Bricks & Musings 2026
General Spouting Off
by Jevic, The Tarheel Writer
Just gotta get up on my little soapbox every once in awhile. Feel free to comment.
jevic@tarheelwriter.com
Thanks!
The Tarheel Writer - On the Web since 24 February 2003. Celebrating 23 Years on the Internet!
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10 April 2026
Today in history, it was in 1912 shortly after noon that Titanic set sail from Southampton on her maiden voyage.
3 April 2026
I ran across this the other day and just had to share it!
In 1919, the U.S. Navy decided it needed to root out gay men in its ranks. Instead, it documented an entire queer subculture and sparked a national scandal.
The chain of events became known as the Newport sex scandal. Naval investigators in Newport, Rhode Island, believed sailors were having sex with each other. So they launched a sting operation. Young enlisted men were ordered to go undercover, flirt with suspected gay sailors, have sex with them, and then report back.
The investigators expected a handful of arrests. What they uncovered instead was a whole social world that most Americans had no idea existed.
Sailors described parties, private rooms in boarding houses, coded language, and a network of men who knew exactly where to find each other. One investigator wrote that certain men were known as “fairies.” Another report described men who preferred to be courted like women.
The Navy was shocked. They had stumbled into a culture with its own rules, signals, and social structure. Not just a few isolated acts, but an entire community.
The sting went far beyond normal policing. Sailors were ordered to have sex with suspects to gather evidence. And they did. That detail did not sit well with Congress.
When news of the operation leaked, a Senate investigation followed in 1921. Lawmakers were less concerned about the existence of gay sailors than about the Navy ordering enlisted men to seduce other men as part of an official investigation.
One senator called the tactics “disgusting.” Another said the Navy had created the very behavior it claimed to be stopping.
The transcripts of that investigation accidentally preserved one of the earliest detailed records of gay life in the United States. They show men socializing, flirting, forming relationships, and building a shared identity long before the modern gay rights movement.
The Navy wanted to stamp it out. Instead, it wrote it down.
The Newport investigation was meant to prove that homosexuality was rare and deviant. What it actually proved was something else entirely: that even in 1919, the queer community was thriving.
24 February 2026
At The Tarheel Writer, it's our anniversary! It's our 23rd and wow, the last year has been great. I finished two books and rewrote two. I'm quite proud of that accomplishment.
2003 seems like such a long time ago, yet at the same time, it seems like yesterday. Everything that's happened between then and now, reminds me that it has indeed been, as they say, quite a few moons.
Gotta say thank you to Rick Beck, awesome author that he is, for encouragement and friendship. You're the best, Rick!
Thank you for the emails. Even the ones that only said 'thanks.'
Been here awhile? Thank you for coming back. New to The Tarheel Writer? There's a lot here! Thank you for your support and patroniage through the years! It's an awesome ride!
23 February 2026
53th Anniversary!
Fifty-three years ago, to the day, I sat down behind the console in the control room of a radio station, starting a twenty year career as a disc jockey. I played Top40, disco, country, easy listening, bluegrass and big band. I worked every shift there is to work, but my favorite was afternoon drive, 3pm - 7pm. I even worked every job there is to work at a radio station; music director, program director, station manager and even chief engineer. Radio today isn't what it was back then. *sigh* Hey, enjoy listening to your favorite station and may a disc jockey make you smile today.
3 February 2026
The Watchers Part Three is now complete and available. This ends the story that literally started this website so many years ago. It is the first novel I ever wrote (now rewritten) and I started The Tarheel Writer website because of this story. The entire novel has 25 chapters and 159,016 words, so it's a long ride that's well worth it.
Cameron finds out his mother is from another planet and he has inherited some awesome powers. Part One of the story deals with Cameron's life on Earth and his struggles with coming to accept and control his new abilites. He also gets a boyfriend!
Part Two of the story moves to another planet called Kelmar where Cameron and his friends fight a new evil that threathens to take over the entire planet.
Part Three answers the cliffhanger question from Part Two about the evil son no one knew about. Not everything is as it seems and revelations about the son shock everyone, but Cameron and his "tingling" are on top of it. The setting for Part Three is primarily New York City.
I hope you enjoy reading as much as I enjoyed writing this saga. Please take a moment to let me know what you think. Thank you!
1 January 2026
Happy New Year from everyone at The Tarheel Writer!
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