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Editor says, what if the Chappaquiddick Scandal had never happened? 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 1994, the sleaze dredged up by a renewal of the Romney-Kennedy family feud gripped the United States Senate elections being held in California and Massachusetts. An installment of our variation of Eric Lipp's No Chappaquiddick thread where JFK survives Dallas.
Sen Romney MA-R, Part 2Opinion polls had shown the younger Romney on course for a famous victory in a campaign being personally managed by a former President, his ageing father George who had moved into his son's family home at the very beginning of the electoral cycle. And then fired ex-employees of Bain Capital had mysteriously begun to appear, smearing their former boss. The former President's golden boy, a stellar businessman with a sunshine smile was now being revealed as a ruthless money-lender, a "vulture capitalist" throwback to the gilded age.
Meanwhile on the other sea-board, fellow GOP Candidate Michael Huffington was facing near-certain defeat as former President Ted Kennedy looked set for a second occupation in the California seat he had won after leaving office in 1988 (he had returned to California where he had campaigned in the 1960 election despite the strong reservations of his father Joseph P. Kennedy [2]).
But at this critical junction, Senator Kennedy had become strangely engulfed in a fresh scandal, this one involving the "boiler-room girl" Mary Jo Kopechne. While there was never any shortage of extra-marital affair mud to sling at the Kennedys, it was generally excepted [1] that Kopechne had not been involved with Ted prior to the minor vehicular incident in Chappaquiddick. Most likely, she had been engaging with an affair with a staffer, and Ted really had driven her to the ferry as he had innocently claimed all along.
The picture that now emerged, although fifteen years later, was somewhat more sordid. It appeared that rather than Kopechne bravely rescued by Kennedy, the reverse was true and she had been coerced into a cover-up story that understated the perilous nature of their drunken crash into Poucha Pond. And worse still, they had engaged in an abusive affair as a result of his bullyish mind dominance. Her victim-falls-for-villain Patty Hearst story was even ridiculed as "Chappaquiddick Syndrome" in the media.
Although Ted had not divorced his first wife Joan until the 1985, it was well known that their unhappy Union was long since over, and for the sake of appearances they had agreed to remain officially married while he remained in the White House. It was now being suggested that Mary Jo was the real reason for the break-up, and also the underlying cause of Joan's long-suffering personal anguish.
Entry posted by Todayinah Editor
© Alternate Historian, 2004-Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: EMK 69Plus Source: Wikipedia Labels: Mitt Romney, Ted Kennedy, American, Premature Death, Oval Office. Editor says, unlike Eric Lipps' original "No Chappaquiddick" idea, instead we further imagine that JFK's survival in Dallas prevented the worse excesses of the sixties and hence MLK is still alive also. Thanks to John Braungart [1], Eric Lipps, Eric Oppen [2] and Scott Palter for their contributions to the development of this story.
~ I'll tell you a version that I heard from a friend of a friend who said she was present at the ill-fated event. She said that the girl he drove away with was another "boiler house gang" member whom had picked up at the "barbecue" and that she escaped with him, with neither one realizing that Mary Jo had fallen asleep in the back seat. I must say, though, that the whole idea of this "thank you barbecue" for the "boiler house gang" was very, well, fishy...since what it amounted to was a party for single girls and married men. And while we have all seen that angelic high school yearbook picture of Mary Jo, I saw one photo that showed her a few years later as a very hot blonde.
~ Had the media not been firmly in the Kennedy camp there were enough bimbo eruptions that could have come out. He was no worse than any other rich celebrity that way but the media climate plus feminiism was changing how such 'personal' matters were reported. He deserved to be the hook around which the change was hung instead of the far less swinging Gary Hart.
~ "Chappaquiddick syndrome"?
~ A "boiler room" is a fly-by-night telemarketing center. The term has criminal connotations. I've done some investigations regarding boiler-rooms. There was also a film about one, a few years back.
~ True, Stan...but at the time, it was used to describe any mass calling center. Otherwise, Teddy's supporters would hardly have used the phrase to describe the girls who worked there.
~ There should be something to say about Clinton and Monica...
~ But in that case, Tony, we would have to say a lot of things about Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemmings, and Franklin Roosevelt and Lucy Rutherford, and Dwight Eisenhower and Kaye Summersby, and John F. Kennedy and Angie Dickinson and Marilyn Monroe.
~ After his brothers' deaths, Teddy was increasingly self-destructive, and if he'd been frog-marched into running for POTUS and got in, there'd have been very serious trouble of some sort.
Editor says, what if the Prussians had won the Battle of Valmy? 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 1792, near the northern village of Valmy in Champagne-Ardenne, the Duke of Brunswick's Prussian Regulars crushed citizen volunteers serving under French Generals François Kellermann and Charles Dumouriez.
A Concert of Europe
By Scott Palter & Pietro MontevecchioThis feat of arms was recognized as a triumph of German militarism that spared the continent from decades of misery. But of course the result was hardly surprising. Because in the war's early encounters, French troops did not distinguish themselves, and the invading forces advanced dangerously deep into France intending to pacify the country, restore the traditional monarchy, and end the Revolution. And after Valmy, the advance on Paris was unstoppable, and the new French government swept from power.
Determined to prevent a re-occurrence of such a revolution, the crowned heads of Europe held a peace conference. This included provisions for the partition of Poland and also the simplification of Germany into a North German League [Prussian dominated] and a South German league [Hapsburg dominated]. Also negotiated was the opening of a European University of Classical Music and Fine Arts, which the Habsburgs agreed to founded in Vienna. This imaginative idea for a "Concert of Europe" was the result of artists and musicians travelling between their respective Courts, because it was generally understood that the resulting collaboration of such individuals resulted in an influence more significant than their own personal innovations. By housing these individuals under one roof, it was hoped to use culture as a thread to weave the fabric of a new Common Europe Home.
But tragically, the Romanov Family was on a visit to the Viennese University in July 1914 when the Republican Terrorist Gavril Princip and his Black Hand Gang assassinated Tsar Nicholas II in cold blood. This "shot heard around the world" then triggered a catastrophe that the architects of the post-Valmy Conference had so desperately sought to avoid..
