  It doesn’t mean white lives or brown lives or rich lives do not matter.  It means we have it within ourselves to change our expectations and thereby change the outcomes.  It is far too easy to simply say Blacks would not be incarcerated to such a level if they did not break the law.  That would be akin to saying kids with low IQ’s are going to do poorly in school because they have low IQ’s.  We know that is not true regarding student performance, why shouldn’t it be true regarding Blacks who have contact with the justice system?  If I roll up on a group of black teenagers, what do I expect?  Or a group of white teenagers?  If I see a white man driving an old truck in an affluent neighborhood do I look at him differently than I do when I see a Black man driving the same truck?  We get what we expect.

When in college I had long hair and a beard and drove a 1963 Chevy Bellaire with a peace symbol on the back window.  I was often stopped and searched for drugs.  None were ever found for a very good reason.  I had none.

I used to drive a Mustang convertible.  I loved that car, but I sure got stopped a lot and warned about speeding.  I have always practiced setting my cruise control 3 or 4 mph about the posted highway limit and that got me stopped, but I rarely got a ticket.  I traded that car in on a pick-up truck and follow the same practice with my cruise control.  I have never been stopped.

I have never seen a Cadillac Esplanade on the side of the road as law enforcement searches the vehicle with Anglo passengers standing to the side.  On the other hand, I can hardly drive anywhere in south Texas and not see all kinds of cars, trucks, and suvs being searched while Latinos wait on the side. 

If a police officer wants to give me a traffic ticket he or she would not have to follow me very long to find a reason to do so.  We get what we expect.

And each time a Black person is shot and killed by law enforcement the expectations get confirmed by all.  Those who expect such outcomes always say the cops had probable cause.  Those of us who are sensitive to expectations may say one more case where Black lives did not matter.  It is time for us to always expect the best of people regardless of their race, ethnicity, gender, etc.  For too long we have judged books by their covers and devalued the content of the book.  Law enforcement is sworn to serve and protect and that includes everyone.  Yes, Black Lives Matter.  If we know that, believe that, act on that we will get what we expect.

You Don’t Get America If:

You think we are a melting pot when we are a tossed salad.

You think this country belongs to Anglos.

You oppose protests that disagree with your beliefs. 

You believe this country was founded by God and is Christian.

You think protesting brutality by kneeling during the National Anthem is wrong.

You think blaming the victims of racism absolves you of responsibility.

You think diversity is a disability, not an asset.

You can pat yourself on the back for not being a racist but refuse to become anti-racism.

You can pat yourself on the back for not discriminating against women but refuse to support women’s’ equality movement.

You can pat yourself on the back for not discriminating against other sexual orientations but refuse to support LGBTQ rights.

You think you are free of responsibility because you do not commit sexual assault or physical abuse but refuse to demand that perpetrators of those crimes be held accountable.

You think blaming those who are less successful than you because you think they are inhibiting your success is logical.

You think to persecute, demean, fire, slander those who disagree with you is OK.

You think no man is above the law but support lawless men

.

You support the notion of democracy but oppose strategies that would increase the number of voters.

You refuse to wear a mask and argue your right is more important than the health or life of others.

You think public service is demeaning and pursuit of wealth is blessed.

You think a non-regulated private sector is best for all.

You think a non-regulated private sector can perform better than a public service.

You believe that those who are hired to serve and protect have no responsibility to serve and protect everyone, including suspects.

You think a free press is a menace to democracy.

You think freedom to assemble, freedom to protest, and freedom of speech should not apply to everyone.

You think modeling nobility and integrity and the value of human rights for all is not our responsibility.

You do not support working toward a more perfect union but prefer to work backward to some glorified past.

You do not support the findings of science and math but trust those who decide by their guts and beliefs.

You can support the end of immigration to the US based on color and religious belief and claim to support freedom.

You do not deeply believe that all humans are created equal and merit inherent human rights.

If you believe all that, you do not get what it means to be an American citizen.

