{"id":4271,"date":"2020-11-25T00:38:01","date_gmt":"2020-11-25T00:38:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/?p=4271"},"modified":"2023-01-12T21:36:35","modified_gmt":"2023-01-12T21:36:35","slug":"thanksgiving-2020-pandemic-peril-and-perspectives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/thanksgiving-2020-pandemic-peril-and-perspectives\/","title":{"rendered":"Thanksgiving 2020: Pandemic Peril and Perspectives"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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This year’s Thanksgiving is the first one affected by COVID-19.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mainly because SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing COVID-19, didn’t exist a year ago. Or hadn’t spread to humans. Or was spreading to humans without anyone noticing it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whatever was happening last November, SARS-CoV-2 wasn’t identified until December.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The COVID-19 outbreak became a Public Health Emergency of International Concern last January. By the end of March, it was an official pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The disease has killed upwards of 1,380,000 folks so far. We still don’t have a ready-for-humans vaccine.1<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>Conspiracy Theories and the Usual Suspects<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>The COVID-19 pandemic is scary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maybe that’s why some folks insist that it isn’t real.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or that it’s a bio-engineered population control plot spread by 5G mobile phone networks and polio vaccine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And that America, China, Jews, Muslims or whoever are the Master Villains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For all I know, someone believes that America, China, Jews and<\/strong> Muslims are in cahoots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I figure the disease is real. So is the SARS-CoV-2 virus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year’s conspiracy theories are real only in the sense that some folks believe them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the ‘up’ side, I’ve yet to see a pandemic-themed End Times Bible Prophecy get traction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maybe there’s one in the works. We’ve got a great conjunction coming December 21, a few days before Christmas. Jupiter and Saturn will be closer in Earth’s sky than they’ve been since 1623.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/a>Or maybe it’s too soon after the recent “Blood Moon Prophecy.” Which fizzled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two American preachers took a recurring and predictable sequence of lunar eclipses, stirred in snippets from Joel, Acts and Revelation, and got at least their 15 minutes of fame in 2014 and 2015.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I don’t know why folks believe conspiracy theories, End Times Bible Prophecies and Ponzie schemes.2<\/a><\/sup> And that’s another topic. Topics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or maybe not so much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I suspect that at least some folks have short memories. Or, putting a positive spin on it, have achieved mastery of living in the moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>The “Unprecedented” Precedent<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

\"DavidHeadlines abound with superfluous superlatives: announcing that something’s the biggest, hottest, coldest, longest or whatever-est ever seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes they’re right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And sometimes maybe they’re not:<\/p>\n\n\n\n