| April 23 |  |
Editor says, what if Leopold and Loeb murdered Adolf Hitler? muses Jackie Rose. Please note that the opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of the author(s). This story was published in the April 2013 edition of Changing the Times Magazine.
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It is 1923, and two American boys are enjoying a European tour with a stop in Germany. Their trip was especially enjoyable because it had been so hard to get their wealthy Jewish parents to pay for their journey, especially since they were venturing into anti-Semitic territory.
The All-American BoysEven back in Chicago, though, they had enjoyed themselves by fantasizing
about committing the perfect murder. Hearing about the viciously
anti-Semitic political party organizer named Adolf Hitler, they decided he
was the perfect target for making their fantasies come true.
Since they also knew that he was an aspiring artist, they called on him
saying that they wanted to buy his paintings. He agreed to meet them in a
hotel room, where they had registered in disguise .. after swearing him to
total secrecy, by saying that having two Jews buy his artwork would
embarrass them all. When they showed up they strangled him and hid his body
beneath the mattress.
Their biggest challenge, of course, was getting out of Germany alive. Driving hell-for-leather to the airport, they managed their escape, hours before the corpse was found. One of them had left his glasses on the bed .. but fortunately for them, the other had spotted them just before they left the scene.
Hitler's death was blamed on everyone from the Communists to Kaiser Wilhelm, but it was only years later that the two boys decided to tell their stories.
It was true, they conceded, that Hitler had only been replaced by another Nazi leader named General Erich von Ludendorff, who was just as hateful as Hitler had been. He persecuted Jews and Christians alike, but had to stop short of killing them all, since there were so many Christians around, and they were naturally making common cause with the Jews. Still, the killers felt sure that the world was well rid of their original target .. and that all the world should admire the heroic deed of Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb.
Entry posted by
Jackie Rose
© Jackie Rose, 2011-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Religion Source: Wikipedia Labels: Leopold, Loeb, Hitler, Jew, Semitism. Editor says, in real life - Leopold and Loeb are notorious to this day for killing a
little neighbor boy named Bobby Franks in 1924, partly to commit that
perfect murder .. and also partly to raise the ransom money for their
European trip. Since they had left Leopold's glasses at the scene, they were quickly captured. Saved from execution by the great lawyer Clarence Darrow, they were soon sentenced to life in prison, where Loeb was killed.
~ Ludebndorff wouldn't have got that far.I just hope the boys would've been satisfied with this one murder.
~ I still support the Red alert theory that even without Hitler, there would have been someone to launch the Second World War, whether he was German ,Russian, or even Polish
~ This is good.But,not for mankind.Nazi germany would have lasted longer w/o Adolf.
~ The Nazi party was Adolf plus a lot of nobodies. Without him Nazi Germany doesn't happen - though some other form of right-wing dictatorship may.
~ Answering Mark...If the boys had not been satisfied, they might have wound up going on secret government missions...like killing Castro and bin Laden. Looking at it from the other point of view...It was the Tsarnaev Brothers who reminded me of them, since the Tsarnaevs seemed to me to be rather like the Leopold and Loeb of our time.
~ Great TL. These guys could go evil quickly... what famous person would be next? Lindberg?
~ Didn't Hitchcock base one of his movies on these two?
~ Yes indeed, Brian...the movie was called Rope. A later, much more successful movie was based on a novel about them, called Compulsion.
~ Weimar Germany wasn't more anti-Semitic than the rest of Western Europe. Poland was quite a bit more so, along with Eastern Europe.
~ True no doubt,Eric...but Americans would have been much less likely to visit Poland, and in Germany the Nazis were already making their mark, as witness the Beer Hall Putsch.
~ A Sane Rightist Authoritarian German Leader could have easily come to dominate Eastern Europe. An 'RAGL' with Issues about Jews could have done it easily. An 'RAGL' who looked down his nose at Slavs could have easily co-opted the Jews into their strongest supporters (Yiddish is not that far off from various dialekten aside from the orthography). Even Adolph could have died in bed if he knew how to quit doubling down.
Editor says, what if the Ostend Manifesto had been acted upon? Please note that the opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of the author(s). This story was published in the April 2013 edition of Changing the Times Magazine.
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In 1791, on this day the American statesman James Buchanan, Jr. was born to parents of Ulster Scots descent in a log cabin in Cove Gap, Franklin County, Pennsylvania. During an unstable period of vacillating national leaders, he stood out as as one of the few national politicians willing to take a principled stand on the integrity of the Union.
Birth of James BuchananAfter a successful career in local politics he was elected to the Senate and later became the chairman of the Committee on Foreign Relations. Offered a position on the Supreme Court, he declined and served as Secretary of State under President Polk despite objections from Buchanan's rival, Vice President George Dallas. During this term of office he helped negotiate the 1846 Oregon Treaty which establishing the 49th parallel as the northern boundary of the western U.S.
He then served as minister to the Court of St. James's helping to draft the Ostend Manifesto. This document proposed the purchase from Spain of Cuba, then in the midst of revolution and near bankruptcy, declaring the island "as necessary to the North American republic as any of its present .. family of states". Against his recommendation, the final draft of the Manifesto suggested that "wresting it from Spain" if Spain refused to sell would be justified "by every law, human and Divine". When this clause was acted upon by the Pierce administration he resigned and returned to retirement with his beloved wife Anne [1] at his home in the Wheatland. He died in 1868. Of course long before then he had been vindicated because the slave island of Cuba became central to the disputes between the States.
Entry posted by
Alternate Historian
© Alternate Historian, 2004-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Politicians Source: Wikipedia Labels: James Buchanan, Civil War, South Carolina, Charleston, Confederacy.
Editor says, in authoring this article we have re-purposed content from both the Wikipedia and also Alternate History web sites. The Manifesto, generally considered a blunder overall, was never acted upon but weakened the Pierce administration and support for Manifest Destiny. The Democrats nominated Buchanan ("Old Public Functionary") in 1856, for president. [1] see comment from John B.
~ If only....
~ So how is this TL different, other than that silly Ostend Manifesto, to make Bucky different than OTL? Is it possible that his fiance, Anne Caroline Coleman, Great idea, I've made that change! - Ed lived in this TL? You didn't really say, and I don't know too much about his life other than he was a live-long bachelor after the lady died and there were alligations that he might have been gay. On the whole he seems likje a decent man who was in over his head for the times.
~ Before pining for an AH in which Cuba belonged to the USA and therefore Castro's revolution didn't happen, consider that (1) it would likely have become another slave state, possibly altering the outcome of the Civil War, and (2) it also might have remained a Mafia haven to the present day.
~ Cuba a Civil War battleground? That would be interesting...
~ Little Mac leading his troops up San Juan Hill????
~ My learned friend Mr. Lipps forgets that the _reason_ Cuba was a "Mafia haven" (i.e., offered entertainment that the puritanical US and state governments here forbade or frowned on) was precisely because it WASN'T part of the United States. That said, I am not at all sure that either the Cuban people or the Americans would have been happy about taking in so many Spanish-speakers.
~ Great POD! It'd be an early start to an American Empire.