Observations from a Beige Hypocrite

The murder of George Floyd, a Black man, killed by an Anglo Police officer, has surfaced tons of strong feelings across our land.  We were emotionally raw to begin with.  Trump has always been divisive.  Trump totally blew the federal response to Covid-19.  The economy has tanked.  So, protestors and rioters are no great big surprise when bigotry rules and equality and equity are harder topics than bleach and ultraviolet light.  My thoughts and feelings meander.

I have said before and will say again that I am clearly brilliant.  My decision to be born to middle-class white parents was a stunning achievement.  My decision to learn English as my native language was equally earth-shaking.  I chose to be born in the United States, an incredibly wealthy nation.  And, I chose parents who were Christian rather than Muslim or atheist or some other weirdo belief system.  I deserve a ton of credit for at least those four decisions.  Had I been born some other race or ethnicity I would not have prospered as I have.  If I spoke Spanish and not English I would not have prospered as I have.  Had I been born in the 3^rd world I would likely be dead by now.  And if I had been born to Muslim parents I would likely never have been able to even visit the US, much less live here.  Yep, I’m brilliant.  I remain amazed, however, that many of my peers, especially those from high school days, do not recognize their own brilliance having made the same decisions I made.  Perhaps they should spend a week or so as though they were born Black atheists from Somalia. 

White privilege is pervasive, and for many, invisible and deniable.  Like the bully who does not see himself or herself as a bully, or the bigot who cannot see his or her own prejudice and believes that beliefs are based on data and observation rather than outcomes based on other factors.  Or those who simply believe that some human beings are better than other human beings.  Or that for some reason this expanse in North America we call the USA was given by God to Anglo Christians just like the Garden of Eden was given to Adam and Eve.  (I find this particularly amusing since there are no Anglos or White people in the Bible.  Well, maybe Pontius Pilate, but he is hardly a hero.)  I have never felt fear walking into a restaurant or a retail outlet.  I have never suspected that a police car in my rearview mirror would stop me just because of my skin color.  I do not have a history of being enslaved.  I do not have a history of separate schools and separate seating and separate bathrooms and separate water fountains.  Everything around me reinforces the fact that my life matters and I can go and do as I please.  So when I say Black Lives Matter there is an unspoken “too” at the end of that phrase that many White people just do not understand.  I am the right color.  I am beige.

I am also a hypocrite.  I yearn for a society of tolerance.  I yearn for a society that is based on equity and equality, where incomes do not vary by race, where education does not vary by race, where health care and life expectancies do not vary by race, where employment opportunities do not vary by race.  I yearn for an open society not just respectful of diversity but celebratory.  I yearn for a culture that values human beings regardless of race, ethnicity, country of origin, religious belief, gender, sexual orientation, and on and on.

Sadly I must admit that I am a hypocrite.  I am totally intolerant of intolerant people and I totally discriminate against bigots.  I am a beige hypocrite. 

Kids Do Lie

I was a campus-level administrator in public schools for 5 years.  I saw a lot and learned a lot.  One of the most painful experiences I had in this role was when parents discovered their children would lie to them.  Many parents would enter my office to discuss the discipline of their son or daughter for some offense and the conversation would begin with the parent saying, “I know my child better than you.  And he/she would not lie to me.  There is some mistake here.”  Following such a statement I would typically lay out the evidence which often included a video of what the student had actually done.  Mouths would drop.  Tears would fall.  When finally confronted with the gosh-awful truth that a child would lie to them to escape punishment and avoid disappointing them the parents invariably broke down.  It was always a gut-wrenching moment and I suspect that most precious parent-child relationships changed forever.  The love did not end.  The unquestioning support did.

I keep waiting for the same experience to happen for those who support Trump.  The evidence is so clear.  He lies.  He cheats.  He creates false realities.  He has been accused of sexual assault.  He attempted to use taxpayer money to bribe a foreign country into doing his personal political investigation.  He has used his position as President to make himself more money.  There are 10 documented times he attempted to end the Mueller investigation into Russian interference in our 2016 election and he was not indicted for obstruction of justice because the law requires the House to impeach and the Senate to try a sitting president rather than going the standard legal procedure.  The Senate refused to conduct a hearing with testimony, evidence, and witnesses.  He continues to work in behalf of Russia attempting to get them re-instated in the G-7.  And on and on. 

