LETTER FROM THE EDITOR 

"An old Christian kook . had once attempted to comfort Joe by telling him, with an air of great assurance, that it was Hitler, and not the Allies, who had liberated the Jews. Not since his father's death - not since the day he had first heard a radio report about the wonder ghetto at Terezin - had Joe stood so near to consolation. All he would have needed to do, to find comfort in the Christian's words, was to believe."

- Michael Chabon, "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay," 2000

First, Terri Schiavo - a woman rendered inoperative, at the disposal of our media - unwittingly shoved our country through a dogmatic whirlwind, allowing politics to seep into our faithful (or faithless) consciousness. She was a vegetable for a long time, yes. But in a matter of weeks, it was Schiavo's inaudible voice pressuring us - maybe with irony, maybe with honest faith - to wonder if God's will was enough to pull her back to life.

Though, of course, we assumed reality wouldn't work in her favor. If God existed, would Schiavo's ordeal really play out like a daytime drama?

No. God would not save her. Shiavo would, instead, die horribly - starved to death over the course of twelve days, like punishment for finding her way into life's no-man's-land: unconscious, but alive.

And from that, we learn that [drumroll] God is a wily character keeping us on our toes, pushing controversy into our midst mysteriously, and plotting with the intention of, one might assume, keeping Her 1 followers faithful, and Her nonbelievers guessing. 2

And in keeping with that sense of mystery, She hinted darkly that Terri Schiavo's life was extended by fifteen years, as the result of a miracle.

She also hinted that miracles happen each and every day.

Unless, of course, CNN is there to cover the story.

One of the prerequisites of beatification is the performance of a miracle - which opponents say [Mothera Theresa] did not perform.

- Satinder Bindra, CNN , October 17, 2003

Next, the pope died.

"The American system of ours, call it Americanism, call it Capitalism, call it what you like, gives each and every one of us a great opportunity if we only seize it with both hands and make the most of it."

- Al Capone, interviewed in Liberty Magazine , l929

And then, Deek took advantage, pathetically releasing . this - this magazine in your hands: The Divine Incident. Within, you'll find articles about pressing religious (and not religious) issues, as well as literature, art, music, evil products, money, and other tidbits generally falling into the realm of Deek's own religion - The Religion of Thoughtful Aggravation, Mediocrity Avoidance, and Forcefully Unbound Distraction. It's not organized crime, no, but, like mob misconduct, it is a theology which seeks to make sense (and chaos and profit) from madness.

So read more. Go. Now.

Nova Keenan, Publisher

words@deekmagazine.com

(Footnotes)

1 God is a woman. Sorry. No discussion necessary.

2 That is, assuming you believe She exists. But we can't help you with that. All we can say is that we've put a hit on Mother Nature, who exists, and is rumored to be God's shifty mortgage broker.