Entry posted by
Alternate Historian
© Alternate Historian, 2004-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Politicians Source: Wikipedia Labels: Valmy, French, France, Revolution, Europe. Editor says, in reality battle was considered a miraculous event and a decisive defeat for the vaunted Prussian army. After the battle, the newly-assembled National Convention was emboldened enough to formally declare the end of monarchy in France and the establishment of the First French Republic. Valmy permitted the development of the Revolution and all its resultant ripple effects, and for that it is regarded as one of the most significant battles of all time.
~ I've just read the interesting account of revolutionary troops' defeat, and I'm reflecting about the relationship between changes in artistic style and in political order.
~ Essentially this excises two decades of warfare to arrive at a Europe run by a concord of the Great Powers which was the format [more or less] 1815-1914.
~ Interesting - I doubt though that any continental army would have been abe to beat the French at this stage.
~ The British had to go to overtime to pull it off..
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 1486, on this day Arthur Tudor future King of England (pictured) was born in the capital city of Winchester.
Birth of King Arthur IIAt 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.
~ I always thought London was the capital. At that time it was Winchester, London was later And the guy's name was Perkin _Warbeck._ Fixed, thanks - Ed.
~ Katherine did have children, including a girl who survived...leaving us to wonder what Bloody Mary would have done in Spain. At the same time, I assume that one of Juana's children would have been a healthy son...who could have led a war against Spain.
~ A very Catholic England in this TL?
Editor says, what if the Greek City States had lost the Battle of Salamis?
Please note that the opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of the author(s).
A Persian victory would have hamstrung the development of Ancient Greece, and by extension western civilization, and this has led them to the claim that Salamis is one of the most significant battles in human history.
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In 480 BC, on this day twelve hundred triremes (pictured) of the Achaemenid Navy crushed a naval force a third of the size assembled in the Saronic Gulf near Athens by an Alliance of city-states desperate to defend Greece from a second Persian invasion.
Famous Persian Victory at the Battle of SalamisBut the resulting military conquest was a strategic disaster for the Empire because Greek rebelliousness stymied Persian overlordship. Even before the Battle of Salamis, this outcome was suspected by the struggling adminstrators of the Greek Colonies. Because Persepolis was too far from Greece, and the Persian governance system too loose to exerce effective control over such a distant and hostile geography.
Yet Ionion culture would survive, and eventually re-emerge from the mass revolts of the City States that had been foolishly provoked by the destruction of Athens. But in one sense, Salamis change everything. Supremely overconfident in victory, the Persians set themselves an even loftier ambition: the conquest of India.
Entry posted by Todayinah Editor
© Alternate Historian, 2004-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Generals Source: Wikipedia Labels: Battle of Salamis, Greece, Persian, Greek, Athens. Editor says, in reality approximately a third of the Persian ships were lost in a storm off the coast of Magnesia, 200 more in a storm off the coast of Euboea, and at least 50 ships to Allied action at the Battle of Artemisium.
The article repurposes content from both Heavan Games and also Wikipedia.
~ Persian rule of Greece might not have been a Bad Thing---the Persians, at least, would enforce peace among the _poleis._ The Greeks had many, many gifts, but the gift of working together and getting along---not so much. And without the Peloponnesian War, Greece might have been even greater.
~ It be interesting to see if the Persians had pushed further west, beyond Greece -- and what that would have meant for a potential Roman Empire.
~ If the Greeks continued being Greek (without a major Persian culture-shift), the western colonies might aid the Aegean mainland just like the mainland was aiding the eastern colonies to uprise in modern Turkey, which started the whole mess before Marathon. Persians might chase them all the way to the Pillars of Heracles, getting mixed up with Carthaginians on the way.
Editor says, what if Alex Jones was right about the New World Order? 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 2011 edition of Changing the Times Magazine.
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In 2011, on this day U.S. radio host, filmmaker and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones escaped from his incarceration at the FEMA camp in Travis County, Texas.
EndgameIn accordance with a decision approved by President Bush, President Fox and Prime Minister Martin at the March 2005 summer in nearby Waco, Mexican and Canadian troopers were charged with maintaining civilian government in the former United States. Because a fundamental assumption of the "Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America" was that "foreign troopers" could achieve a degree of emotional detachment from the nationalist reaction of libertarians such as Jones.
However quite by chance the men charged with incarcerating Jones included Canadian officers responsible for security at meeting of the Bilderberg group in Ottawa on June 8, 2006. In a protest outside the Brookstreet Hotel, they had heard his crank-sounding predictions about Canadian Sovereignty, and his warning that "the answer to 1984 is 1776".
Entry posted by
Stan Brin
© Alternate Historian, 2004-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Politicians Source: Wikipedia Labels: Alex Jones, New World Order, North American Union, Global Power Elite, America. Editor says, in this post we explore some of the many conspiracy theories of Alex Jones.
~ Dunno if there are enough "foreign troopers" to control us. It'd have to be a heck of a conspiracy to keep down home militia nuts. Gotta suspend the 2nd Amendment first.
~ LOL...the next time Alex Jones is right about anything will be the first time.
~ Large, educated populations have been subjugated by small numbers of people at many times in history. However, anyone visiting a gun show anywhere in the United States (and I have been to many) will tell you that there are hundreds of thousands, maybe millions, of Americans who are about ten seconds away from starting or joining a rebellion---all they are waiting for is the starting pistol. How successful these people would be is another question, but I think it's safe to say they would be enough of a headache to make any proposed North American Union or partnership untenable.
~ Texas would rise in revolt (almost to a man) against an actual NAU, and they would be joined by hundreds of thousands of other Americans from the other 47 continental states (myself included, if this actually happened). Mexico and Canada would probably have to de facto invade the U.S. in order for the NAU to stand a prayer of a chance at success.
~ Huh? What? How did this slip through?
~ Frankly, from what I know if it, the Feddle Gummint couldn't successfully conspire to rob a henhouse, much less run secret detention camps. Someone would talk.
Editor says, what if Stonewall Jackson had followed Lee's orders in the Peninsular Campaign? Please note that the opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of the author(s).