~ Actually Cuba almost passed into British hands at the end of the Seven Years War. The British occupation was quite well received by the local elites. The same elites were willing to entertain joining the US/Dixie every time they revolted against Spain. The quid pro quo for another slave state would have been Kansas as a free state.
Editor says, what if the Confederate Memorial Day had been banned? Please note that the opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of the author(s). This story was published in the April 2013 edition of Changing the Times Magazine.
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In 1866, on this day Yankee soldiers arrested Mrs. Elizabeth Rutherford Ellis and other senior members of the Ladies Memorial Association in Columbus, Georgia.
The Arrests in ColumbusThe ladies had called for a Confederate Memorial Day on April 26th, scheduled to coincide with General Johnston's surrender at Bennett Place. The White House considered it a step too far. And to emphasize the point, a draconian ban was also put in place that outlawed the waving of the Confederate Flag, wearing of Dixie Uniforms or engaging in any form of re-enactment or commemoration whatsover.
The suppression of these freedoms would of course have long term effects upon the pursuit of liberty. By the second decade of the twenty-first century, President Michelle Obama would call for the banning of any form of foodstuff considered likely to lead to obesity. That announcement was made from the McDonald's store on Pennsylvania Avenue where the First Family indulged in a sugar free salad without dressing.
Entry posted by
Alternate Historian
© Alternate Historian, 2004-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Generals Source: Wikipedia Labels: Columbus, Ladies Memorial Association, Georgia, Confederate, Confederacy. ~ Irony noted.
~ Oh, for heavens' sake...
~ This would be seen as going too far, even for Radical Reconstructionists.
~ The Confederates were bitching about the suppression of their liberty? Quelle irony!
~ Extremes. I think most everyone knows that events happen through, or because of. extremes, but rarely are extremes a long-term settling force in any issue.
Here, amid the ironies, are some in this AH. People would be looking for some sort of compromise be it in honouring Confederates, or eating contraband food.
~ This type of dystopian thinking would lead to a Reconstruction (probably STILL going on) that saw former slaves bundled off to Africa and their former masters bundled off to Central or South America.
~ Don't forget that shining symbol of liberty, the incandescent light bulb![rolleyes]
~ Taking away fried foods would be the last straw!
~ That would be the last straw indeed, Jeff...since, from what I've heard, Southern fried chicken was invented by a slave woman who threatened her masters with mayhem if they dared to pour sauce over her creation.
~ Jackie -- I think you have that backwards. Fried chicken by itself is typically a southern white dish. Fried chicken with gravy is soul food. Both like gravy on mashed potatoes. While both sub-genres have their culinary advantages, I personally can't stand their heavy use of deep fat and salt.
~ Well, Stan, that is the version I heard. Of course, those white southerners could have learned to love sauce-free fried chicken from the slave cook in question.
~ Many years ago, Dick Gregory, a famous comedian and black racial agitator in the 1960s, went on a hunger strike. Soon after, he announced the contents of a letter in which a man taunted him by reciting the menu of his last dinner. It included a mention of "fried chicken with gravy." The comedian replied, "There's a black man out there who just haaaaates me! Because you know who likes fried chicken with gravy!"
~ Well then, maybe the crotchety cook just wanted to deprive her masters of the pleasure of fried chicken with sauce. Revenge is sweet-and-sour!
Comment from Len Smith on Google+
Essentially , every attempt possible has indeed been made to prevent any current Confederate celebrations. The south was destroyed at the hands of Northern soldiers to make sure she never did recover. The opposition to any Southern development was successful until much later when industries moved there for cheap labor.
Banning confederate celebrations would only assure the South that the DC government was without a doubt a gang of thieves , Royalty and murderers. But the status quo would remain the same , the South has maintained a de facto independent government since the civil war , opposing the North whenever possible. It began to crumble when the civil rights movement decided to finish the job that was started in the civil war. This in essence was to drive out all old Southern ideology.
A moot point because the South is now becoming a Mexican state and they in turn are driving out North America as a whole as much as is possible.
Those whose families lost everything to the Northern delinquency and dictatorship , have turned to dust
~ There wasn't much the North needed to do after the war to "keep the South down", the Confederacy bankrupted itself in the war, and Sherman and Sheridan helped it along by torching much of it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confederate_States_of_America#Devastation_by_1865?
Comment from Len Smith on Google+
+Marko Bosscher It's true , since the Northerners destroyed every building and barn they could when they left .(..much the North needed to do ...) And yes the Southern bosses decided to wreck what might become Yankee home ground.
There was a great fear that the Yankee upper crust would install themselves in the south and become the new South . It was as much a cultural war as a war of finance.
There is a tendency for folks to become emotional and see the war as racial in nature , the great slave saving war. When in fact it was much an attempt to rearrange upper class ideologues , to establish one nation from Canada to Mexico.
The women of the South ( where this tale begins ) are still carrying the war on in their parlors . They ceased be European and very French and were forced to be Yankee's. Not acceptable all in their eyes.
Editor says, what if a chance act at the Garden of Gethsemane had abrogated God's Plan? Please note that the opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of the author(s).
"Then Simon Peter having a sword drew it, and smote the high priest's servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant's name was Malchus. Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the scabbard: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?" ~ John 18:10-11
This story was published in the March 2012 edition of Changing the Times Magazine.
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In AD 33, that agent of the random Simon Peter withdrew his sword and with holy fury attacked the Temple Guards that had arrested his Master in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Off ScriptThe tense, but otherwise peaceful confrontation escalated into a violent armed struggle in which Malchus was killed.
Unable to raise him from the dead, Jesus discovered that he had been stripped of his miraculous powers. Fearing the wrath of God, he was terrified by the prospect that he himself might be cast into the fiery lake. Summoning both the disciples and the Temple Guards, he assembled a mob to march into the city and declare that the Kingdom of Heaven was at hand.
This post is a variant ending to The Last Temptation.
Entry posted by Todayinah Editor
© Alternate Historian, 2004-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Religion Source: Wikipedia Labels: Jesus, Judas, Malchus, Caiaphas, Golgotha. Editor says, in the Gospels, Malchus has his ear cut off. But Jesus stops the fight with a miracle, by healing his severed ear.
~ Interesting take. :-) Some folks might think it's blasphemous, but I'm a devout Christian myself and I think it's fine. Nice out-of-the-box thinking.
~ If God's Plan can be derailed so easily, is He truly omnipotent?
~ It's fatuous not blaphemous.
~ Comments in the "What If..." collection are interesting in that the Romans liked Jesus' policy of "pay your taxes." Maybe he'd join up with Pontius Pilate and overthrow the Pharisees?
~ Jeff, you are talking about a nice patriotic Jewish boy. Join up with Pontius Pilate? In this AH, he would have been much more likely to join up with the Sicarii!
Editor says, what if Shakespeare had encountered copyright issues? Please note that the opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of the author(s).
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In 1616, on this day the playwright William Shakespeare died of a heart attack after an uproarious night out drinking with the poet Ben Jonson.
Death of the Bard
By Ed, Eric Oppen and Jackie SpeelThe cause for this excessive celebration was the resolution of a long-running dispute with the King's Men. Twenty-five years before, he was the lead playwright of the first tetralogy comprising Richard III and Henry VI Parts 1-3. In the spirit of collaboration, other actors of the playing company had become involved. Soon members of the Elizabethan Court wanted to be part of the merriment, and even Good Queen Bless contributed a few lines of dialogue.