And now, this president has used special ops troops to tear gas American citizens who were engaged in a lawful demonstration so that a path could be cleared for him to walk to a nearby church for a photo op.  He stood before a building he has never entered and held up a book he has never read.  If this does not scare you to death I do not know what will.  You might recall that when Bashar al-Assad,  the self-declared Syrian President gassed his own people who were protesting that he would not step down after losing the election, gassed his own people.  The result of Bashar’s behavior triggered a military response from the US and our European allies.  It is serious misbehavior to gas your own people.

How in the world does Trump continue to enjoy support from good-hearted American citizens with all the information and all the evidence out there in the land of truth, justice and the American way?  I think I know one reason.

There is an array of media outlets who benefit from the Trump Presidency.  Those outlets have mastered the ability to spin every negative fact about Trump into something other than the truth.  Sometimes they use the old, “Everybody does it” argument.  Sometimes they use the old, “It is not my fault, it is somebody else’s fault” argument.  Sometimes they use the old red herring argument, “You should see what the other guy is doing” argument.  Sometimes they use the old distraction argument, “Don’t look here, look over there.”  And sometimes they just out and out deny and lie.  Trump reminds me of that obnoxious kid in junior high who found great joy in approaching someone from behind on the left side while tapping on their right shoulder.  For Trump supporters who desperately do not want to believe the President they love is a liar and a criminal these media outlets provide them with some sort of rationale to continue to support him. 

Those supporters have been taught to believe that Democrats are evil people, that socialism will be the end of the USA, that even if Trump lies it is no big deal, that Trump has accomplished major goals as President, that Trump stands up for the worker in the US, that Trump stands up to foreign nations and leaders, that Trump has done nothing wrong regarding federal leadership in the pandemic, that Trump naming Cabinet-level officials as “acting” to avoid any Senate hearings on the qualifications of those appointees is OK, that Trump has improved our foreign relations with our allies and our enemies and has redefined our enemies as our allies and vice-versa, that Trump’s avoidance of climate change talk is a good thing, that Trump’s withdrawal from the Iran Peace Accord was a good thing, that tariffs are a good thing, that any limitation on gun ownership and registration is a bad thing, that Democrats will take guns away from law-abiding citizens, that abortions are nothing more than killing babies, and that Trump’s guts trump science.  Most disturbing of all to me is the supporters' belief that somehow God has anointed Trump to be President.

These supporters have support for their undying support and it comes from Fox News, Limbaugh, Murdoch, Hannity, O’Rielly, Beck, the Blaze, Brietbart, the Daily Wire, the New York Post, the Washington Times, and on and on.  If a supporter wants to be in denial regarding the truth of Donald Trump, all he or she has to do is limit the intake of political news to any of these sources.  These sources will play the spin game on every negative revelation regarding Trump and give those supporters one more opportunity to avoid learning their kid does lie.  These sources have even convinced Trump supporters that the legitimate, honest news sources are biased against Trump and lie too.

Trump was absolutely furious when it appeared that Twitter might fact-check him.  Wonder why?  Very simple, if the truth were universally known Trump would have no support except from the truly far-right extremes.

Trump was impeached and should have been removed from office.  He now presides over a nation with race riots reminiscent of the 1960s, a depression reminiscent of 1929, and the nation with the most infections and deaths in the world from the pandemic, reminiscent of the 1918 H1N1 pandemic.  Trump swore to protect and defend the US Constitution and has attacked that document ever since he entered office.  He attacks the right of the people to assemble and protest, he attacks the free press, he thinks religious freedom is the freedom to discriminate, he thinks there are good people who are white supremacists, and he thinks the second amendment exists without limits.

It will be a painful day for Trump supporters when they actually have the courage to look at the truth.  I have sat with adults when that revelation occurs and it is not pretty.  I suspect the anger arising from his current followers when they discover they have been duped will be something to behold.  Signs that such a revelation may be coming include military men who express concerns regarding Trump’s behavior, former Secretary of State Colin Powell saying Trump has drifted away from the Constitution, Fox News actually broadcasting some truth earning more wrath from Trump, former Cabinet members speaking out about Trump’s incompetence, etc., etc. 

