Infinities: Chapter Two: The Finger of God

October 20th.

When reports trickled in about a storm forming off the coast of Cuba, we ignored it.

In some ways can you blame us? We were numb to the changing climate and it had already been a tough year.

There had already been Forest fires on the west coast -giant beasts eating chunks of land out of California, Oregon, and Washington.

There had already been a hurricane in Iowa, the first recorded landfall hurricane in the state’s history.

A record shattering earthquake in Colorado didn’t even make the front page.

So when the swollen belly of the clouds formed over Florida no one even blinked.

When lightning licks the ground cutting a swath through Atlanta, no one is too surprised.

It was surreal watching Hurricane Zeta make its way further up north as if it was trying to escape to freedom, leaving FL mostly untouched. Watching the Hurricane gather strength seemingly aimed right at the nation’s Capitol.

I remember wondering why our Capitol, our country’s financial sector, our nations research labs, our media, and schools all decided to congregate on one coast.

I remember being momentarily distracted wondering if the storm — this one forming in the Gulf would be the one to hit us, and being shocked when it instead met with Hurricane Zeta in a trip to New York City.

In my nightmares I always imagined a little girl staring at the sky as the heavens decided whether to drown her, I imagine that in that deafening silence and bliss before the storm she probably smiled. I imagine wall street traders betting on water and oil companies, oblivious to their doom, sure that the richest city on Earth would be safe from the small worries of mortals. I imagine that the people who had the good sense to leave the city managing to outrun fate. I Imagine some survivors got to see Babel fall.

A tempest greets a city, a gale blows litter through the sea of carnage, the Statue of Liberty stands defiant — on T.V. she seemed to be the only survivor.

They played this image over and over on T.V. with fancy graphics and stupid hot takes. Even as their colleagues floated through the city they still pretended that this was just another day.

They showed a woman climbing off her roof onto the rescue boat . Who dropped to her knees in prayer. The anchors turn to a lengthy but shallow discussion on God’s plan for America. I never understood why people insist on ascribing morality to natural disasters. As if deities take turns deciding which treks of land to fuck up next. Like “Hey bro let’s send some tornadoes to Iowa because that kid had the audacity to say my name” or “ how about we flood Chicago for daring to say happy holidays ”?

Experts pointed out just how improbable this extreme weather event had been, how this was the result of a warming climate, that we are partly to blame. I don’t blame anyone but us for what happened next. The storms were horrible, they may have changed history, or they may have been a kinder way to die than the horrors that followed. Who knows ?

Some say they would have taken power anyway, that the country wasn’t really designed to keep people who were already in power from taking more power. That people were lying to pollsters and still planned to vote for hate. That they wouldn’t sit back and accept any results as legitimate unless it was their guy. Everyone agrees that the storm gave them a chance for a decisive victory.

Calls for the election to be rescheduled were ignored. A lawsuit was filed to block residents of the states of New York, New Jersey, and the District of Columbia to vote out of state, it was upheld by the Supreme Court. The same court allowed for out of state voting for the residents of the Carolinas, Pennsylvania and Tennessee — a state that reported zero deaths from the storm. News trickled in slowly out of the East, eventually we would find out that 4 million people were displaced by the storm, and that 25,000 people died in New York City alone. DC, Vermont, Massachusetts, Maine, New Jersey, Rhode Island, New Hampshire would all be crippled by the storm for weeks. Roads were blocked, power outages lasted for days. 4 Senators and 12 House members were among the dead. Many more were missing for days, some never reappeared and are thought to be in hiding.

A disaster bill was written in the House, however the Senate refused to take it up, the senate majority leader called for the Martyrs in red states to hold on until Nov. 4th.

The president shows up in the flooded ruins of New York City he takes photo ops he throws supplies to his supporters, and only his supporters. Some reporters swear that he had a smile on his face as he looked out at his flooded home and saw opportunity.

He made a phone call to the Senate majority leader.

“Hold all bills until the election.” There was a slight pause “If you don’t blink Mr. President, neither will I”.

The president started telling people God sent the storm to punish the sinners who dared speak out against him. That anyone who stood in his way stood in the way of God and should be punished. At first the news reported his words with the usual incredulousness. Then he repeated it again in Charleston, and in Raleigh, and again in his flyover of Alexandria.

I think we still could have avoided it all if it were just him spreading this message, if we all unified to help the 10 states most affected by the storms. If CSPAN and NPR didn’t pretend that it was an innocent question to pose to their listeners. If Fox News didn’t salivate over these words 24/7.

If the churches believed in the Messiah’s they preached about more than the one they elected.

No one knows who did it first, but the first one that made our local news was when a small 20 member church best known for Klan meetings in New Port Richey, FL endorsed the president for reelection calling him God’s messenger.

Another church followed suit and then another and then another.

Faith leaders blamed New York’s devastation on their addiction to worldly excesses — this from their million dollar stages.

A mega church in Waco went a step further, having their members fill out their ballots on live T.V. while the pastor gave a vitriolic speech asking God to smite their enemies on the West Coast too.

Of course many churches fought back against this message, joining their brothers and sisters from other religions in condemning such a horrible message.

Most churches didn’t even issue a public statement, their members continued to ask God for justice, having little public reaction other than a momentary pause over out of context readings of “ let justice roll down like waters,

and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream”. Maybe we were too good for irony.

The conservative churches would go on to form The Loyalist Federation of Gods Messenger, there were over 100 churches who joined by the end of the month. They raised millions of dollars, not a single one went to disaster relief. Not a single person remembered that they were supposed to care about dead children, that all their actions were supposedly for the children. I guess they didn’t see the little girl staring into oblivion when they closed their eyes. In all their cheering and rush to pledge loyalty to the administration they forgot to pretend that they cared about anything other than power.

I wonder what they dreamed about, if this was their perfect country?

If they regret their complicity, their duplicity ?

I see them in the propaganda videos with their easy smiles and smooth faces not a wrinkle or gray hair in sight. I see that they are sleeping well now, so I never wonder who their nightmares used to be about.