But the fun stopped abruptly when King James ascended the throne and became the company's patron. Some fast back tracking was required on the political satire in the new Stuart Court. Shakespeare lost control of his own material, and the new house playwright John Fletcher managed to force him out.
He returned to Stratford-upon-Avon to focus on his poetry. However he was recalled to London to participate in the translation of the King James Version of the Bible, and the successful publication of the KJVB in 1611 restored him to favour. Five years later, he finally recovered his rightful ownership his plays. But the Elizabethan age had long sice passed, and he was just too old to keep up with the quoffing.
Entry posted by Todayinah Editor
© Alternate Historian, 2004-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Actors Source: Wikipedia Labels: William Shakespeare, Robert Greene, Plays, Sonnets, Poem. Editor says, in this article we re-visit ideas from Eric Oppen and Jackie Speel.
~ I'm not sure if playwrights in Shakespeare's time had control of their plays, or if they were always the property of the company, or what. Interesting idea, though...what would Shakespeare have done with the KJV of the Bible?
~ What we call "intellectual property" today was pretty communal; even citation didn't matter very much. For example, Isaac Newton's famous "standing on the shoulders of giants" or Francis Bacon's "Knowledge is power" were , thus it's hard to get an exact attribution 'cause they didn't care who said it as long as it was insightful and true. Once the Enlightenment gets going and a lot of censorship gets discusses (John Milton's era), we'd see more specific ownership. P.S., Shakespeare's Bible would've been something very interesting to read. A lot more tongue-in-cheek jokes.
~ Shakespeare borrowed his stories from other sources without attribution. He would have no right to complain if another company produced them. By the way, I can imagine that a Shakespearean Song of Solomon would have been fascinating, but how creative and humorous can you be with Leviticus? On the other hand, "Uriah, I knew him well..." might be interesting. or a version of the 'Band of Brothers' speech before the Battle of Jericho. But I doubt if the bishops would have approved.
~ It may make no difference.
Instead various unpublished manuscripts are "discovered" after Will Shakespeare of Strattford's death.
This is because of the old literary debate to whicj i was usbjected at schol- who was the author of the plays, the nobleman for whom Will, the theatre impersario form Stratford fronted?
But this would depend on how favoured such a person was with James I and VI.
~ Minor nitpick: I think it's supposed to be "Ben Jonson", not "Johnson". Fixed - thanks. Ed
Editor says, what if the elder Brontë sister had lived? Please note that the opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of the author(s).
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In 1814, on this day Maria, the first of the Brontë children, was born at Clough House, High Town in Hereford.
Birth of Maria BrontëThe family later moved to Haworth in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the romantic setting for the sister's works of literary genius. Because during a relatively short period spanning 1845 to 1850, the Brontë sisters used male pseudonyms to publish a series of highly successful novels.
In each, the male protagonist was a Byronic hero of pure sexual magnetism who demonstrated barely disguised arrogance to women. However this misogyny was handled somewhat differently in Maria's own work. Because Shagwell Park was driven by a thinly disguised raciness that is conspicously absent from Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre and Agnes Grey.
Entry posted by Todayinah Editor
© Alternate Historian, 2004-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Authors Source: Wikipedia Labels: Wuthering Heights, Bronte, Jane Eyre, Agnes Grey, Yorkshire. ~ SHAG-well? YEAH, baby, yeah!
Now we know where Austin Powers got his start...
~ Scandal! The Prince Regent would have loved it.
Editor says, what if the 1860 Democrat National Convention had managed to reach agreement on a compromise candidate? Please note that the opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of the author(s).
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In 1860, on this day the Democrat Party gathered at the South Carolina Institute Hall in Charleston for ten weeks of agonising soul-searching which concluded with the nomination of compromise candidate Jeff Davis who would triumph at the Presidential election in the fall.
Ten Weeks That Saved the UnionDavis was a smart choice being far more qualified than his opponent and fellow Kentuckian Abraham Lincoln and also able to hold together the Democrat Vote due to respect for his national status. A man surely of the stature of his fifteen predecessors perhaps even of the same leadership stock as the first five Presidents who guided the Union through equally troubled times.
Born in poverty with no education, Lincoln was given an axe at the age of twelve and entered into manual labour. He never adminstered anything bigger than a two-man law office. Deeply depressed, he was addicted to mercury, consuming more than nine thousand times the recommended daily dosage. As a result of his mercury-fueled short temper he was of course quite unsuitable for high office. During his single term as a Congressman his only achievement was to enrage his colleagues with "out of tune" opinions of the American-Mexican War, seemingly arguing against a sea-to-sea Union.
In contrast, Jeff Davis was a true nation-builder who would resign his seat in Congress to lead Mississipi troops to glory against superior Mexican Forces at the Battles of Monterrey and Buena Vista. And as Lincoln mismanaged his law office in Springfield, Illinois, Davis made a spectacular return to Washington that would result in his appointment to the Cabinet position of Secretary of War. As the professional head of the US Army, he would be considered one of the most successful holders of the post in the nation's history.
Lincoln might have continued to lose paperworks in his office (or his black stovepipe hat) but his political ambition was reignited by the Missouri Compromise. The Dredd Scot decision followed and the continuation of slavery moved to the very top of the national agenda. Despite his eloquence he lost his Senate Race against Stephen A. Lincoln. Then came the Harper's Ferry Raid.
During the campaign the Democrats would make compelling reference to the last note written by the madman who organized the raid "I, John Brown, am now quite certain that the crimes of this guilty land will never be purged away but with the blood".. Because only Jeff Davis would defend the continuation of constitutional liberty in a manner that would prevent white people from killing each other in a States War. Garbed in black outfit Lincoln was easily characterised as the nation's undertaker and axeman.
Entry posted by Todayinah Editor
© Alternate Historian, 2004-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Politicians Source: Wikipedia Labels: Jefferson Davis, Abraham Lincoln, John C. Brekinridge, Stephen A. Douglas, Democrat. ~ Here's a question: would the election of Davis to the White House have prevented a war and brought those states that had already seceded back into the fold? I don't know that anything could have stopped that. He may have ended up fighting the same war, or letting the South go; THAT's an interesting alternative to ponder.
The problem, as I see it, is that difficult knot of slavery had been with this country from the beginning and the first fifteen Presidents had done little but kick the knot further down the road. Some argue the institution would have died out on its own, and perhaps that's true. But I believe some sort of conflict over the issue (and the ever-changing argument over states' rights) was almost inevitable from the time of the drafting of the Declaration of Independence. I had assumed the states only seceded during the transition as a result of Lincolns victory and therefore assumed a Davis election would not have triggered secession..?
Actually, you're correct, Steve. I was thinking that South Carolina and Mississippi were already gone, but they did not secede until after election (I just looked). I stand corrected on that.
~ Well spoken Matthew Dattilo! Yes sooner or later the issue of slavery was bound to spark something off - certainly a political crisis if not indeed secession at some point in time. Don't forget, going back to the Founding Fathers, it was a very sensitive issue & their compromise pretty much set-up events taking place some 80 years later.
