Category Archives: Scott’s Commentary

The Novel Has Begun….

New post up on my other blog…

I’ve been playing with writing a novel and here is a very rough draft of part of the first chapter….

Click the link if you want to read more:

I was living in a dying town.  It was official.  I had seen the story listing the “official” government lists of dying cities and my town was on the list.  It was in the Washington Post, so it must be true.

The funny thing was, I had come back here to get away from the dying.

But both death and time do have a way of catching up with you.

I wondered how the town would react if I reprinted the story in our local newspaper.  They would probably just ignore it.  Or some of our stalwart citizens would angrily condemn it in angry letters to the editor.  Either way, it was probably best to just ignore it.  That’s what people generally did with bad news from outside here in Southside  Virginia.

It had always been an insular, closed off little town, but it was even more so now.  The cotton mills were gone and tobacco was now widely thought to be worse than opium.  But, people couldn’t let go of the past.  People here were still fighting the Civil War and referring to it as the “War of Northern Aggression” on the local blogs and on Facebook pages.

It was not a good place to be young, smart or interested in new thoughts and things outside of the town or a good place to live if you asked too many questions or challenged the status quo.  Never had  been.

Those were the thoughts I was having as I sat on the old glider of my Grandmother’s house in the mill village and nursed a Virginia Gentleman and water.  Things always stayed the same here.  Or people tried like hell to make them do so.

That’s why I was so surprised to see a new Volvo come down the hill and pull in behind my Lexus in the gravel drive way beside the house.  I didn’t often have visitors.  However, I was only slightly surprised to see Peyton Chandler McManus get out of the Volvo and walk up to the porch.  She had been gone for years, but I had heard she was back in town.

More:  The Novel Has Begun…. | My Southern Gothic Life.

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Chapter 61: Bosom Buddies | My Southern Gothic Life

I posted a new post on my other blog a day or two ago…

Here is a brief excerpt and a link to the full blog entry….

 

My Best Friend had Heart Surgery this week…

I don’t like to think of us as old enough to have to face these issues, but I guess we are…

And “Best Friend” is a very inclusive, non-exclusive term for me…I have several.

First and foremost is Steve, my partner and soulmate.  He’s in a class by himself.  I have another friend who is a “Best Friend”, who goes back more years than I care to count, but she’s like my “female” “Best Friend”.

This guy is, I guess the best way to put it, my male “Best Friend”.  He’s the Brother I never had…

via Chapter 61: Bosom Buddies | My Southern Gothic Life.

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New Years Resolutions-2012

I don’t normally make New Years Resolutions.  It’s just too mainstream….

I mean, if everyone else is doing it, I normally refuse to do so.

Same with Popular Culture.  I refuse to watch or do whatever is “in” now.

I prefer to sit on the sidelines and do my own thing.  I am a Libra….

But this year, after not making New Years Resolutions for more than 20 years, I will break precedent.

That means I may have a few more than the average person….

Here are my resolutions for 2012:

  1. I will go to the gym at least 3 times a week and take yoga class at least once a week.  I’ve done it before, I can do it again.
  2. I will try the “Slow Carb” Diet.  If I do not lose the promised 20 pounds in one month, I will not say “Screw it”, forget #1, and order a recliner, a carton of cigarettes, a case of wine and a pizza.
  3. I will stop running around town in my bedroom shoes.  I tell myself, no one else can really tell they are bedroom shoes, but I know better….
  4. I will do everything I can to defeat the anti-gay marriage amendment in North Carolina this year.
  5. I will try to remind myself I have lived in North Carolina almost as long as I lived in Virginia and try to let go of my Native born Virginia prejudices against all other states.
  6. I will call out companies that do not offer decent Customer Service and Customer experiences.  This may take all my time….
  7. I will try to accept the fact that I live in a declining Democracy and not expect things to work as well as they once did.
  8. I will tell Time Warner Cable to go to hell unless they give me a really good deal on cable.  I can be bought….
  9. I will accept the fact that Barrack Obama is not both Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, JFK, Martin Luther King, Gandhi, Mother Theresa and Jesus Christ all rolled into one and be grateful for what he has done and try to get him re-elected.  The alternative is unthinkable.
  10. I will continue to think that people who vote Republican must be very rich or very stupid.
  11. I will spend at least 30 total days in the USAirways Club and be grateful I have a job that lets me do so.
  12. I will try not to judge people unless they behave, dress or vote very badly.
  13. I will remind myself repeatedly that I am a citizen of the World, not of Greensboro, not of North Carolina, not of the South and not of  the USA.
  14. I will try to walk a mile in someone else shoes- as long as they are new- and not high-heeled.  I have bad ankles….
  15. I will recognize that I filter life through  some Elitist filters and, since they are based on education, knowledge and facts,  that’s okay.
  16. I will continue to hate USAirways.
  17. I will have no patience with people who judge only based on their personal religious or cultural “beliefs” no matter how poorly informed and uneducated they may be.  That is no excuse.
  18. I will continue to strive for a world where all people wear all natural fibers and only eat naturally grown/raised food.
  19. I will consider the words “High Fructose Corn Syrup” the worst words of profanity that may be uttered or printed.
  20. I will continue to believe Corporations are not people.
  21. I will continue to believe Jesus Christ would not recognize many modern Christians.
  22. I will continue to hope that Christians finally accept that other people’s beliefs are as legitimate as theirs and let it all wash out in the  afterlife….
  23. I will continue to hope people finally realize there is a separation of Church and State in the Constitution and that it really is best for everyone.
  24. I will hope that we reach the point that religion is such a private, personal journey that I don’t have to have some of these resolutions.
  25. I hope that there is at least one decent movie coming out of Hollywood next year and that we can continue to depend on independent films for good films that challenge the mind and don’t just give an outlet to whiny white women and eternally adolescent men.
  26. I hope there is at least one new show on Broadway that makes me want to go to New York.
  27. I will go abroad.  Somewhere.  It’s been three years.  I need to be reminded of how well some things like mass transportation, health care and food are done in Europe.
  28. I will not to kill anyone in either my birth family or my family of choice.  No matter now much they may provoke me or deserve it…
  29. I will look up at least one old friend and try to reconnect.  As we grow older, we must recognize people who helped make us who we are and what they meant to our journeys….
  30. I will go out of my way to be kind to an elderly Gay person.  The prior generations did not have the choices and benefits we have had and we must look after our own….
  31. I will wear more red because I like it….
  32. I will care even less what others may think…
  33. I will be proud of what I’ve achieved  and not think of what might have been…
  34. I will look forward more than backwards…
  35. I will let people who matter know how much they mean to me,while avoiding cheap sentiment….
  36. I will enjoy life…
  37. I will not fear the future  (My College Motto- took me a long time to appreciate this one…)
  38. I will survive the 2012 Elections no matter what…
  39. I will appreciate my friends- on the blog, on Facebook and in person- and be grateful for so many channels for friendship.
  40. I will celebrate 15 years of being with my soul mate and the most wonderful man on earth by realizing that is the most important gift of all.

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My Grown Up Christmas List

People tell me I am impossible to buy for at Christmas time, so I thought I would make it easier for them this year.

Here is my Grown Up Christmas List.  I don’t mean that smaltzy song about no more wars, no more people torn apart, etc.  I’m not that optimistic, so I’ll set my sights a little lower…

I have more than enough “stuff”, so here is what I really want….

If you can’t get it all now, I’m patient.

