Annie responded: "Hogwash."

"The only mistake Joe McCarthy made was that he didn't tell half of what he knew;" continued Mary.  "The Communists accused him on the front page, and the retractions were on the back page in small print.  The Commies outgunned McCarthy and the public bought their lies."

"Interesting that you should mention lies," said Annie.  "McCarthy ruined a lot of people's lives.  His unproved accusations resulted in people losing their jobs, having their bank accounts attached, and prison.  Prison for contempt, or refusal to name names.

"Did you know that he accused President Eisenhower, General George Marshall, and Robert Stevens, the Secretary of the Army of being red sympathizers.  He made a speech saying that he had a list of 205 people in the State Department who were Communists.  Did you know that he was never able to prove a single one of his charges?  He never had any proof." 

"Like I said," pouted Mary.  "The queers and Commies out gunned him."

Annie's face lightened and a small grin appeared.  "Queers?  You do know that Roy Cohn, David Schine, and Joe McCarthy himself were known to have indulged in homosexual activities?"

"That's a damned lie" said Mary.

"You think so?" smiled Annie, "and even J. Edgar Hoover lived with another man and liked to dress up like a woman."

"That is so ridiculous that I am not about to dignify your comment with an answer."

"Nothing to answer", said Annie. "It's fact, and you can look it all up.  Arizona Sun editor, Hank Greenspun, accused McCarthy of homosexual activities.  McCarthy discussed suing Greenspun, but backed out, when he discovered that if he tried to sue he would have to publicly answer questions.  Too many people knew too much about him.   What McCarthy did was arrange for a marriage of convenience with his secretary, Jeannie Kerr.  They even adopted a child to give them respectability, but it was still just a marriage of convenience."

"You read too much, and you believe too much of what you read," said Mary.  Joseph McCarthy was a patriot and a hero.  I lived during that time, and I know that he wasn't a liar or a queer: he was a moral man."

"He was a liar and a drunk.  He drank himself to death, after others proved that he was a liar," said Annie.

Walt stood up, looked at Sulo and said:  "I wonder why Hooters never started any franchises out here?"

"Beats me," said Sulo.  "I need to figure out what we will do for St. Urho's day in March.  I wonder if they celebrate it at Hooters?"

"St. Urho?" asked Walt.

"Yeah, St. Urho," replied Sulo.  He's the Patron Saint of Finland.  He saved their wine crop.  He's not like that McCarthy guy; he's real."


The ladies may not always get along, but Walt and Sulo work at being good friends.

…And I wonder, do they really celebrate St. Urho's at Hooters?