~ Perhaps northern states would have seceded if yet another southerner had become president. That would also be an interesting departure point - the south invading the north to protect an oppressive system from having to admit its oppressiveness
~ Davis was so rigid that he'd probably have been about as bad as POTUS as he was as POTCS. I'd trust him implicitly with my diamonds, daughters or liberty (had I any such things) but not as President.
~ A minor point: then as now, it was not formally called the "Democrat Party" and did not hold a "Democrat NationalConvention." The word is "Democratic," although right-wing Republicans like to use the other term becqause they choke on acknowledging even by inference that the D's are democratic.
~ It'd be a rocky term that might not accomplish much of political importance. He'd probably get a lot of progress toward an intercontinental railroad done, though.
~ Sigh... If this group has an FAQ, this belongs here.
From the Wikipedia article on the 1860 election.
"The split in the Democratic Party was not a decisive factor in
Lincoln's victory. Lincoln captured less than 40 percent of the popular vote,
but almost all of his votes were concentrated in the free states, and
he won every free state except for New Jersey. He won outright
majorities in enough of the free states to have won the Presidency by
an Electoral College vote of 169-134 even if the 60 percent of voters who
opposed him nationally had united behind a single candidate."
Other fun information on the 1860 election includes that according to
the "How close were Presidential Elections?" page section for 1860,
the fewest votes to change the election would have given Breckinridge
(not Douglas!) the election. However in the minimum votes scenario,
Minnesota would have had to go from roughly 2/3 Lincoln 1/3 Douglas
and 2 percent for Breckinridge to a plurality for Breckinridge. :)
Please click hyperlink for Google Groups Discussion comments.
In 2008, on this day a defiant Robert Mugabe vowed to -- in his words -- "unleash the fires of hell" on US forces in the Mozambique Channel region.. | |
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Entry posted by
Chris Oakley
© Chris Oakley,2008-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Biti Letter Conspiracy Source: Wikipedia Labels: Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe, Gordon Brown, Southern Africa, Conspiracy Theory. ~ Nice editing work! :)
On this day in 2019, the pilot episode of the CSI spinoff Forensics 101 aired on 204 TV stations across the United States. | |
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| Jerry Bruckenheimer |
Entry posted by
Chris Oakley
© Today in Alternate History, 2004-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: CSI:Crime Scene Investigations Source: Wikipedia Labels: CSI, Crime Scene Investigations, Finale, Movie, Jerry Bruckenheimer.Entry posted by Alternate Historian Robbie Taylor
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Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Arthur II Source: Robbie Taylors Blog Labels: Arthur Pendragon, Robbie A. Taylor, Camelot Redux, Merlin, England.Entry posted by Alternate Historian Robbie Taylor
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Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Sockless Source: Robbie Taylors Blog Labels: Jerry Simpson, Robbie A. Taylor, Topeka, Grover Cleveland, 1861.Entry posted by Alternate Historian Robbie Taylor
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Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Ralph Shephard Labels: Ralph Shephard, Robbie A. Taylor, Constitutionalists, America, Dystopia.Entry posted by Alternate Historian Robbie Taylor
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Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Soviet America Source: Robbie Taylors Blog Labels: Joel Rosenberg, Robbie A. Taylor, Comrade, Soviet States of America, Communism.On this day in 1984, Tom Brady made his Little League debut, pitching his Minors division team to a two-run shutout win. | |
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| Tom Brady |
Entry posted by
Chris Oakley
© Chris Oakley,2008-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Brady77 Source: Wikipedia Labels: Sports, America, Red Sox, World Series, Pitcher.Entry posted by Alternate Historian Robbie Taylor
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Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: 2nd Coming Source: Robbie Taylors Blog Labels: Holy British Empire, Robbie A. Taylor, Estelle Gerard, Pope, Catholic England.Entry posted by Alternate Historian Robbie Taylor
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Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Inventions Source: Wikipedia Labels: New Coke, Pepsi Cola, Coca-Cola, Marketing Flops, Coca Cola II.Entry posted by Alternate Historian Robbie Taylor
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Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Personalities Source: Online Shakespeare Labels: William Shakespeare, The Bard, Stratford-upon-Avon, Playwright, Britain.Entry posted by Alternate Historian Robbie Taylor
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Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Personalities Source: History Channel Labels: William Shakespeare, The Bard, Stratford-upon-Avon, Playwright, Britain.Entry posted by Alternate Historian Robbie Taylor
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Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Personalities Source: Rosicrucian Labels: William Shakespeare, The Bard, Stratford-upon-Avon, Playwright, Britain.Entry posted by Todayinah Editor
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Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Religion Source: Wikipedia Labels: Brian Boru, Norse King of Dublin, Irish History, Battle of Clontarf, Vikings.Entry posted by Alternate Historian Robbie Taylor
© Robbie Taylor, 2004-Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Generals Source: Fantasy Index Labels: Diocletian, Djiordjius, Christos, Rome, Crocodile.April 22
Editor says, what if Lenin had lived for another fifteen years? Please note that the opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of the author(s). This story was published in the April 2013 edition of Changing the Times Magazine.
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In 1870, on this day Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov was born to a wealthy middle-class family in Simbirsk, located approximately one thousand miles east of Moscow on the Volga River.
Birth of Comrade LeninFollowing the execution of his brother Sacha in 1887 he gained an interest in revolutionary leftist politics, later converting to Marxism as the fearsome revolutionary code named "Lenin". After many years and numerous false starts came the February Revolution. After the Tsar was finally overthrown and a provisional government took power he returned home.
He then took a senior role in orchestrating the October Revolution in 1917, which led to the overthrow of the Russian Provisional Government and the establishment of the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic, the world's first constitutionally socialist state. A workaholic he suffered very bad health in the early 1920s but managed to survive a leadership challenge from a potential rival, Comrade Stalin who advocated an alternative policy of "Communism in One Country". Instead Lenin pursued a broader agenda of World Revolution.
A second cycle of the revolutionary wheel occurred with the apparent collapse of the Imperialist Economies in 1929. Believing that this time around Germany would embrace Marxist doctrine, he sent massive aid to Ernst Thälmann and the German Communist Party (KPD) to support their 1932 putsch. But this move backfired spectacularly, because the KPD were overcome by an alliance of right wing forces led by the Nazi Party. With the tacit support of Anglo-France, the rise of Hitler saw the consolidation of a newly re-invigorated united anti-Communist Front. It would be a bitter legacy that he left to his chosen successor, Leon Trotsky.
Entry posted by
Alternate Historian
© Alternate Historian, 2004-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Politicians Source: Wikipedia Labels: Lenin, Trotsky, Hitler, Stalin, Soviet Union. Editor says, in authoring this article we have re-purposed content from Wikipedia and also Alternate History web sites.
~ Hmmmmm....
~ That does not sound good. Fortunately, Russia has men and winter. Lots of men. you may beat Russia, but you will never be able to finish them off
~ But while they're busy trying to forment World Revolution, their Space Program will never get off the ground, so to speak. Germany, on the other hand.......
~ 1932 the Polish army could have taken Berlin and put the red regime down.