My Birthday is in October…

  1. That I win the Powerball lottery.  I’m not greedy, but it would be nice if the Jackpot was more than$50MM.
  2. For there to be a retro revival among today’s youth making Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, Katharine Hepburn, Lena Horne, Bette Davis, Humphrey Bogart, Cary Grant, Sidney Poitier, Paul Newman and Steve McQueen Role Models again.
  3. For all religious Colleges and Universities to go out of business so their “students” would have to deal with the real world and a diversity of opinions and backgrounds while getting a real education.
  4. A return to the concepts of personal honor, responsibility and dignity.
  5. Manners.  Good manners…..
  6. The understanding that it is preferable to look and act like Ladies and Gentlemen rather than Goths, Pimps, Bigots, Braggards, Thugs, Slackards, Bikers and ‘Ho’s…
  7. That Occupy Wall Street comes roaring back to life in the Spring and is the major force in the 2012 elections.
  8. The abolition of all MBA programs and a renewed focus on Liberal Arts Educations that teach people to think, not manipulate numbers for personal gain.
  9. A decent nation-wide passenger train service so we can avoid our horrible airlines.
  10. That Virgin Atlantic airways takes over the entire US Airline industry and shows them how to do it right.
  11. The understanding that some countries do some things better than we do and that it’s okay to learn from that…
  12. The return of the Preppie Look that was so popular in my youth. We really did look cute….
  13. Laws mandating technology that Telephones and mobile devices will shut down while a motor vehicle engine is running or the person is in a Theatre or Concert Hall.
  14. For people to finally realize and accept that Marriage is, in actuality, only a legal contract between two people, regardless of their sex, that conveys certain public and private protections and obligations and that has nothing to do with religion.  Therefore, it’s not any one else’s goddamn business but those two people so contracted.
  15. If we can’t legalize Gay Marriage, let’s criminalize Straight Divorce.  I’m not above revenge….
  16. That people realize there is no longer any such thing as a Country Club, fiscally responsible, socially liberal Republican.
  17. That someone can logically explain to me why people who think they are such good Christians and moral arbitrators will vote for a  man who abandoned his first wife in the hospital for his mistress, then had an affair on wife number 2, said mistress,  with the latest Mrs Gingrich, but still claims to support a “no adultery” pledge.
  18. Someone to prove to me that Mitt Romney is real and isn’t just a big robotic Ken Doll- made in China, of course.
  19. For all the Crocs factories to go out of business and all existing crocs to spontaneously combust.
  20. Public funding of all US Elections and the abolition of private and corporate donations to political candidates.
  21. A Constitutional amendment that Corporations are not People and that Money is not Free Speech.
  22. The instant revocation of the tax exempt status of any religious institution of any kind that dabbles in politics by telling people how to vote.
  23. For people to realize, once and for all that it was deregulation and primarily the policies of the George W Bush Administration that ruined our economy and caused the deficit.
  24. That some of the Wall Street “leaders” who helped cause the economic crash actually be held accountable and go to jail.
  25. That people realize we have to invest in the future to grow out of the deficit.
  26. While we are at it, that people finally realize George W Bush and Dick Cheney are War Criminals and they are prosecuted as such.
  27. Fox News goes bankrupt and shuts down.
  28. Legislation that states “opinion” journalism must be so identified on TV with a border of flashing red lights and tap dancing pigs so people will know the difference between reporting and propaganda.
  29. Legislation that all company profits, over a certain percent,  must be reinvested in growing the company and creating jobs, not just sat upon or used for Executive Salaries.
  30. All Corporate lobbying expenditures must be matched equally with taxes -paid dollar to dollar, no loopholes.
  31. Legislation that no company employee may make  salary more than X percentage more than the lowest paid employee.
  32. Permanent incarceration, in solitary confinement, of anyone named Khardashian.
  33. The Cancellation of “Jersey Shore”.
  34. A committee, headed by and with veto power held by me, to be created to determine who is an actual “Star” and who is just trash after some cash.
  35. If the GOP wants people to pee in a cup for a check, then all politicians should do the same.
  36. An IQ test and threshold to run for Public Office.
  37. That all my friends from the past years, who meant so much to me, would join Facebook so I could find them and be in touch again.
  38. That people would exercise some control over how many silly pet pictures with captions they post on Facebook.  An occasional one is  cute, but too many, especially as we grow older,  makes one fear they are becoming pet hoarders or otherwise demented.
  39. That everyone had a full length mirror in their home and looked at it long, hard and critically before going out in public.
  40. Effective Mass transportation in all cities with more than 50,000 people.
  41. Renewed focus on planning, creating, saving and building for the future instead of shopping for useless crap to own now.
  42. Renewed focus on the concept of Quality over Quantity.
  43. Legislation prohibiting any more Broadway Musicals based on relatively recent movies.
  44. That television shows must be at least as long as the total air time of their commercials.
  45. Regular, heavily discounted airline fares between all US  airports and London and Paris.
  46. Requirements that all school districts fund Senior and Junior High School Cultural Exchange Learning trips abroad for all students.  You may raise my taxes for this….
  47. For people in the South to realize the Republican Party is using you and not working for your interests….
  48. For the Tea Party People to finally admit they are just bigots who hate President Obama because he is Black….
  49. That 2012 brings us an election resulting in a Democratic President, Senate and House.  At least, something positive might get done…
  50. That the Tea Party is dead and gone.
  51. For people not to argue about the “War on Christmas” or what holidays and traditions should be recognized, but to just shut up and enjoy a season of good will and sharing time-and cocktails- with friends.
  52. Respect that we share many Holidays and Traditions in December- and at other times-with many people who may not believe as we do- and that’s okay.