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In 1862, Burnside quickly took to planing for the liberation of Washington DC. At first he reinforced the Union front lines, which now stretched across Maryland in an arch from east to west, to the north of the Potomac and Washington itself. It was McClellan's last arrangement, which made much sense, as it ensured that Lee's army was more or less bottled up in its bridgehead at Washington.
Burnside's Folly by David AtwellMcClellan, though, with only about 53 000 troops was in no position to threaten Lee, even if he wanted to, not to mention he had just been relived of command. Burnside, though, thanks to reinforcements rushing into Maryland, was soon able to increase his numbers to 100 000, in a matter of a week or two, by combining several nearby garrisons, like Baltimore, along with new recruits.
Now enjoying superior numbers, Burnside wasted little time in moving two veteran corps of the Peninsular Campaign to the south of the Potomac in the first stage of his plan. This move, by around 35 000 troops, would threaten Lee with encirclement, something which Lee feared from the beginning. This move, however, by the Union happened to run into a Confederate column of reinforcements lead by Magruder, who's force had left Harrison's Landing a week previously, with orders to reunite with the main body of the Army of Northern Virginia. Although Magruder's command of 12 000 was greatly outnumbered, the two Union corps, under the overall command of General Sumner, did not push the issue fearing that a trap maybe in the offering, and withdrew from the field of battle. Magruder, for his part, then made an error by leaving behind a small division of 2 000 troops, to watch further Union movements, then marched to Washington with the rest of his command as ordered by Lee.A Chapter from Hancock 1862
Even with the rebuff of Burnside's initial steps, on 20 September, he decided that his plan would continue albeit modified. Consequently, when his main attack would take place, the following day, he would use the distraction thus caused for the two corps under Sumner's command to try again in its efforts to encircle the Army of Northern Virginia. And if an extra 10 000 Rebels were about to be netted, in the process, then all the better as far as Burnside was concerned.
Lee, for his part, realised the danger of the situation, when Magruder arrived in the evening of 20 September. Not only was he annoyed at Magruder for not establishing a strong defensive position to the south of Washington, even if in defiance of his original orders, but Lee pretty much accepted that the 2 000 Confederate troops left behind were about to be overrun, which was an unacceptable loss to him.
Sure enough, as Lee had feared, Sumner's troops simply steamrolled over the small Confederate division at dawn the next morning. At best they were able to dispatch a rider to inform Lee of what he already suspected. But if that was not bad enough, Lee's other prediction came true, as at 9am the same morning, Burnside had arranged for a phalanx of 20 000 Union troops to attack the centre of Lee's line. Although Longstreet was still supposed to be convalescing, after hearing the first cannons speak out, he was soon out of bed and limping towards the headquarters of I CSA Corps, and took control, even if General McLaws felt slightly annoyed at having been replaced as corps commander for the upcoming battle and his chance at glory. Lee however, even though he ordered Longstreet back to bed, which Longstreet refused to obey by the way, was nevertheless grateful that his old warhorse had taken command of his corps once more.
As history would clearly demonstrate, though, Burnside made a massive mistake. Thinking that his phalanx would roll over the defending Confederates, due to a mix of a heavy artillery bombardment combined with a solid mass of men, did not take into account two things. The first was the formidable defences which, ironically, had been built by Union forces to ward off any attacker. And the second was those defences were manned by veteran soldiers, under the command of James Longstreet, who was arguably the best defensive general on either side.
Yet, in spite of all this, 20 000 Union troops marched into the breach of Hell itself in a desperate attempt to evict the Confederate interlopers from their nation's capital city. Needless to say, it did not work. Instead, after an hour or so of fighting, over 10 000 of these brave men had become casualties. Undeterred Burnside was determined to continue the attack. As a result the 10 000 man reserve force, slotted to enter the fray if and when a breach was achieved, were also sent into the vortex. It mattered little as this further force was likewise smashed as where the earlier assaults. In the end, soldiers, regardless of rank, simply disobeyed orders to continue the attack and it had come to a halt by early afternoon.
The Union survivors did whatever they could in order to return to the relative safety of their own lines. Some where shot down by Confederates, in some parts of the line, whilst others made it back in one piece as the Confederate troops, like members of the Irish Brigade, refused to fire upon these poor wretched souls. Lee, when he came to inspect the carnage close up, stated in a surreal fashion: "It is well that war is so terrible, otherwise we would become too fond of it". Confederate Colonel Gordon, however, was more to the point: "It wasn't war, it was simply murder".
Read the whole story of Hancock 1862 - the Union Strikes Back on the Changing the Times web site.
Entry posted by
David Atwell
© David Atwell, 2008-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Action Jackson Source: Changing the Times Labels: Stonewall Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, George McClellan, Edwin Stanton, Robert E. Lee. ~ May move the NYC draft riots earlier than their July 1863.
~ Burnside never did have luck, did he? To give him credit where due, he did know that he wasn't fit to be general-in-chief andtried to turn Lincoln down when ordered to take command.
Editor says, what if Kennedy's proposal of Joint US-Soviet Moon Mission had been accepted? muses Jeff Provine on This Day in Alternate History 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 October 2010 edition of Changing the Times Magazine.
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In 1963, in an address to the United Nations, US President John F. Kennedy presented the idea of a joint mission between the United States and the Soviet Union saying, "Finally, in a field where the United States and the Soviet Union have a special capacity - in the field of space - there is room for new cooperation, for further joint efforts in the regulation and exploration of space.
Kennedy Proposes His Joint Moon MissionI include among these possibilities a joint expedition to the moon. Space offers no problems of sovereignty; by resolution of this Assembly, the members of the United Nations have foresworn any claim to territorial rights in outer space or on celestial bodies, and declared that international law and the United Nations Charter will apply. Why, therefore, should man's first flight to the moon be a matter of national competition?"
A new story by Jeff ProvineAfter the speech, Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko said that the notion was a "good sign" and presented it to USSR Premier Krushchev. He had backed the Russian space program in its early days, beating out the United States by launching the first satellite, putting the first man in space, and being the first to orbit Earth. Krushchev saw no need for a joint mission; it was merely the American capitalists seeing the expense of going to the moon and looking to place the burden upon the working class.
