This calls to mind the commenters you've had here in recent times who like to accuse you, or other commenters, of being motivated by a need for "attention"... And others who can't imagine voting for a candidate who isn't likely to win. America is a dynamic and well-educated place, yet there are many with no understanding of how or why an opinion is constructed. Imagine dinner conversation in their homes.

This is why Ron Paul is not getting any attention from the national press.

He is espousing ideas that middle America knows are good. The national press is rejecting him because what he is saying is outside the mainstream thoughts as they currently stand.

I faced this sort of "censorship" in 2009 when a well-known, respected medical blogger solicited me for a guest post. I submitted one challenging the conventional wisdom that dietary total and saturated fats are poison to the heart and vascular system.

The guest post was politely rejected. Now we see major nutrition scientists like Walter Willett and Frank Hu coming over to my side.

Sometimes it takes a generation or two to change the conventional wisdom.

-Steve

PS: Alternatively, perhaps my post was just poorly written.

If we had a Republican president, they'd publish it.

"If we had a Republican president, they'd publish it."

Dissent is only the highest form of patriotism when your side doesn't hold the reins of power.

This isn't too far off the mark when talking to the ordinary citizen.

It only takes a few sentences to find out that usually, the person in front of you is only for "free speech" when they want to talk.

And so we see speakers at Berkeley shouted down.

It isn't even necessary in many minds to know what the hell they are talking about. Thus, OWS, Sadly, No! and dozens of other examples where emotion goads the ignorant.

Amy, I've worked as an editor at dailies, at a weekly and at magazines - if you want to send it to me, I'll give you my honest opinion about it. I know you write well and would be curious to read it in any case.

By the way - Jay Rosen has permanently cheapened himself by becoming a wrangler for Arianna's unpaid army - he spearheaded her "Off the Bus" project, where HuffPo tried to get bloggers to cover campaign news for free. When he bitches about journalists being "insiders" or parroting conventional wisdom, it's useful to picture him as the parrot on Pirate Arianna's lovely shoulder.

OK, here you go. Please note that the following aren't my thoughts or feelings about the essay, but rather my impression of the thought processes employed by editors, for better or for worse.

1. It's obviously very well-written. That's not the problem.

2. The length - 1,132 words - is a bit long for most daily papers' op-ed pages, at least during the week; Sunday might be different.

3. The language involved in describing your experience is necessary to convey the impact of the story, but I'll bet a lot of op-ed editors at the dailies will believe it too strong for their audiences. It's not so much the specific words themselves (though most op-ed editors would cringe at printing the word 'vulva'), but the vivid experience described.

4. Canadian and English newspapers don't have many of those qualms, plus they're on the outside looking in. Any Canadian or English editor who has gone through the American TSA process (body invasion by a representative of a foreign government) will likely be more interested.

5. Weekly papers have shrunk so much over the last 10 years that they tend toward keeping things community-based. I don't think that's your market.

6. In tone and subject, this very much reads like an essay from The American Spectator. You might submit it there. A second choice would be The New Republic. Both of these publications are concerned with national and governmental matters and don't shy away from opinion.

It's a punchy, powerful opinion piece. I do think it will eventually find a home, but it might take more work than the average article.

Very interesting insights, Kevin. I enjoyed reading about it. Do you have any experience with getting books published?

@Patrick - Yes, but not lately, and the publishing landscape has changed so drastically since then that I probably don't know nuthin'.

Well of course this is the same media that thinks Obama’s Miracle Is a Scandal-Free White House.

They don't think that Solyndra is a big scandal and the deaths of Border Patrol agents with Fast & Furious guns is a scandal.

www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-10-27/obama-miracle-is-white-house-free-of-scandal-commentary-by-jonathan-alter.html

How much to view it, paid by paypal?

Amy, I can't wait to read it either. It's troubling that no mainstream media outlets have accepted it so far, but I guess that is both a symptom of our media system and the times we live in.

I have no doubt that with your resourcefulness and perseverance, it will eventually appear SOMEWHERE, where it will reach and influence a great number of readers. Don't give up!!

Amy, maybe you should think about expanding it into a book.

Would love to hear what you have to say on this topic and if you come across any published articles or medical journals on that relate to this.