~ Lenin was probably worse than Stalin in some ways. If he'd lived longer, the later Commies couldn't shelter behind him when Stalin was discredited. How about one where Dora Kaplan(?) succeeds in assassinating him in 1918?
~ Or alternatively, Eric...How about one where Lenin's brother is not executed.
~ What Lenin and Trotsky both lacked was a willingness to demean themselves in the nuts and bolts bureaucracy and personnel administration that was needed to run the SU and CPSU.
~ If only the bastard hadn't been born!
~ I'd like to see Lenin's writings go up against Goebbels' propaganda.
~ @Jeff - Lenin was a near unique case of right place, right time. In 1917 he was able to cut through miles of theoretical BS to a simple core program - bread, land, peace. Each part was an easy sell. He was also lucky to have inept opponents.
Editor says, what if the World was covered in water? Please note that the opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of the author(s).
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, "Let the waters under the heaven cover the surface of the Earth": and it was so.
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In 5500 BC, the lesser creator god Nebro was overwhelmed by the perfect reflection of his face upon the waters. This fierce joy developed into a great reluctance to break the glory of this mirror image by forming dry land. Instead, he disobeyed the instructions of the Great Spirit El, and in the overbearing pride of his rebellion, deceived himself that his work was complete.
The Face of the WatersWell almost, because first he dived into the deeps to create a watery garden of Eden where he breathed life into the Adam, the first merman. To ensure that the Earth would sustain life without dry land, the demiurge made an adjustment to produce oxygen.
Enraged by the disobedience of the demiurge, El silently forced himself through the boundaries of the flawed little world. But rage made way for surprise and then joy when he discovered that the Earth was teeming with a raptuous harmony of life that he had never imagined. He then quietly withdrew, and in so doing, he committed the final act of the creation: the formation of free will.
Entry posted by Todayinah Editor
© Alternate Historian, 2004-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Religion Source: Wikipedia Labels: Nebro, Demiurge, Genesis, Water, Earth. Editor says, in various monotheistic philosophies, there is a lesser creator God (nebro), sometimes malevolent, who is subordinate to the One. In this post we imagine he shapes the creation entirely for his own pleasure.
Michael McNeil commented on Facebook: How does that follow? There's an exceedingly large amount of photosynthesizing "plant" (including cyanobacteria, aka "blue-green algae") life in the oceans. It's cyanobacteria that converted Earth's formerly reducing atmosphere into an oxidizing atmosphere in the first place. Thanks - Fixed. Ed
John Allen Hough commented on Facebook: there would be very little oxygen since plant life makes the atmosphere stable and make O2!! Thanks - Fixed. Ed
Phillip Middleton comments on Facebook ..huh The left field suggestion is that creating dry land was a mistake in so far as a water world might better mirror the creator, and man could get up to less mischief if submerged! The serenity of the first verses of Genesis is the main point, as soon as dry land is created it goes south!
~ Without dry land, you wouldn't have civilization---it's real hard to work with molten metals underwater.
~ I concur with Mr. Oppen. No fire, no way to contain readily solvent chemicals... but who knows what the spirit of mermen could develop?
Editor says, what if France had retained Quebec? muses Chris Oakley reflecting on an article in the New Statesman magazine. Please note that the opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of the author(s).
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In 1787, representatives of the thirteen original states met in Philadelphia to draft the first articles of what would eventually become the United States Constitution.
Double Jeopardy Part 14
Philadelphia ConstitutionThe so-called Charter of Confederation which had been governing the U.S. since the end of the Revolutionary War was increasingly being viewed as inadequate to meet the needs of what was even then a vast and steadily growing country; former Continental Army commander-in-chief George Washington was one of the first major public figures to advocate replacing the Charter with a more explicit delineation of the federal government's rights and responsibilities.
Later that spring the ten amendments which would form the cornerstone of the Constitution began to be ratified by the states. These amendments, collectively known as "the Bill of Rights", would later come to be seen as the most significant guarantee of individual liberties since the English Magna Carta was signed in 1215; the last of the ten would be ratified in early 1788. The Quebec Republic would use the U.S. Constitution as a guideline when its parliament revised Quebec's own constitution in the 1790s.
Read the whole thread.
Entry posted by
Chris Oakley
© Chris Oakley,2008-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Double Jeopardy Source: New Statesman Magazine Labels: Philapelphia, Charter, Constitution, America, Britain. Editor says, inspired by inspired by one of Dominic Sandbrook's articles in New Statesman
~ There is a possible cross over with our unrelated scenario where the Canadian Fuhrer Adrien Arcand declares Vichy French rule over Lower Canada.
~ Small nitpick. The Bill of Rights wasn't part of the original Constitution. Had it been, its clauses would not be called "Amendments". As that name implies, they were submitted to the States in 1789 by the First Congress elected under the Constitution.
~ I wonder what the Founding Fathers would have thought of the idea of the right to health care. Even thinking of such infrastructure and education required might boggle their wigged heads.
Editor says, what if the ratification of the United States Constitution had failed? Please note that the opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of the author(s). This story was published in the June 2011 edition of Changing the Times Magazine.
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In 1791, on this day the delegates of the Confederation Congress chose Thomas Jefferson for Presiding Officer marking the election of the nineteenth and final holder of the ceremonial office of "President of the United States in Congress Assembled".
Thomas Jefferson, President of Congress AssembledDue to his five year asignment in Paris as the American Ambassador to France, Jefferson was conspiciously absent from the 1787 Convention in Philadelphia. Carrying forward ideas conceived at the earlier Annapolis Convention, delegates such as James Madison and Alexander Hamilton had made a determined attempt to establish a United States Constitution which they believe would resolve the underlying governance problems with the Confederation.
But they bungled their first move by tabling the so-called "Virginia Plan" which was based upon the principle of proportional representation of the States in the election of a bicameral legislature. In so doing they overplayed their hand, unmistakeably revealing an intention to undermine state sovereignty in favour of a powerful, consolidated government. Insisting upon their recognition as sovereign political communities, the States had withdrawn their delegates and suspended the convention.
Ironically, Jefferson as a proponent of small, republican government himself would have objected to many of the proposals at Philadelphia. But he did not return from Paris until November of 1789 and by then the window of opportunity for establishing a consolidated government had closed. He would soon discover that the Confederation itself faced a desperately uncertain future. Having withdrawn from Philadelphia, the States had made a firm choice to go their own way. The delegates elected Jefferson hoping that he could bring fresh ideas to the table being untainted by traces of the nationalist program. But it didn't quite work out like that.
Entry posted by Todayinah Editor
© Alternate Historian, 2004-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Politicians Source: Wikipedia Labels: Thomas Jefferson, Presidency, Congress, Philadelphia, Republic. Editor says, in reality cooler and wiser heads intervened at the Philadelphia Convention. May thanks to Jeff Provine for his contribution to the development of this story.
~ And once the state delegations had gone home in a huff, what would it have meant for the states to "go their own way"? thirteen sovereign countries squabbling amongst themselves while foreign powers awaited their opportunities to pick them off one at a tim?
~ The European powers would have been sniffing around looking for weaknesses to exploit...
~ Napoleonic Wars could tear the US apart on francophiles vs anglophiles vs isolationists.