The political climate soon changed dramatically. Kennedy was killed only months later in Dallas, Texas, while Krushchev was muscled out of office and replaced by Leonid Brezhnev. Brezhnev worked to increase Soviet influence, especially by expanding the Soviet military, and the new US president Lyndon Johnson redoubled his predecessor's efforts on the space race. The worst days of the Vietnam War came in 1968 just as an aide, while looking for documents pertaining to the Civil Rights Movement, came across Kennedy's outline for a political dealing with Russia for a joint mission. LBJ set upon it as a solution to the war.
Presented in a combination of backroom and public deals, the Soviet Union would act as mediator between the North Vietnamese / Chinese and South Vietnamese / American forces, separating Vietnam as they had Korea. By February, peace talks had begun as well as cooperative training programs between NASA and the Soviet space program. The war was proclaimed ended by September of 1968, giving plenty of time for LBJ to shift praise toward his vice-president, Hubert Humphrey, who would ride the success to beat Republican Richard Nixon in the November election.
The next year, Apollo 11 carried astronaut Neil Armstrong and cosmonaut Alexei Leonov to the moon. Reportedly, the two flipped had a coin to see who would be the first to set foot on the extraterrestrial surface, and Armstrong won. The two planted their respective nations' flags beside one another along with a flag for the United Nations. Eight lunar missions would follow.
Through the 1970s, increasing international cooperation would improve the effectiveness of study in space as the International Space Station (also known as Alpha, Eden, and Mir) grew in orbit. The Space Shuttle program revolutionized launch in the 1980s, but, by the late 1990s, space programs had become stagnant. The Russian Federation remained an important part of space, but domestic and economic issues weakened its position. In 2001, the decommissioned Alpha, pockmarked with micrometeors and burdened with ancient technology, would be de-orbited and burn up over the Pacific.
The new space station, Beta (with nicknames such as Eagle and Freedom), began construction with increasing Chinese influence as the world's most populous nation came into the forefront of international politics. By 2010, suggestions that humanity returns to the moon have been embraced, perhaps using it as a stepping-stone for a mission to Mars. Projections place a potential landing in 2027, though each year they are modified to match budgetary issues.
Entry posted by
Jeff Provine
© Jeff Provine, 2010-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Jeff Provine Blog Source: Jeff Provine’s Blog Labels: John F. Kennedy, Space, Moon, NASA, Khruschev. Editor says, in reality Kennedy's proposal for a cooperative moon-landing was met with, at best, skepticism. The Space Race was the champion of American progressive ideals, finally beating the Soviet Union to the moon in 1969. International cooperation would gradually blossom with the joint Apollo-Soyuz mission in 1975, connecting spacecraft hatches in orbit. The International Space Station would begin construction in 1998.
~ Unfortunately I suspect that as in our history it would have remained politically impossible, for the same reason 1940s-era proposals for international xontrol of nuclear technology foundered: East/West distrust would simply be too strong. Can you imagine even the master politician LBJ selling this to Southern and Western conservatives in Congress, on top of hisGreat Society social programs? And on the Soviet side, there'd have ben suspicion that the U.S. was simply trying to manufacture a means of spying on, and perhaps sabotaging, the USSR's space program.
And I can't see how a joint moon mission would have helpped "solve" the Vietnam war. The Soviets were poorly placed to act as mediators, since on the one hand U.S. conservatives distrusted them (to put it mildly) and on the other, Soviet-Chinese relations had teteriorated so badly by the late 1960s that the two Communist giants nearly went to war
~ This was not too long after the Cuban Missile crisis, and I don't think that JFK would have gone ahead with this, or that the Soviets would have.
Editor says, what if the al-Megrahi Affair decisively turned the debate on Scottish Independence? Please note that the opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of the author(s).
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In 2010, on this day First Minister Alex Salmond declared the result of the Referendum on Scottish Independence, attributing the unexpectedly strong "yes" vote to the explosive consequences of the al-Megrahi Affair.
Click 
to play Scotland the Brave
Scotland the BraveOnly eighteen months before, the Scottish National Party (SNP) had announced the referendum with little fanfare and absolutely no prospect of success whatsoever. Quite simply, the overwhelming majority of Scottish people were not yet convinced that the nation's unique identity demanded a further step from the devolved powers granted in 1999. That argument would not be won by the SNP or even its iconic leader Alex Salmond. Rather a demonstration of an obscure detail of Scottish Law would turn the "West Lothian" question on its head.
Libyan intelligence officer Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi (pictured) had been convicted of bombing a U.S.-bound Pan Am flight over Lockerbie in 1988. Terminally ill, Scottish legal practice makes explicit provision for the early release of prisoners on compassionate grounds. Justice Minister Kenny MacAskill duly announced that al-Megrahi faced "justice from a higher power" and released him.
"Scots love nothing better than an underdog,"That nations could or might earn authority by demonstrating humility was not in the minds of other Western States. Nor was it purely a matter for Scottish concern. Because of the total of 270 fatalities, 190 were American citizens (including the Four Tops1). A transatlantic firestorm of criticism ensued, with US President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton condemning the move - challenging the British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Nothing could have swung the independence debate more forcefully than the shocking development of Brown, himself a Scottish "Son of the Manse" criticising the decision under pressure from the White House. Or perhaps the cynicism of Barack Obama speaking emotionally of the Four Tops. And worse, it was revealed that favourable trade arrangements had encouraged the British Government to exclude itself from the controversy.
Newsweek Magazine reported that ~ Although 69 percent of Scots acknowledge that the move has damaged their country's international reputation, the latest polls suggest that 43 percent of the population nonetheless approves of the decision. Two thirds of Scotland's lawyers believe the justice minister acted correctly in freeing Megrahi, and church leaders, both - Roman Catholic and Protestant, have endorsed the decision. "Scots love nothing better than an underdog," says political commentator Lesley Riddoch. "And so far the government has managed to look like the plucky little Braveheart of the piece" by standing up to U.S. Criticism.