If you do celebrate Christmas, I ask you to take this time to think  not just about Jesus’s birth but about his life and what he stood for- helping the poor, feeding the hungry, loving your neighbor- and see how you can emulate these Christian behaviors throughout the coming year.

Let’s try to keep this in mind instead of judging and trying to force your beliefs on others throughout the year….

That’s my job.

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My Southern Gothic Life: Chapter 60: Look Away, Dixieland

There is a new post up on my other blog….

Here are the intro paragraphs and a link to the full post:

Let me set the stage for the next few entries….

My college was Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia.  At the time I attended school there it was an all-male college.

And for those of you with dirty minds, let me get this out of the way right now.  I never had sex with any of my fellow students- or professors- during the entire time I was an undergraduate.

I realize, only I could be a Gay man at an all male school and manage not to have sex.  I’m special that way.  I’ve always been really good at missing opportunities for sex.

And homosexuality was still “the love that dare not speak its name” back in those days.

I’ve since found out there were quite a few of us around-concurrent with, before and after me– and most were more adventurous than I.  I’ve also discovered it seems about 90% of the Gay Alumni seem to have been members of my old fraternity- at various times.  We’ve compared notes….

In any event….

How did I end up at Washington and Lee University?  I’ve asked myself that a hundred times and tried to remember…

More:   Chapter 60: Look Away, Dixieland | My Southern Gothic Life.

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Ten Things I Hate About Republicans

As a start, let’s remember the classic premise under which the Republican Party has traditionally built its platform:  “A strong national defense and  less government intrusion into our daily lives.”  Doesn’t sound too bad on the surface, but the devil is in the details and how the GOP has evolved over the last 30 years.

The GOP used to be the bastion of White Shoe Lawyers, Old Money and the Corporate Elite.  At least they were straight forward about their goals in those days.  It was all about preserving capital within the family, making money and leaving every one else alone as long as those goals were achieved.

Then came the unholy alliance with the Religious Right.  Then they had to pretend they gave a damn about abortion and gays.  There went the part of the platform about “less government intrusion into our daily lives.”  Out the window.  The proverbial baby with the bath water,

That eventually led to most sensible people leaving the GOP.  This was all just too tacky for the Country Club Republicans to accept.  So, they moved to the Democrats and we saw the rise of the Corporatist Wing of the Democratic Party.

Arguably, a lot of today’s Democrats are very similar to the Republicans of 30 or 40 years ago.  That means a lot of people don’t quite fit anywhere.   However, the Democratic Party is more open to dissension and discussion, so most of these folks stay with the Dems and try to work it out.  The Dems negotiate, the GOP purges like the Stalinists of yore….

But I digress…let’s get back on topic.

What do I hate about the “modern” GOP?  Let me tell you…

1.  They are mean- these folks go for the jugular vein.  They don’t discuss, they don’t book dissent, they kill.  Truth is usually the first victim.  They have obviously read their Machiavelli and believe you can’t wound a prince, you must kill him.  (See Rick Perry)

2.  They lie with impunity- The modern GOP does not believe in facts, they believe in propaganda. They will look you in the eye – or more likely television camera- and lie. Their goal is to create an alternate reality that benefits the Rich without anyone getting wise to the situation.  (See Fox News)

3.  They are hypocrites-  They claim moral superiority and belief in “traditional” family values while serially abandoning wives and families for new trophy wives.  (See John McCain and Newt Gingrich)