Editor says, what if the disciples had founded a truly grassroots Church movement? Please note that the opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of the author(s). This story was published in the May 2011 edition of Changing the Times Magazine.
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In AD 33, on this day the one hundred and twenty men and women who had followed Christ to Jerusalem departed the City to embark upon their own ministries.
Fishers of MenBy preaching messages of peace and healing the sick they constructed circles of private fellowship where strangers could reach inner peace by sharing meditation. Within three short centuries, Patricius would be forming such groups on the West Coast of Ireland, and a highy mobile, vibrant grassroots community organisation had sprung up across the known world.
"Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men" ~ Matthew 4:19During the first two decades a man who had not followed Jesus, indeed had organized their persecution, set out a radically different interpretation of the teachings of the life and works of the Christ.
His name was Saul of Tarsus, and he claimed a special commission from the risen Jesus. But his brief attempt to formalize community worship ended in failure. He provoked a reaction from the political authorities in Damascus which lead to his seizure and death in prison in AD 57.
Entry posted by Todayinah Editor
© Alternate Historian, 2004-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Religion Source: Wikipedia Labels: Jesus, Followers, Disciples, Jerusalem, Easter. Editor says, in this article we explore an idea proposed by Stan Brin regarding the role of Paul in the early Church.
~ The church without Paul would have been very different, but I think it would have been more an intra-Jewish thing. One thing Paul did was to persuade the early Church to dump overboard a lot of things---kashrut rules about food, circumcision, and so on---that prevented a lot of non-Jews from wanting to join.
~ Uh, the early Jesus followers wouldn't have called him "Christ" -- That's a Greek word, and at the time, associated with paganism. Fixed - thanks. Ed
~ Well, that'el learn him!
~ Watch out for that Constantine, he'll get ya!
~ Saul. SPLITTER!
On this day in 1976, Stephen King began work on his second draft of Rose Red. That same day Harry Wisconsky, a former co-worker of the late John Hall, contacted Gates Falls police to tell them he had found evidence suggesting George Stark may have had an accomplice in Hall's murder. | |
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| Rose Red |
Variant entry posted by
Chris Oakley
original content has been repurposed to celebrate the author's genius © Stephen King, Salem's Lot, 1976.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Salem50 Source: Internet Movie Database Labels: Salems Lot, Maine, Murder, Stephen King, America.Entry posted by Alternate Historian Robbie Taylor
© Robbie Taylor, 2004-Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Ralph Shephard Labels: Ralph Shephard, Robbie A. Taylor, Constitutionalists, America, Dystopia.Entry posted by Alternate Historian Robbie Taylor
© Robbie Taylor, 2004-Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Soviet America Source: Robbie Taylors Blog Labels: Joel Rosenberg, Robbie A. Taylor, Comrade, Soviet States of America, Communism.Entry posted by Alternate Historian Robbie Taylor
© Robbie Taylor, 2004-Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Telka Source: Robbie Taylors Blog Labels: Speakers Line, Robbie A. Taylor, The Dreaming, Conspiracy, Speakers.Entry posted by Alternate Historian Robbie Taylor
© Robbie Taylor, 2004-Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Arthur II Source: Robbie Taylors Blog Labels: Arthur Pendragon, Robbie A. Taylor, Camelot Redux, Merlin, England.Entry posted by Alternate Historian Robbie Taylor
© Robbie Taylor, 2004-Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Sockless Source: Robbie Taylors Blog Labels: Jerry Simpson, Robbie A. Taylor, Topeka, Grover Cleveland, 1861.Entry posted by Alternate Historian Robbie Taylor
© Robbie Taylor, 2004-Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Religion Source: Religious Tolerance Labels: In God We Trust, America, Coins, Legal Tender, Money.April 21
Editor says, what if Aquileia had fallen to Maximinus Thrax? Please note that the opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of the author(s). This story was published in the April 2013 edition of Changing the Times Magazine.
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In 238 AD, on this day the barbarian Emperor Maximinus Thrax entered Aquileia after soldiers of the II Parthica finally broke through the city's defences.
The Triumph of Maximinus ThraxThe news of the breakthrough forced Caesar Gordian III to flee for his life because his father and grandfather had both been killed in the revolt. And the Senators behind those elections had their heads were cut off and placed on poles outside Rome to greet the rightful Emperor.
Maximinus Thrax had conducted large-scale operations deep in Germania Magna, and planned for the eventual annexation of the entire region. And so he set about establishing a Vistula-Dniester by conquering all Germanic land up to the Baltic Coast. This expansion introduced two new challenges for his successors. Firstly, to assimilate unRomanized Slavs and Balts into the Empire. And secondly, even more difficult, to make innovative use of the heavy plough to ensure that the new provinces would be profitable.
Entry posted by Todayinah Editor
© Alternate Historian, 2004-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Politicians Source: Wikipedia Labels: Gordian, Maximinus Thrax, Barbarian, Revolt, Rome. Editor says, in reality Aquileia closed its gates against him. His troops became disaffected during the unexpected siege of the city, during which they suffered from famine and disease. In April 238, soldiers of the II Parthica in his camp assassinated him, his son, and his chief ministers. Their heads were cut off, placed on poles, and carried to Rome by cavalrymen. In authoring this post we have repurposed content from Alternate History and Wikipedia web sites.
Editor says, what if Arthur Tudor had survived his teenage bout of consumption? Please note that the opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of the author(s). This story was published in the September 2012 edition of Changing the Times Magazine.
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In 1509, on this day Arthur Tudor ascended the throne of England on the death of his father, Henry VII. But the country would experience a sharp diminution in status during his ill-fated reign.
Ascension of King Arthur IIThe problem was at the age of just two, he was betrothed to Joanna of Castille as part of the Treaty of Medina del Campo. However Queen Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon ("Ferdinand the Catholic") were reluctant for the marriage to proceed because of the instability of Tudor Rule. In fact, they only acquiesced with the executions of the potential pretenders Perkin Warbeck and the Earl of Warwick.
The marriage could then proceed although these carefully laid plans were very nearly destroyed when the Prince of Wales almost perished from consumption. Fortunately, Joanna saved his life, and while their marriage was blessed with children, her younger sister Katherine was not so fortunate. She suffered from infertility and a tortured marriage. Her megalomaniac husband Philip the Handsome would dominate everyone on the continent reducing the power of Catholic England to a mere vassal state within a truly global Spanish Empire. It was a diminution that made a mockery of the Arthurian association with his illustrious predecessor from the House of Pendragon.
Entry posted by Todayinah Editor
© Alternate Historian, 2004-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Politicians Source: Wikipedia Labels: Arthur Tudor, Catherine of Aragon, Henry VIII, Joanna of Castile, England. Editor says, in reality he was betrothed to sister Katherine (of Aragon), died of consumption in 1502 and his younger brother succeeded as King Henry VIII who then married (and later divorced) Katherine.
Editor says, what if Remus had killed Romulus? Please note that the opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of the author(s). This story was published in the April 2013 edition of Changing the Times Magazine.
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In 753 BC, on this day Remus, the legendary founder of the Remorian Republic murdered his brother Romulus in cold blood.
