The Red Menace

The Red Menace
Image Copyright Publish America 2009

The Red Menace

"The Red Menace"

From the Jacket Blurb...

In the Fall of 1950, the United States entered into a conflict with aliens from an unknown world. This conflict was fought in the shadows, nobody wanting its existence to become public knowledge. At stake was the very future of humanity and its freedom from off-planet domination.

Harry Edgarton, a veteran of the Second World War, finds himself returning to his wartime duties as an Intelligence and Special Operations officer. He stumbles into alien activity and seeks out those already involved in the conflict to join their ranks. Putting together a team of military personnel, aided by the best scientists America has, Harry starts to investigate sightings of ‘flying saucers’, trying to determine what they want and how to stop them. Along the way, he must face human Quislings who have sold out humanity for a higher place in the new order to come, unimaginative law enforcement and military officials that obstruct his mission through incompetence, and the very flaws of American society and humanity itself.

Can Harry and his team, ‘Detachment Jericho’, divine the enemy’s plans in time to make a difference? Can they steal enough alien technology to give American and her Allies the weapons to keep the war from being a lopsided fiasco? Will American society as it is survive and prosper?

Coming soon to Barnes & Noble and Borders near you. (As of 6 March 2009)

I am an Author!

Well, it's taken five years to get to this point. I've revised my book no less than five times, based on input from various people, including some in the publishing industry I met at GenCon.

As it stands, I'm having to go with Publish America, a company that *does* publish books, but not in a traditional manner. I'll get a whopping $1 as an advance, to secure the contract, then for the next seven years, the book will be available on Amazon and where ever I can get a store to carry it. the only marketing that PA does is to send out review copies to certain magazines and reviewers, and press releases. Otherwise, it's print on demand and PA titles aren't stocked by mainstream book distributors.

That sucks, but it gets me an ISBN, which is a start. I will, though this blog, have discounted copies available, when the book goes to press. Right now, my book is still in the final stages of production, I'm waiting for my contract to arrive in the mail to sign it.


Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Character

I recently received a link from a friend on Plaxo. It involved an article on President Obama and his personality. Here is a link to the article.

http://patdollard.com/2009/02/the-making-of-a-fuehrer/

I read the article and found it offensive. Why?

I was sort of expecting some evidence of the alleged narcissism. The only thing offered up as evidence was the book Obama wrote that was supposed to be on race relations. He wrote an autobiography, but given that racists still try to oppress blacks in America, this could fill the intended purpose.

While racism is the "bloody red shirt" of American politics, it *also* does take place. And conservatives *need* to accept that the black experience, for the majority of blacks, is simply different than that of whites.

By experience, blacks have learned, even in the current generations, to take nothing for granted. Even young, professional blacks have sudden and jarring encounters with racism in the most unexpected places. And these are the most optimistic members of the black community, the ones that used student loans and hard work to overcome any and all obstacles to success.

I recall listening to Rush Limbaugh many years ago, 1992, I think. He was railing on the Federal Government "going after" a country club on the basis of prejudice. It refused, as a matter of policy, to admit black members. The Government used interstate commerce as it's segue into the case, arguing (successfully) that if the club had *any* members that resided out of state, that said club was therefore subject to Federal anti-discrimination laws.

As a conservative, i was mortified. Not that the Fed would do this, but that a conservative, arguably a member of the party of Lincoln, would ignore the realities of (wealthy) life. The man bringing the suit that was ultimately won argued that many high-dollar business deals were done in the informal and relaxed atmosphere of the country club and that he was being denied access to this aspect of the business he (and members of the club) were in - a violation of Federal statute.

He was absolutely right. That *is* how some business is done - on the basis of personal relationships and after taking the measure of your (potential) business partner after a round of golf or a good lunch where many things are discussed.

When asked about my politics, I describe myself as a Bull Moose Republican. Since so few Americans know what that is, even with liberals, it gives me an opportunity to explain my politics. I often get the opportunity to convince people that not all conservatives are fascists (a commonly held belief on the far left) and I've even managed to learn a thing or two.

A Bull Moose Republican is a conservative that embraces diversity. Theodore Roosevelt, our founder, was the first President to ask a black man to a state dinner at the White House. George Washington Carver, an incredible man by any measure. And he took a political beating for it, to the point he regretted the act, but *never* the opportunity.

But TR was a man of character. He was elected with Big Money contributions, but he started the process that gave us legal protection for unions, the 40 hour work week, overtime pay, and worker's comp. He had *real* character, not that which many conservatives try to trot out every four years and convince us is character.

And the man of character, the *true* man of character, requires that for an accusation to be spread about a public person's traits, that there be *some* evidence. I don't see any in the above article.

But that's just my opinion, though I am willing to sign my name to it.

Scott Hann
Indianapolis, IN

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