4.  They are plastic- If Ken and Barbie ran for  office they would be Republicans.  I’m convinced the GOP and fundamentalist ministers keep the hairspray companies in business.  I would just love to put all the GOP debaters in a wind tunnel and see how they came out.  I wonder if their hair is real or if it’s like some play-dough helmet they put on everyday….(See Mitt Romney and Rick Perry)

5.  They are proud of their ignorance- They hate science and won’t believe simple facts.  They can’t be bothered to learn or study the issues.  (See Herman Cain and Sarah Palin-among others)

6.  They are intolerant of other religions or the religious views of others- Each of them seem to be convinced they have a direct line to God and he speaks only to them.  Anyone who disagrees with them is bound for hell.  (See Michele Bachmann and Rick Santorum)

7.  They are heartless-  Ideological purity is of the utmost importance-particularly to the Libertarian Republicans.  These guys believe in almost no government.  If you get sick and don’t have any money, it’s okay to let you die.  They think you should have planned better and worked harder. (See Ron Paul)

8.  They are anti-intellectual-  Used to be we wanted the smartest guy or gal in the room for our President.  Not the GOP.  Not only are they proud of their ignorance, they dismiss intelligence and intellectual curiosity as signs of ideological weakness.  They think people who actually study the issues and the facts are wasting valuable time.  To them, facts are to be adjusted to drive the agenda and one shouldn’t think too much about things like starting a war with Iraq because someone insulted Daddy.  (See George W. Bush)

9.  The are vengeful- They truly believe there are only two important concepts in politics:  Loyalty and Revenge.  You must be loyal, without asking questions, or you will face their revenge.  (See George W. Bush and Dick Cheney)

10.  They are always out for themselves- Their motto really should be “I’ve got mine, screw you.”  They don’t believe in anything that stands in the way of profiteering.  It’s all about “me” to them.  They don’t even recognize the existence of anyone else as that would require them to stop gazing at themselves in the mirror and reading their bank statements.  (See Sarah Palin)

I could go on, but I’ll stop here for now….

I’m sure before the Republican Presidential Primaries are over, I’ll be able to add to this list…..

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Chapter 59: All the Sad Young Men: Part 1 | My Southern Gothic Life

New post up on my other blog:

 

I think I’ve been away from this blog for a while because I’ve been trying not to write this entry….

I didn’t want to write this.  I didn’t mean to write this…but I need to write this before I can look either backwards or forward with any additional clarity.

It’s what’s on my mind and has to be exorcised…

I’m going to write about my college years.  I meant to stop before I got here.  I meant to save this for the book….

But I really can’t move on until I introduce this part of myself into the dialogue.  It’s too much a part of who I am.

This is hard for me to write.  I’m going to be as general and evasive, yet truthful,  as possible, but I have to write this….

See, I woke up one night recently, crying in my bed, silent tears running down my  face…..thinking about these boys and who we were and who we are…and I have to weave them into the narrative or I can’t honestly  go on with this experiment…

I guess it’s part of being “middle aged” and some sort of middle aged crisis….

They are too much of a part who I am not to recognize them….I value them too much.

More:  Chapter 59: All the Sad Young Men: Part 1 | My Southern Gothic Life.

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The Ghost of Jesse Helms

The Ghost of Jesse Helms visited the North Carolina legislature this week.  I guess we were moving too far along the Progressive path and he feared his legacy was about to be forgotten, so he had to come back for a visit.

Jesse Helms- or at least his memory and his followers- are still alive and well and living in North Carolina.  I forget that sometimes….

I remember when I moved here from Virginia years ago.  I didn’t change the tags on my car for as long as possible as I couldn’t stand the thought of North Carolina tags on my car and people seeing them and linking me to Jesse Helms.  In those days, he was a universal symbol of all that was hateful, judgmental, mean and petty.  Back then, Virginia seemed the more reasonable state.

In more recent years, the loonies have taken over again in Virginia and North Carolina seemed to be becoming a bastion of sanity.  Or at least a Purple State.  It seemed the old ways and the old days were about to be forgotten and a new era was coming.  North Carolina voters supported a Black man in the last presidential election and elected a woman as governor.  We have openly gay mayors and legislators.  We seemed to have finally put the past behind us and been ready to lead the way into the 21st Century of tolerance and peaceful, non-judgmental coexistence.