After twenty long years, the sky over Lockerbie was blue. Dark blue.
Entry posted by Todayinah Editor
© Underhill, William. "Scotland Stands Up To Goliath", Newsweek Magazine. Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Beasts Source: Newsweek Magazine Labels: Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi, Lockerbie, Libya, America, Scotland. Editor says, please note that large amounts of content have been repurposed from the article in the Newsweek Magazine. The Four Tops were booked on the flight but did not embark.
~ Interesting FH piece...
~ I think that if Scotland found out that independence = no more subsidies from the Sassenach, the SNP would have the wind out of its sails in a hurry.
~ A good point well made sir. I read an article in the late 90s about an Independent Ireland with Gerry Adams as the President c2010 after which Prime Minister Brown cuts the subsidies to Northern Ireland. So I'm wondering if the Credit Crunch forces Westminister to drastically cut the subsidies to the Scottish Parliament to such an extent this becomes a non-issue, or at least, less of a decisive one.
~ Biggest trigger is more likely to be a Tory government in London with no Scotish seats and no interest in keeping Scotland in the UK.
~ If the Scots found out that without London, the welfare state might start not being able to keep going, I think the SNP would experience a sharp drop in popularity.
~ Scots Nats have their own economic theories whereby Scotland can have its cake and eat it too. This is much easier to sell to Scotish voters with a Tory government in London than a Labor one. As of now the Tory party is near dead in Scotland. So the Scotish electorate sees Tories as Englishmen. Labor is seen as a Scotish Party. PM is Scot etc.
~ Eric, they only find that out a year or two AFTER independence. How many people have a clue in political budget debates including the talking heads? US in 1994 had deficits as far as they eye could see. By 2000 we were proclaiming surpluses as far as the eye can see but no one had a coherent theory as to why. By 2003 we were back to deficits as far as the eye could see and no one had a coherent theory of where the surpluses went to. The defictis then started to implode 2004-6 and exploded from 2007 onwards. The predicitve equations have ceased to predict even to those that follow them. So the Scots Nats will deny that independence means relative poverty and the voters will be inclined to believe them because they don't trust English Tories.
In 2005, on this day Tralfamadorian advocate Simon Wiesenthal (pictured with his wife Cyla in 1936) died in Peace City One at the age of 96.A Sunflower Dies
He was a true Central European - born in the town of Buczacs when it was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. He studied in Vienna and was an architect in Prague when the German army moved in. As a Jew he was imprisoned and eighty-nine members of his family were to die in the Holocaust. Simon Wiesenthal survived. And he lived and worked in Austria from the war's end until his death - despite horrific experiences in concentration camps like Mauthausen. Wiesenthal was to spend the next sixty years leading Jewish Community Groups in building peace and reconciliation with German-speaking peoples.
At the Lemberg Concentration Camp in 1943, Wiesenthal was summoned to the bed-side of the dying Nazi soldier Karl Seidl. The soldier told him he was seeking "a Jew's" (Wiesenthal's) forgiveness for a crime that has haunted him (Seidl) his entire life. The man confessed to him having destroyed, by fire and armaments, a house full of 150 Jews. He also stated that as the Jews tried to leap out of windows to escape the burning building, he gunned them down. Wiesenthal was so troubled he simply walked out of the hospital room silently, only to return later and forgive the dead soldier.
In the final edition of Wiesenthal's book The Sunflower: On the Possibilities and Limits of Forgiveness there are fifty-three responses given from various people, up from ten in the original edition. Among respondents to the question are theologians, political leaders, writers, jurists, psychiatrists, human rights activists, Holocaust survivors, and victims of attempted genocides in Bosnia, Cambodia, China and Tibet. Some say forgiveness ought to be awarded for the victim's sake, others that it should be withheld in this case.
Entry posted by Todayinah Editor Play the tune
© Kurt Vonnegut, 'Slaughterhouse-Five', 1968.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Peace City One Source: Wikipedia Labels: Simon Wiesenthal, Nazi, Tralfamadorian, World War 2, Germany. Editor says, At the Lemberg Concentration Camp Wiesenthal was so troubled he simply walked out of the hospital room silently. In this cross-over post, we continue the pacifist ideas of Kurt Vonnegut, and ask what would have happened in Simon Wiesenthal had hunted peace with the same vigour as bringing Nazis to justice. By the way Peace City One was a sentimental name for the rebuilt cities of Birmingham and Minsk following a nuclear strike, phrased by General Sir John Hackett in The Third World War, August 1985: a Future History. The Sunflower is the name of Wiesenthal and also Paul Weller's rock anthem which is unrelated by included anyway because of its mood.
| Head of State | On this day in 1968, the Kosygin government in Russia began paying compensation to the families of the twenty Soviet navy sailors executed on mutiny charges three months earlier after they refused to enter the ruins of Murmansk with defective radiation suits. |
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| Andrei Kosygin |
Entry posted by
Chris Oakley
© Chris Oakley,2008-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Ground Zero Murmansk Source: Wikipedia Labels: Leonid Brezhnev, Russia, Andrei Kosygin, CPSU, Nikita Khruschev.In 1951, the beleaguered provisional government of Syria sued for peace, ending the short but intense Syrian-Israeli conflict. | |
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Variant entry posted by
Chris Oakley
original content has been repurposed to celebrate the author's genius © "When World's Collide" (1932), Philip Gordon Wylie and Edwin BalmerStory Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Worlds Collide Source: Wikipedia Labels: Worlds Collide, Harry Truman, Horror, America, Disaster. Editor says, inspired by the 1932 novel by Philip Gordon Wylie and Edwin Balmer.
