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On a very staid, professional, public health email list that deals with emerging diseases, I did a double or triple take. What I first thought I read was "COVID-19 and miniskirts". That would be upsetting on multiple levels.
Looking again, it was about a possible zoonotic presentation, "COVID-19 and muskrats."
Maybe there are some story possibilities in this. It's occasionally come up in some current writing dealing with sex worker friends and possibly organized crime. Also, I've been doing some do-over, with less obvious connections. Anyone else have ideas in this theme?
Sorry, misposted versions. The intent is that 9 and 10 are up in correct form. 11, when it goes up, can be skipped if the dominance and racism squick you. 12 and 13 will finish the story.
I will start the sequel in the next day or two, which deals with the actual convention.
Again, please notice that my story, "When Republicans were Smart and Sexy", is set in 1972 and draws substantially from personal experience. I was an active Republican at the time. I was married in the House Republican Caucus Room, was DC state party & Nixon campaign research director, was on the 1972 Young Republican Platform Recommendations Committee, in policy organizations such as Ripon and YAF, and went through RNC Campaign Management School. For me, it was tragic that the party moved away from my Eisenhower Moderate identification.
No, I'm not a Trump supporter, nor would I feel welcome in either of the two major parties. I find it laughable when people call me a "leftist". In the story, however, there won't be one word of direct criticism of the current President or Party. Yet I've been getting vitriolic messages about "hating Trump". Go after me for things I say and do, not that you infer.
Teddy Roosevelt, a great Republican president, said "To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public."
Carl Schurz, an immigrant from what is now Germany, became a Senator, Secretary of the Interior, a Civil War general, Ambassador to Sweden, and one of the founders of the Republican Party, said, "I confidently trust that the American people will prove themselves … too wise not to detect the false pride or the dangerous ambitions or the selfish schemes which so often hide themselves under that deceptive cry of mock patriotism: "Our country, right or wrong!" They will not fail to recognize that our dignity, our free institutions and the peace and welfare of this and coming generations of Americans will be secure only as we cling to the watchword of true patriotism: "Our country - when right to be kept right; when wrong to be put right."
Sadly, it doesn't seem reasonable to enable voting for this story, given the amount of apparent trolling. I do encourage comments and courteous messaging.
My plan had been to turn on voting about midway through a 1972 political story, which has lots of real details. There wasn't one word about Trump or other current matters.
Both in comments and email, people have been bringing up Trump. I inquire if they've looked at the story, since I don't see much connection. Some of the responses come across as pure troll and sometimes personal attacks, so how would they vote anonymously?
Reliable voting could be informative. Maybe the compromise is to continue comments with no voting. Thoughts?
When you look at my story, remember that it's set in approximately 1972. Aside from the sex, there were good policy and unified American things going on. It's ironic that we thought that Viet Nam had the country divided as never before.
But please -- let's not discuss what the party is today. Look at what was, including some unfortunate things, but that there's a lot to consider bringing back. By today's standards, Richard Milhous Nixon was a liberal.
He, and other politicians, lied. He, and other politicians, were hypocrites. He, and other politicians, breathe. I've also known politicians that were sincere most of the time.
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