From: "Roy C. Lackey" <rclackey@stic.net>
Subject: (urth) Copperhead: stuff
Date: Tue, 15 May 2001 00:34:34 

As mantis pointed out, some person or persons *had* to have been
experimenting with the device for the NP to know as much as he did about it.
So far as we know, it has been in the NP's possession since the general
handed it over; given its power, I don't see him surrendering it to anyone
else. The volume and colors of the leaves indicate that it was early autumn
when he got it, so the Air Force couldn't have had it for half so long as he
did. How much experimenting did he do? And on what?

The Press and the public probably know little, if anything, about the crash,
and *nothing* about the Changer and the woman.

The redhead is probably what happened to Marsha's and Boone's marriage,
which evidently went south in a hurry, seemingly since the election. Boone's
relations with her probably contributed to his suicide, but there's more to
it than that. Both Marsha and the NP are concerned about the contents of the
suicide note, but for reasons other than the most obvious--for Marsha,
airing her personal life in public, and for the NP the effect of a sex
scandal on his administration and prospects for re-election. The NP, at
least, has more to fear:
*********
"He left a note. I haven't been able to find out what was in it."

"Don't."

"Don't?"

"It will be damaging to us in some way. They'll find out, Marsha, and
they'll throw it in our faces. We'll know a lot more about it than we want
to then, . . ."
*********

That sounds to me like a "what did he know and when did he know it" concern.
He doesn't want, nor does he want Marsha to have, for legal reasons, direct
knowledge of possibly incriminating information that may be in the note,
possibly concerning the murder he mentioned to Rance, even though he assumes
that both he and Marsha already know what damaging information the note may
contain. He has something to hide, something a lot more important than
hanky-panky from his wife.


I'm hardly wedded to the Jane Doe-is-Lilith idea, nor entirely satisfied
with it, and welcome alternatives.
***********
"Because you have done this, cursed be you." His voice was like an organ,
his hand like a vise as he caught her by the throat. "Upon your belly you
shall go, and the dust you shall eat, and I shall crush your head under my
heel."
***********

Why? She merely did unto him exactly what he was going to do unto her, only
she did it first. What, exactly, did she do to merit such a fate? How did
she sin? Where did the "glorious" man get the moral authority? The redhead
was entirely blameless in the matter of her appearance in this universe. If
"Dhoss bhoyes" fight and die because they lust after her, how is that her
fault? I mean, just what the hell was she supposed to do about any of it?
Surrender, just lie down and say "Do with me as you will"? Evidently she
already tried that. Commit suicide to save their souls? What?

-Roy



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