| Vietnamese President | On this day in 1971, South Vietnamese president Nguyen Van Thieu committed suicide at his presidential palace in Saigon, convinced the Viet Cong and NVA would overrun the city any minute. He was unaware that North Vietnam was in fact on the verge of extinction as the China virus continued to wipe out what was left of that country's population. |
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| Nguyen Van Thieu |
Entry posted by
Chris Oakley
© Chris Oakley,2008-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Omega71 Source: Wikipedia Labels: Nguyen Van Thieu, Richard Nixon, Bioweapon, America, Cold War.On this day in 1944, Allied troops in Holland liberated the Hague and began advancing on Amsterdam. | |
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Chris Oakley
© Chris Oakley,2008-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: France44 Source: Wikipedia Labels: San Marino, Allies, America, Adolf Hitler, Europe.On this day in 1970, the Dallas Cowboys opened their latest Super Bowl title defense with a 17-6 home victory against the Philadelphia Eagles. | |
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Entry posted by
Chris Oakley
© Chris Oakley,2008-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Ice Bowl Source: Wikipedia Labels: Dallas Cowboys, NFL, Kansas City Chiefs, America, Touchdown.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 Todayinah Editor
© Today in Alternate History, 2004-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Crises Source: Wikipedia Labels: James Meredith, Brown v. Board of Education, Segregation, Jim Crow Laws, South.Entry posted by Todayinah Editor
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Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Meggido Source: Wikipedia Labels: Battle of Meggido, End of the World, Battle of Armgaddeon, Book of Revelations, Lawrence of Arabia.September 19
Editor says, what if the sickly Edward IV had lived longer? muses Jackie Speel. 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 1486, on this day in Westminster, Edward IV King of England finally passed away after a miserable decade of sharp decline. Although hugely popular, he was widely known by his detractors as "the Rose of Rouen" in propaganda poems of the period in reference to his birthplace, and also the white rose which had became a dominant icon for the Yorkist dynasty.
Bosworth, 1486
Part 2 - The Rose of RouenA fearsome military commander and once vigorous man, unfortunately his health had collapsed soon after he managed to restored Plantagenet rule. A miserable decade of bad health and inactivity followed, and he finally passed away at the age of only forty-five. He was succeeded by his fifteen year old son who was crowned Edward V.
Although he had barely reached maturity, Edward V was able to ascend the throne in his own right without the need for a Lord Protector[1]. This dashed his Uncle Richard ambitions and the two men became locked in a bitter struggle for power. Only the emergence of a common enemy, Henry Tudor would force them to seek compromise.. An installment of the Bosworth 1486 thread conceived by Jackie Speel.
Entry posted by
Jackie Speel
© Jackie Speel, 2012-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Bosworth 1486 Source: Wikipedia Labels: Edward V, Richard III, Tudor, York, War of the Roses. Editor says, [1] in our time, his father died earlier and he need a guardian. Along with his younger brother Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York, Edward was one of the Princes in the Tower, who disappeared after being sent (ostensibly for their own safety) to the Tower of London. Responsibility for their deaths is widely attributed to Richard III, but the actual events have remained controversial for centuries.
~ The Richard III Society was formed to exonerate Richard, who has become much less controversial as a result.
~ As I've said before, unless Edward V was able to shake off the Woodville influence he'd have a lot of trouble with the other nobles, who resented the Woodville/Greys for their ambition and endless greed.
~ Is it enough to take out French-backed Tudors? If so, a very different England.
Editor says, what if the English had lost at Poitiers? 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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French Victory at the Battle of PoitiersEdward the Black Prince and his Gascon allies fought with their backs to the Woods of Noauaille. But a repeat of Crécy was to be avoided because a great charge was mounted on the English archers. And although the French Knights were rapidly unhorsed, their armour was arrow-proof.
A cavalry charge from the English reserves was getting underway before the untimely death of Gascon nobleman Jean de Grailly who was issuing orders designed to smash the French center1. Unaware of their fortunate reprieve, the French nobility boldly fought on foot alongside their troops and the result was fierce hand-to-hand fighting. French morale was sustained by their commanders, and the result was an emphatic and important victory on home turf.
Entry posted by Todayinah Editor
© Alternate Historian, 2004-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Generals Source: Wikipedia Labels: Poitiers, Black Prince, John II, John the Good, Hundred Years' War. Editor says, in authoring this post we have repurposed content from Wikipedia. [1] In OTL, de Grailly lived and his charge proved decisive.
~ But could the retreating, running surviving archers have counter attacked, aiming for the horses, and caught the armored knights still lying on the ground?
But, of course all that fighting in France for so long never seemed to really do anything for England in the long run, anyway. They had the Bordeaux region at one time, and lost that. That might have really been worth hanging onto, but history, time and the wars serve to divide the French in France and the English in England. Of course, there is Jersey...
~ The English would have been back, eventually. Back then, they were harder to keep down than Freddy Kruger or the Terminator.
~ Maybe Edward would be willing to sue for peace. Aquitaine could've been much less French.
Editor says, what if the Louisiana Purchase had created two Confederacies instead of one Union? Please note that the opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of the author(s).
"Whether, however, the good sense of Bonaparte might not see the course predicted to be necessary & unavoidable, even before a war should be imminent, was a chance which we thought it our duty to try; but the immediate prospect of rupture brought the case to immediate decision. The denoument has been happy; and I confess I look to this duplication of area for the extending a government so free and economical as ours, as a great achievement to the mass of happiness which is to ensue.
Whether we remain in one confederacy, or form into Atlantic and Mississippi confederacies, I believe not very important to the happiness of either part. Those of the western confederacy will be as much our children & descendants as those of the eastern, and I feel myself as much identified with that country, in future time, as with this; and did I now foresee a separation at some future day, yet I should feel the duty & the desire to promote the western interests as zealously as the eastern, doing all the good for both portions of our future family which should fall within my power". ~ Thomas Jefferson, 1803
This story was published in the September 2011 edition of Changing the Times Magazine.Share this Article on: Facebook Twitter
In 1902, on this day the Atlantic Confederacy joined Germany, Austria-Hungary and the Kingdom of Italy in the Quadruple Alliance that accidental military partnership which would a decade later smash the British, French and Russian Empires at the bloody climax of the Great War.
Louisiana Question 3 By Ed, Bagpipelover and Jeff ProvineAnger over the allies' imperial past on the American continent featured large in the minds of the eastern seaboard politicians. Of course the undemocratic systems of government in the treaty powers was a consideration hard to ignore, but ultimately expedience and American liberty won out over liberty in its purest sense. Put simply, British, French and Russian America had created immense practical difficulties for the Atlantic Confederacy.