Yes, kids will lie and it hurts parents to learn that.  The longer we deny that truth the more it hurts.  Trump lies.  His reality is not reality.  His ambitions are not in the best interest of the United States.  I hope Trump supporters learn those lessons soon.  The truth hurts, but it will set them free.

American Blasphemy

I head to a big box home improvement store, park in the lot, put on my mask and walk toward the entrance.  I arrive at the entrance simultaneously with another customer, but he is not wearing a mask.  I am amazed and can stand it no longer.

“Where is your mask?” I ask.

“I don’t own a mask and won’t wear a mask.  No one can tell me I have to wear a mask to go into a store.  That violates my rights,” he replies.

“Can you play football without a helmet? Or perhaps I should ask did you play football without a helmet?”

“No, you can’t play football without a helmet.”

“Can you work on a construction site without a hard hat?  Can you drive a car without a license or insurance or a seat belt?  Can you simply drive through a red light or drive 100 miles per hour if you want to?  Can your kids go to school without vaccinations?  Can you practice medicine without a license? Can you go to a fancy restaurant without wearing a coat and tie?  Can you swim naked in a public pool?  Can you just not pay taxes?”  I query.

He pauses.  Looks like he is thinking, but I am not sure.

“No, you can’t do any of those things unless you want to pay the price.”

“So, if we know that wearing a mask promotes public safety, protects you and protects me, and the store asks you to wear a mask, how is that a violation of your rights in some way different than all those other things I listed?  I don’t wear a mask so much to protect me.  I wear a mask to protect you.  I do not want the water droplets I exhale to fall on you and increase your risk of contracting the virus that has already killed 100,000 Americans.  So, why won’t you wear a mask to protect me?”

He turned and left.  No retort.  There is no retort.  If we understand as a civilized nation that our individual freedoms must sometimes be limited for the good of others then we should not have a problem with masks.  If we believe that what I want is more important than the safety and well-being of others then we are practicing a belief system that is so childish, so selfish that it is almost beyond my understanding.  Those who think that way are practicing American blasphemy.  They are disparaging the core belief system of our nation.

On the way home from the home improvement store I hear on the radio that our President has declared religious service to be essential.  In other words, they are now immune to the requirements of social distancing, avoiding large groups in small places, etc., because they are essential.  I almost wreck my truck.  This is so wrong on so many levels I hardly know where to start.

Our Constitution is very clear:  the government shall make no law regarding the existence of religion.  Die-hard evangelicals have a hard time with that concept because they think we were founded as some kind of Christian stronghold against the world.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  One of our core beliefs is that the government should never, ever tell a citizen what to believe regarding religion.  What we believe is private, sacred.  Pilgrims fled to American from nations that adopted a national religion and felt free to persecute those who did not believe as they were told.  Our forefathers never wanted that to happen here. 

So, we have a nation that is constitutionally mandated to stay out of religious belief systems announce that religious belief systems are essential to our country in times of a pandemic.  Unbelievable.  Talk about recognizing the establishment of religion!

But it is worse than that.  As the number of Americans who are infected and the number of Americans who are dying from coronavirus continues to rise we know several things.  We should not gather in groups.  We should maintain social distancing.  We should wear masks.  We should wash our hands.  And if violating the Constitution was not bad enough we now have a President who is violating all the science we know about this virus.  How could this be any worse?  If I were interested in making Christianity extinct in American this ruling is exactly what I would announce.

Somehow we have arrived at this point in our history when a President trusts the landscape he develops between his ears more than the facts medical science has taught us to be true.  The Pres thinks it is a hoax, he thinks warm weather will kill it, he thinks we have it under control, he thinks hydroxychloroquine is effective in fighting the virus, he thinks ingested bleach will kill it, he thinks internal ultraviolet light will kill it, and now he thinks to gather a bunch of people in a small, poorly ventilated space where they sit side-by-side, hug, shake hands, talk, and sing is an essential operation; and then he goes to play golf while America gets sicker.