Remus kills his brother RomulusThe brothers had argued bitterly over the best site for the new city. Romulus favoured the Palatine Hill; Remus wanted the Aventine Hill. They agreed to select the site by divine augury, took up position on their respective hills and prepared a sacred space; signs were sent to each in the form of vultures, or eagles. Remus saw six; Romulus saw twelve, and claimed superior augury (foresight) as the basis of his right to decide.
Remus made a counterclaim: he saw his six vultures first. Romulus set to work with his supporters, digging a trench (or building a wall, according to Dionysius) around the Palatine to define his city boundary. Remus criticized some parts of the work and obstructed others. At last, Remus leaped across the boundary, as an insult to the city's defenses and their creator. For this, he was challenged by Romulus, but Remus prevailed and his brother was killed.
But perhaps Romulus was proven right after all, because the city ruled by Remus never developed further than an obscure Latin city in the shadow of the Etruscans. And of course the Remorian Republic was utterly destroyed by Hamicar Barca in 223 BC.
Entry posted by Todayinah Editor
© Alternate Historian, 2004-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Politicians Source: Wikipedia Labels: Remus, Remorian Republic, Romulus, Rome, Premature Death. Editor says, in reality Romulus killed Remus, although various accounts exist varying from murder to accidental death.
~ Difficult to comment on legendary history. But if Remus' city had flourished, would we hear "all roads lead to Reme?"
~ Could be some real tongue tying and typos if someone was trying to remember the Remorians. Memorialize the Remorians...
~ Would we have had a Remean Empire on "Star Trek"?
~ We'd be looking to the grand old era of the Carthaginians rather than the Romans.
~ No Comment
Editor says, what if Thomas Jefferson had not resigned but had been dismissed from Washington's first Cabinet? Please note that the opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of the author(s). This story was published in the August 2011 edition of Changing the Times Magazine.
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In 1793, when "Citizen" Genêt informed General Washington of inappropriate remarks made in private by Thomas Jefferson the President had no choice by to summarily dismiss his Secretary of State for a serious breach of political integrity.
Citizen Genet
How the French Connection destroyed the duplicitious career of Thomas JeffersonUltimately the outbreak of the Anglo-French War would force the President to make a Proclaimation of Neutrality denying support to Revolutionary France in spite of the crucial role that France had played in America's own Revolution. But where Washington and the pro-British Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton saw a looming threat of American involvement, the anti-Federalists "Generalissimo" Jefferson and "General" James Madison saw a popular opportunity to strike a blow for the Democratic-Republican Party.
The political question of American foreign policy was of course a matter of fierce debate, both in public, and also in private with both Hamilton and Madison publishing articles under the pseudonyms of Pacifus and Helvidius. But even the exposure of those intrigues would not have led to a split in the Cabinet - that required the arrival of Citizen Genêt (pictured) in early April.
At least in the overfertile imagination of Jefferson and Madison, if not in fact, the American public was overwhelmingly in support of the French Government, both for fighting the hated British, and for launching their own bid for liberty. Regardless the arrival of French Ambassador Edmond-Charles Genêt was over-enthusiastically toasted by the senior members of the Federal Government, encouraging Jefferson to declare the rekindling of the spirit of '76.
Because he had served as the American Ambassador to France for almost a decade, Jefferson not only had an extremely developed sense of empathy, he saw Genêt as a junior protege. Perhaps this intimacy encouraged him to excuse "The Terror" with the observation that "My own affections have been deeply wounded by some of the martyrs to this cause, but rather than it should have failed, I would have seen half the earth desolated. Were there but an Adam and an Eve left in every country, and left free, it would be better than as it now is". It was this ill-disciplined comment that enraged Washington, convincing him that Jefferson was the most dangerous man in America.
Entry posted by Todayinah Editor
© Alternate Historian, 2004-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Politicians Source: Wikipedia Labels: France, Jefferson, Washington, Genet, Great Britain. Editor says, in reality Jefferson's private moves were thinly concealed. The final comment was recorded in a letter dated 3 January 1793 addressed to his secretary William Short but not repeated in conversation to Genet. The primary source of this article is Joseph J. Ellis excellent book "American Creation" (2007)
~ If Washington had heard Jefferson say that, TJ would have been a smoking puddle of grease by the time Washington got through with him. Frankly, it was a damn-fool thing to say...the Terror had done an awful lot to convince people who might otherwise have been sympathetic that no good could come of the Revolution.
~ I agree. Washington would have had no choice but to fire Jefferson (though he might have tried to put a polite face on it). What if, as Secretary of State, Jefferson had said that to someone who then repeated it to the press?
~ Provided that Washington would believe Citizen Genet, given his reputation.
~ At least the War of 1812 mighn't be such a fiasco, if it happened at all.
Editor says, what if the Jewish Leadership had accepted Jesus as the Messiah? Please note that the opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of the author(s). This story was published in the April 2011 edition of Changing the Times Magazine.
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In AD 33, on this day Jesus was deceived into giving the Jewish leadership an unmistakeable sign that he really was the Messiah by miraculously restoring the dismembered ear of the Temple Guard Malchus which had been cut off by Simon Peter during the struggle which preceded the arrest at the Garden of Gethsemane.
The Last TemptationThe disciple had been tempted into an overzealous act of violence by Satan who knew that a crucifixion would ensure that he was defeated once and for all.
Jesus, who through his ministry had endured the temptations both of Satah and also the Jewish leadership, succumbed to pity and at the last, Satan triumphed.
"Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand" ~ Matthew 3:2Of course the Sanhedrin trial was transformed by the verifiable testimony of Malchus and the Jewish authorities were forced to accept Jesus to be the Messiah.
But because Jesus could not become King unless He went to the cross, the declaration of a Kingdom of Heaven was premature, triggering a holy war between Satan and his angels against the Messiah.
Entry posted by Todayinah Editor
© Alternate Historian, 2004-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Religion Source: Wikipedia Labels: Jesus, Judas, Malchus, Caiaphas, Golgotha. Editor says, in the Gospels, Malchus remained in the Garden of Gethsemene and was not present at the trial.
~ I would have thought the Romans may have something about Jesus becoming King as well ;)
~ They could proclaim Jesus as King without the crucifixion. Of course, the Romans and King Herod might have a _few_ little things to say, although the Romans might be willing to accept him if he promised to leave the rest of the Imperium alone.
~ The Romans did not care whom the Jewish people called king, as long as they behaved and didn't case trouble for the Empire. In fact the Romans might have preferred someone who professed "Render unto Caesar, what is Caesar's; render unto God, what is God's".
~ Theologically, Jesus just needs to die without sin to establish the Lamb Sacrifice. Circa AD 70, dies and rises again?
Editor says, what if Santa Anna had won the Battle of San Jacinto? Please note that the opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of the author(s). This story was published in the May 2010 edition of Changing the Times Magazine.
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In 1836, at the Battle of San Jacinto, Mexican general Antonio López de Santa Anna defeated the forces of U.S.-born Gen. Samuel Houston, commander in chief of the revolutionary forces of the breakaway state of Texas, and captured Houston himself, after the latter's attempt to counter the superior Mexican numbers with a surprise attack failed.