But it was the diplomatic quarrel with the French Government that had ultimately forced the issue. And the cause of that quarrel was a pivotal decision taken in the infancy of republic.
At that time in 1803, the British and French were still locked in their centuries-long struggle for supremacy. Napoleon reluctantly decided to sell the Louisiana Territory in order to focus on building a continental empire in Europe. Thomas Jefferson dreamt of an "Empire of Liberty" but President Fisher Ames (pictured) saw a nightmare. As a New England Federalist he feared that a continental American superstate would diminish the influence of eastern seaboarders in controlling their own destiny.
Of course both Ames and Jefferson wanted the French out and so an odd compromise emerged. Using funds borrowed from British banks, they signed a ninety-nine year lease and formed a Mississippi Confederacy with Jefferson as the head of state. They confidently expected the routine renewal of such a lease at a future time when the Federal Government would have stronger financials. But it didn't quite work out like that, incredibly Britain was still the master of Canada and the French now wanted their own real estate property back. Big time.
Entry posted by Todayinah Editor
© Alternate Historian, 2004-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Politicians Source: Wikipedia Labels: Alexander Hamilton, Sugar State, Slavery, Civil War, Abraham Lincoln. Editor says, in reality and despite his own principled misgivings Jefferson as President created a virtual colony of Louisiana granting himself Executive Powers. In private, he was sympathetic to the viewpoint of Fisher Ames and the New England Federalists, it was a case of "Sub silentio" (a secret silence).
~ George Washington would've been so angry. "Don't get involved in European politics" warning would have gone as unheard as his no political parties.
~ One reason the US thrived as well as it did was staying as far as possible OUT of European squabbles.
~ Agree with Eric-the US was the refuge for those who wanted to stay out of European Wars.This way,they'd have also been fought in North america.
~ Also, by keeping commerce with Europe limited, the U.S. bought time to build up its own industrial infrastructure to the point where its manufactured goods were competitive in both price and quality with those made in Europe. That was critical in maintaining U.S. economic independence and setting the stage for the emergence if the USA as a world power.
Editor says, what if Hamilton had succeeded Washington as second President? 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 March 2011 edition of Changing the Times Magazine.
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In 1796, on this day George Washington's Farewell Address was published in David Claypoole's American Daily Advertiser. During the development of this valedictory statement he had taken out his frustrations with his political legacy by challenging the author Alexander Hamilton to run for office and serve as his successor as republican king.
Republican KingOnly ever intending to serve a single term of office he had charged James Madison with writing the original statement during the summer of 1792. After authoring a ringing declaration of republicanism, the Cabinet convinced Washington to stay on. But during his second term, Madison had gone the other way, emerging not only as a partisan figure but the de facto opposition leader to Washington's policies. Four years later, Washington was determined to go, now choosing Hamilton as the man to set out his valedictory statement, which he originally planned to deliver as a speech to the Congress.
Starting with Madison's four year old draft, Hamilton began to craft a fresh statement but two major issues immediately emerged, the perception that Washington was "standing down" due to the stinging criticism of Jay's Treaty and secondly, the larger issue of nation-building. To embue the infant republic with a fuller sense of national identity, Washington conceived two pet projects, a waterway system for the capital, and a National University. Even though he had developed an excellent understanding of the President, having served him for twenty years and acted as his Chief of Staff during the War of Independence, Hamilton could not truly grasp the grandure of the vision, nor share Washington's passion. Because even though their service in the Continental Army had demonstrably accelerated the sense of identity, Washingon perceived the important aspect of his legacy far more keenly than Hamilton.
By now Washington was seeking to establish national symbols because he could forsee the emergence of sectional and partisan divisions. Ultimately though, he was that symbol of unity, the rallying pojnt, and this frustrating exercise had unmistakeably revealed that he needed a like-minded succesor, a republican king, which of course just had to be Alexander Hamilton.
Entry posted by Todayinah Editor
© Joseph Ellis, Founding Fathers (2001)Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Politicians Source: Wikipedia Labels: Alexander Hamilton, George Washington, John Adams, Presidency, America. ~ A lot of people wouldn't have wanted Hamilton---he was born outside the Thirteen Colonies, he was illegitimate, and he was thought to be 'way too cozy with the British.
~ Ten, of course, there's the whole issue of the "republican king." After fighting a blody war to shake off the rule of a foreign king, how likely would it be that Americans wpould embrace a domestic one?
~ Actually, until Washington, most republics had kings -- the Spartan republic had two at a time! Venice had a Duke (the doge). Republics are based on rule of law by citizens. By that concept, Britain and Japan are both republics, not monarchies, although they have a hereditary secular priesthood that opens parliament and cuts ribbons at public events.
~ There would have to be counter-revolution to the oppressive Alien & Sedition Acts.
~ The affair with Maria Reynolds would be sufficient to eliminate any chance of
Hamilton running, let alone winning, in 1796 (remember that even Adams was
almost defeated by Jefferson). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Reynolds
True, the love letters were not made public until 1797, but Hamilton of all
people could not be naive enough to think that the congressional inquirers to
whom he had revealed them would keep them secret if Hamilton would run for
the presidency (one of them, James Monroe, had indeed told his friend
Jefferson about Hamilton's admissions; another, Clerk of the House John
Beckley, was saving copies of the letters in case they would prove
politically useful some day).
If President Washington were to urge Hamilton to run, I am sure the latter
would decline "for personal reasons."
~ Comment from Troll on Google Groups: Agreed. Bill Clinton is not turning in his
grave, since he is still alive. Nonetheless, Maria Reynolds is a basic reason why Hamilton was not a viable candidate in 1796.
Editor says, what if Nathaniel Bacon had refuses to torch Jamestown? This story was published in the October 2010 edition of Changing the Times Magazine.
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By 1676, the past two years in the Colony of Virginia had been troubling. Indians were attacking settlements on the western frontier after seizing property promised as payment from a farmer.