Denying the fruits of science is not how we became a great nation.  Just the opposite.  Why have we somehow begun to perceive that knowledge, expertise, professional experience is worth less than Trump’s fantasies?  In our history this will be seen as our dark age.  When we ignored science and relied on the guts of a mentally disturbed, lying, vindictive, thin-skinned, autocratic narcissist.  For those who are believers I would recommend holding Zoom prayer meetings to allow us to escape from this devil who appears to have arrived to destroy us.

If that offends you, too bad.  If you think Trump’s guts and intuition should mean more than real science then I suggest that you find a dentist who practices dentistry as we did in the 1950s, a doctor who practices medicine based on what we knew in the 1950s, throw your smartphone, your laptop, and your smart TV in the recycle bin, turn off your Roomba, disable your car’s safety features, and send your kids to school without vaccinations.  How can we be so ignorant?

Worse, how can we belittle and ignore our experts?  It is beyond my understanding that those who lack education somehow claim to have a position of prestige compared to those who have an education.  Don’t tell me “college wasn’t for me.”  BS.  College wasn’t for me either as I worked my way through my degrees.  It was hard.  It was expensive.  It was mind-expanding.  It is something I will never lose. 

These are our American beliefs.  Our population must be educated to successfully wield the power of democracy.  Our democracy is grounded in human rights including speech, religion, and protests, but we limit those rights when the practice may harm others. We have from the beginning valued immigration and diversity.  We have from the beginning fought bigotry, slavery, the reduction of freedoms, and the promotion of the economic health of all our citizens.

What our current administration is practicing is American blasphemy and they should be damned.

Plutus

I stumble through thick jungle and undergrowth, lost, alone, afraid.  I am separated from my expedition, a group in search of primitive native tribes in the deep Amazon.  There is light up ahead and hopes rise.  It is flickering.  It is a fire.

I hack my way to the edge of a clearing wherein stand a group of about 50 people.  They stand around a large fire.  Juxtaposed is a monolithic stone slab set in the earth horizontally so that it could serve as a table.  On the stone table is a young girl of about 15 or 16, lying on her back, restrained by leather straps.  She is struggling and crying.  A man and woman stand nearby, crying and attempting to console each other.  I assume these are the parents of the girl, but have no clue what is going on.

Soon a chief or high priest or some figure of authority enters the firelight.  He is dressed in blue robes with a red scarf and on his head sits a golden crown made of human hair.  He carries a long, curved knife.  He steps into the center of the circle and the group grows silent.

“We worship the god Plutus,” he says.  “The god of wealth and money and abundant crops and good hunting.  Plutus demands that we sacrifice a young girl each year to maintain our prosperity.  We gather tonight to serve Plutus and conduct the ritual sacrifice.  Some must die so that others may prosper.” 

He steps to the table, places his left hand over the girl’s eyes and raises the knife.  She screams and struggles furiously, but the group remains silent and watchful.

I can stand it no longer and burst from the edge of the jungle into the fire-lit circle.

“Stop, you fools!”  I scream.  “There is no Plutus, there is no god of wealth that demands human sacrifice.  You are choosing to murder a child for the sake of your pursuit of wealth.  Killing her means nothing except that it is murder!”

Four, young strong men step forward.  “Who are you to question our beliefs?  We believe our chief.  We will suffer unless she dies, so she must die.  We cannot survive poverty.”

“And what if there is no god?  What if your Chief lies?  What if the girl on the table was your daughter, your sister, your wife, your mother?  Would you be as eager a believer then?  Or do you believe because you think this ritual will pass you and yours leaving you untouched?  Or do you simply believe because your own wealth means more than even one life?”

Not swayed by my logic, they pull their knives and begin to approach me.  Reason and logic have no place at this fire.  Those who support such will be sacrificed as well because the belief system is so brittle that to question it will result in punishment, not thought.  I now know there will be two deaths tonight.

I awake in a sweat to the news my President and Governor eagerly seek the re-opening of our economy even though some will die.  Shall I step into the firelight and scream, “Stop, you fools!"?