Santa Anna wins the Battle of San Jacinto by Eric LippsThe battle would deliver a crippling blow to Texan morale, and would prove to be the tipping point in the failed struggle for Texan independence. The American Texans, or "Texians" as they were commonly called, had been retreating toward the border with the United states since the fall of the Alamo. Now that retreat became a rout, joined by many American settlers whose presence complicated the efforts of the Texian army to regroup. Tattered remnants of the once-proud force eventually limped across the border into Louisiana along with several thousand civilian refugees.
Houston would be freed by the Mexican government as a result of diplomatic efforts on the part of President Andrew Jackson. He would, however, return home in humiliation. He had emigrated to Texas originally to avoid the stigma attached to his name by a fight with Ohio congressman William Stanberry which had led to a high-profile trial and conviction for assault for which he had escaped serious punishment only with the help of influential friends.. Now his failure in Mexico was added to that burden. An ambitious man, he saw his political prospects shrivel. He resumed his long-abandoned practice as a lawyer, but found his reputation a serious hindrance in attracting clients.
Houston's disgrace and the defeat of his "Texians" meant the end of the idea of Texan independence, Ironically, Houston himself had preferred not independence but annexation of Texas by the United States. Texas would remain the property of Mexico despite periodic efforts by U.S. "filibusters" to foment a new rebellion. The last such effort would come in 1859, as civil war loomed in the United States and slaveholding Southerners sought to add one or more new slave states to the Union to strengthen their position. Its failure arguably shortened the war, which ended in Northern victory in November 1864, just after the re-election of President Abraham Lincoln.
Entry posted by
Eric Lipps
© Eric Lipps,2007-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Politicians Source: Wikipedia Labels: Sam Houston, Texas, Santa Anna, San Jacinto, Texian. ~ Sounds kinda ASB-ish, if you ask me...
~ Not really. Houston's forces were steadily retreating even in our timeline after the Alamo, until his surprise attack at San Jacinto allowed him to capture Santa Anna. I don't think it's all that hard to imagine the attack failing, especially given that Santa Anna had more men.
Comment from Ahmad Desai on Facebook: "Don't think it would have made a diff. in the long run. Santa had lots of political enemies back home and Mexico was broke. The empire was hell-bent on stealing all of that land and there was no way that Mexico was going to be able to keep it."
~ That would pretty much end things for the moment for anglos in Texas but with American interest in expansion it is likely that Jackson or his successors would try to what Polk tried in offering Mexico American money for Texas and other territory since Mexico was bankrupt and America was rich. Polk offered Mexico a Louisiana purchase deal, which Mexican politicans refused for political reasons and America eventually found reason to go to war and got everything they wanted. Admittedly with Texas Indepenance the pretext was easy and legitimate but politiicians are creative in their schemes.
~ This would have been a setback for the Americanization of Texas, but I think that the writing was on the wall no matter what happened at San Jacinto. And I can't see a blockhead like Santa Anna being smart enough to not kill all his prisoners---see what he'd done in the Yucatan sometime---and that would have infuriated the US even more than the Alamo did.
Comment on Gregory Mitchell on Facebook: Then Texas and the Southwest would have a huge Hispanic population. ....... Oh, wait.....
Comment from Robert Fries on Facebook: The annexation of Texas was prompted by the influx of English speaking people. We are now reversing that trend.
Comment on Gregory Mitchell on Facebook: Si.
~ The huge Hispanic population makes no sense. The biggest reason why Mexico lost the lands they did was failure to populate them. The big Hispanic populations in our Southwest date from the Mexican revolution of 1911. the big Mexican populations in the adjacent states date from the post WW2 period. In pure demographic terms US could have annexed the rest of north Mexico for all it mattered anytime up to 1911.
Editor says, in this variant, the movie has a stronger biblical subtext. Please note that the opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of the author(s).
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In 2005, on this day NINE, LLC released a computer animated short film featuring a sentient rag doll living in the ruins of a decaying parallel world. Click 
to watch 9 By Shane Acker.
The Making of "Twelve"Founded by a student called Shane Acker, the company employed only five animators and three lighters who took four and a half years to create the movie "9" on a three-computer dual-processor render farm using regular "commodity" software comprising Maya 1.5-5.5 for 3D modeling, Photoshop for the textures.
Nevertheless, Ackers enjoyed a string of awards which included Student Academy Award - Gold Award for Animation, SIGGRAPH - Best in Show, Animex - First Prize, 3D Character Animation, Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation College Awards - First Prize, Non-traditional Animation, Florida Film Festival, Newport Beach Film Festival - Best Animated Short. "We had such potential. Such promise. But we squandered our gifts. And so, 9, I am creating you. Our world is ending. Life must go on. " ~ the ScientistMore importantly, the fanfare brought the movie to the attention of Film Director Tim Burton who was greatly impressed with Acker's artistic vision.
Tim Burton proposed a feature-length adaptation to be directed by Acker and distributed by Focus Features. In so doing, Burton eliminated a "plot hole" from the original ten-minute movie. Because the Scientist states he is afraid of The Machine because it lacks a human soul. However, The Machine begins to operate only once #2's soul is transferred inside it, and it ceases to function once all the souls are drained from it. This would suggest it has to possess a soul to operate at all, contradicting the Scientist's claim.
From this chance focus on the spiritual dimension, Burton and Ackers re-evaluated the completeness of the artistic vision, deciding to imbue the movie with a stronger biblical subtext. Released on 12.12.12 for Christmas 2012, the protagonist is more strikingly an apocalyptic Jesus figure, and the remaining stitch-punks are also characterised from the disciplines. Click to watch the Trailer.
Entry posted by Todayinah Editor
© Shane Acker, 2005Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Beasts Source: Shane Ackers Web Site Labels: Shane Acker, 9, Tim Burton, Jesus, Bible. Editor says, please note that substantial content has also been repurposed from both Wikipedia and the Internet Movie Database.
~ Haven't seen the original movie---can't really comment.
In 2008, the Associated Press reported from Katmandu ~ Nepalese soldiers and police guarding the slopes of Mount Everest are authorized to shoot to stop any protests during China's Olympic torch run to the summit.
Nepalese soldiers and police guarding the slopes of Mount EverestChinese climbers plan to take the torch to the summit of Everest - the world's highest peak on the border between Nepal and Tibet ' in the first few days of May. During that time, other climbers will be banned from higher elevations.
A Nepalese government spokesman says police and soldiers "have been given orders to stop any protest on the mountain using whatever means necessary," adding deadly force is authorized only as a last resort. The troops will first try to persuade protesters to leave and will arrest those who don't.
Twenty-five soldiers and policemen have already established several camps on the mountain, with the possibility more troops could be sent if needed.
The torch relay - the longest in Olympic history - has been seized on as a platform to protest China's human rights record, most notably the crackdown on demonstrations in Tibet in March. Tibetan exiles have protested almost daily in the Nepalese capital of Katmandu in front of the United Nations office and the Chinese Embassy. Human rights protests have now reached a new fever pitch. An attempt by the protestors to appeal directly to the Holy Ones of Everest cannot be ruled out at this time. The Chinese Government continues to make determined attempts to prevent direct intervention in human affairs.
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© Today in Alternate History, 2013-. All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
