Robert Whitehead 




Deuteronomy


The Panel believes his version of events
The Panel found his version of events
to be more credible

            If within the city a man
            comes upon a maiden


                         MAN, from the etymological root
                         men-, relating to “thought”

                         MAIDEN, as in the pagan “maenad,”
                         from Greek, literally “raving woman”

The Panel believes they kissed and touched
kissed and touched
The Panel questions whether she was sincerely afraid

            If within the city a man
            comes upon a maiden
            who is betrothed
            and has relations with her


                        BETROTHED, from the prefix be-, meaning
                        “thoroughly,” and a Middle English root,
                        meaning “truth”

                        RELATIONS, here used as a synonym for “rape”

The Panel believes that she was gyrating
and her legs were open
The Panel believes the sexual activity was normal

            If within the city a man
            comes upon a maiden
            who is betrothed
            and has relations with her,
            bring her out of the gate of the city
            and there stone her
        
                         DEATH BY STONING assures that no individual
                         could be identified as the executioner


You shall bring her out of the gate of the city


                         Another synonym for “rape” is “ravishment,”
                         from the French resver, meaning “to dream”

            If within the city a dreaming woman was only dreaming


The Panel believes

                         Another synonym for “rape” is “desecrate,”
                         from the Latin desecrare, meaning “to make holy”

            If within the city a dreaming woman
            was only being made holy
            by her ravishment
        
“Rape” is a word that provides for
its own justification

The Panel believes this is normal

             In the dream, the woman was telling the truth
             which, within the city, was considered raving,
            so she went out of the city and turned the city to stone