I guess it was too much for old Jesse.  We all knew he was spinning in his grave and secretly feared something would unleash his ghost.

And it did….

The Ghost of Jesse Helms visited the North Carolina Legislature this week where the remaining followers of Jesse are trying to roll back the clock and bring back legalized discrimination.

By pushing a ballot initiative to ban any sort of recognition for Gay Relationships- not just marriage, but Domestic Partnerships or Civil Unions- the legislature has taken a giant step backwards.

They are showing they are behind the times and fighting a battle that was lost long ago.  But in a region that is still fighting the Civil War, how can we expect an easy surrender to Civil Marriage.

Let’s be clear:  Marriage is a civil, legal contract.  No matter how much the Religious Right carries on, Religion has nothing to do with it.  Churches can choose who they marry, but legislators should not choose who to discriminate against.  This amendment denies equal protection under the law.

Today, North Carolina moved past a decade of healing and pulled the scab off an old, hateful wound.

My hope is that the people of North Carolina prove that they have moved on, even if their “representatives” have not.

My hope is that they will vote down this mean-spirited attempt to legislate hate, divide people and deny basic legal protection to a class of people.

My hope is the people of North Carolina truly turn out to be the open-minded and open-hearted people I have come to know and love over the past 20 years.

I think they really might surprise those legislators in Raleigh and send Jesse’s ghost away for good.

I hope so….

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My Thoughts: How to Solve the So-Called Debt Crisis: Sell Texas

I’m so tired of hearing all the foolishness in Washington about this manufactured debt crisis the Republicans came up with as an excuse to drive their agenda.  It’s gotten all out of their control now and is threatening all kinds of dire consequences if they force us into default on the national debt.

Well, I have figured out my own solution.  Except for Austin and a couple of other nice cities, lets just sell off Texas.  I’ve been there.  Believe me, we won’t miss it.

Their Governor, Rick Perry, and the Republicans there keep threatening to secede anyway, so lets just sell them off to the highest bidder and make everyone happy.  Surely we would get enough from Mexico or China or someone to greatly reduce the national debt and they would be free of the Washington government they seem to hate so much…

That’s not too much of a sacrifice for them to make, is it?  If they are as patriotic as they claim to be, surely they will be glad to do this for the greater good of the country  They keep saying we have to do something NOW and sacrifices are necessary.  So, let’s sacrifice by selling Texas.  I would much rather do that than cut Medicare, Medicaid or Social Security.  I hope Ann Richards and Molly Ivins would approve…

And we would get rid of a lot of the fools Texas sends to Washington to cause all this trouble…

Makes as much sense as most of the “real” solutions coming out of Washington.

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Chapter 56: Integration-Part 2: Negroes, Lesbians and Yankees, Oh My! | My Southern Gothic Life

New Post up on my other Blog…

Here is a brief excerpt and a link to the full post:

Once integration happened, it was really no big deal to most of us.  Some of our parents, however, never recovered.

The South in those days, at least in small towns like ours, was built a lot of unbendable, undefinable, unpublished, unspoken but completely understood rules.  The two biggest one were as follows:

Thou shalt only consort with people just like you.

Never offend the neighbors.

My parents swore by those rules.  My father’s main concern was not pissing off anybody for business reasons.  He really didn’t give a damn about anything else.

My Mother lived for The Rules and to judge others by them.  In her mind, if she had not known someone and their entire family for her entire life- and preferably their family background for several preceding generations-they really weren’t worth knowing.

She also assumed everyone else played by the same rules.  Therefore, she assumed all Black people knew each other and later, all Gay people knew each other.  I’ll never forget the time she said to me:  ”I hope you are running around in public with that Harvey Fierstein person.  I saw him on television and he’s just awful.  I really don’t want to have to try to explain that to my friends.”  It took me a while to figure that out, but then I realized she assumed, just because we were both Gay, we had to know each other and be fast friends.  I wish…I have been in the same New York bar as Harvey, but that was many years later and does not prove her point…

Anyway…

MORE:  Chapter 56: Integration-Part 2: Negroes, Lesbians and Yankees, Oh My! | My Southern Gothic Life.

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