I had done some traveling, but for the most part, all I knew were bitter cold winters and hot, muggy summers. Fall was usually either: a) a reprieve ...rom the heat of the summer before winter rolled in, or b) a bit of a chill before the real cold weather arrived. It was all I knew before arriving on the west coast, and, to be more specific, Monterey on California’s Central Coast.Monterey is very similar to the town I grew up in. Both are coastal towns, relying heavily on the fishing industry. They grow facial and body hair much more slowly than fertile males if at all. Their voices are almost a full octave higher on average. From a scientific perspective, none of these statements are controversial. From a political perspective, they are poison.(As will happen several times during the talk, there is a low murmuring in the auditorium. This transcript will omit any further crowd reaction that does not interrupt the speech.)Fortunately, this is not a PTED Talk.(Slide 1 shows the TED. “How’re you feeling?” I asked, thankful Emma’s expertise as a doctor was kicking in.“Like I’ve been shot,” he said.It was meant to be a joke, so I smiled. However, his voice was soft, like he couldn’t quite catch his breath. I took off his vest and peeled away the top of his shirt. Two small bullet holes were there just below the right clavicle. It was possible one of them had nicked his lung. He needed to get to surgery soon.I checked his vest. There were no signs of damage. The shooter just. So I am taking the liberty of writing to you. I trust that you will indulge an old man and respond.It went on a bit, but that was all that might be relevant. "Have you read this?" I asked, holding the yellowing sheet out to Billings."No. One of the men said there were files, but I hadn't looked at anything. Do you think it's important?" I don't know. It's old. But it's the only personal correspondence I've seen." I flipped through the sheets. "There's too much to read right now. Might I take.