Bacon Refuses to Torch JamestownThe English retaliated with violence, and the raiding parties on both sides escalated. Governor William Berkeley had proposed a system of forts to placate the Indians under gradual removal, but farmers felt the plan would be as costly as it was ineffectual. Berkeley, who had long favored his own inner circle in government affairs, decided finally to recall the House of Burgesses to deal with the matter.
A new story by Jeff ProvineWhile the Burgesses gave great reforms, they did not directly address the issue, so wealthy planter Nathaniel Bacon marched to Jamestown with 500 followers and demanded to be commissioned as leader of a militia to destroy the Indian menace. He challenged Berkeley to give him a commission at gunpoint from his men, but the governor merely bared his breast and challenged Bacon to fire himself. Bacon repeated the action with the Burgesses, and they quickly gave him the commission.
After publishing the "Declaration of the People of Virginia" criticizing Berkeley's faulty government, Bacon and his men, some of whom were rebelling slaves and indentured servants, spent months fighting Indians, many of whom were peaceful and, in fact, allies of the English. Upon their return to Jamestown, many called for a revolution to remove Berkeley (who had fled across the river), but Bacon stopped them. His thirst for blood had been quenched, and he decided that his place was to ensure that the wrongs in the Declaration were made right. Working with the Burgesses, Bacon put forth the bill that the governor would now be elected by the colony as well as an ambassador to communicate with Parliament and the Company in London. Though Bacon would die of dysentery in October, his ideas would follow after him. Berkeley returned, intending on putting down a rebellion, but instead only finding landowners and freedmen looking for political change.
Berkeley was returned to London along with John Ingram, who would serve as representative from the colony. While Parliament disagreed with self-representation of the colony, the Virginia Company saw great potential in men striving for success (fighting Indians themselves, for example, instead of using English dividends to pay soldiers), and, after much debate and back-room deals, the agreement was made.
Virginia continued to expand and profit over the next century. Though Parliament enacted several laws over trade issues, political matters were largely reviewed by the colonists, who were given a requested amount of taxes by their representative and left to themselves to produce it. Other North American colonies followed in self-representation such as Maryland, Massachusetts, Bermuda, and Pennsylvania. The experiment was considered proven in the 1770s when the colonies were asked to aid in Britain's tremendous national debt from the Seven Years' War, which they did (though some colonists, such as the fiery Samuel Adams were arrested on suspicions of treason). Ideals of self-representation also came to Europe in several waves of revolt. They did not translate well in the bloody and ultimately pointless French Revolution, though many tyrants became controlled by constitutions.
While the colonies and Britain would often disagree with the violent treatment of natives, it would be another matter that would eventually drive them apart: slavery. Parliament ended slavery in the British Empire in 1833, and many American colonies saw it as a stomping of colonies' rights. Many of the Upper Canadian and New England colonies remained loyal, but the South and West rose up under General Andrew Jackson who had established himself as an Indian Fighter. Other rebellions went up in the Caribbean, and were quickly put down by the Navy before beginning the blockade that would choke out the rebel colonies. After six bloody years and the death of Jackson at New Orleans, the rebellion would come to an end in 1840.
America would continue to be an important part of the British Empire, serving with distinction in its wars against Mexico and Spain. Independence would creep up routinely in the collective mind of the Americans, which gained Dominion status in 1868 after being broken into New England, Dixieland, and the Western United Provinces of America. After the Second World War, these lands would gain independence but remain in the powerful bloc of the British Commonwealth.
Entry posted by
Jeff Provine
© Jeff Provine, 2010-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Jeff Provine Blog Source: Jeff Provine’s Blog Labels: Nathaniel Bacon, Virginia, William Berkeley, Jamestown, America. Editor says, in reality Bacon burned Jamestown as a display of dissatisfaction with Berkeley. The action would prove too much, and, after Bacon's death, his rebellion would disintegrate as Berkeley returned with Naval firepower. After retaking his post, Berkeley seized property, executed twenty men, and created strict lines between the races that would haunt the South to this day.
~ "Self-representation" as apparently envisioned here might have opened the door to American members sitting in Parliament, at least in Commons and perhaps later, if London chose to grant titles to prominent figures such as, say, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, in the Lords as well. Southern colonies suvch as Virginia would have been receptive to such ideas, sinced they hads replicated the feudal system in many ways.
Independence seems all but inevitable, given western expansion, since otherwise eventually the American tail would be wagging the British dog,
But--"Dixieland"? Surely a better name would be devised: Columbia, perhaps. There might, however, be a dominion (later a state or province) of Dixon within this entity.
~ I don't know that this would have changed the timeline that much...
~ I think there already is a Columbia... maybe British Columbia? "South America" would be another taken possibility. But, "land" worked for "Queensland", and "Dixie" is a word held in high esteem in certain parts of the world, so who knows? Otherwise, I'd go with New West Caledonia.
~ Andy Jackson never becomes a general in this ATL. He's far too uncouth and lower class.
Editor says, what if the affair with Sally Cary Fairfax had been exposed by the Custis family? Please note that the opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of the author(s).
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In 1758, following the discovery of his love letter to Sally Cary Fairfax, disgraced twenty-six year-old Colonel George Washington fled Virginia with the angry family members of his jilted fiancee Martha Dandridge Custis on his heels.
A Dishonest ConfessionA notorious society climber who had been engaged for just four months to the richest widow in Virginia, Washington had pursued a decidedly inappopriate relationship with the wife of his close friend and neighbor at Mount Vernon, George William Fairfax. And he had rather unwisely confessed the crime in writing with the damning words "You have drawn me, dear Madame, or rather have I drawn myself into an honest confession of a simple fact". Unsurprisingly, the view of the Curtis family was that this secret letter was anything but an honest confession.
A social outcaste, Washington found his way to England. Ironically, he would later return to the Americas as a mercenary in the forces of King George III sent to stamp down on another form of disloyalty known as the troubles in the Colonies.
Entry posted by Todayinah Editor
© Fleming, Thomas. "George Washington in love: the vivacious Sally Fairfax stole the young man's heart long before he met Martha" published in American Heritage magazine, Fall 2009 EditionStory Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Alternate Nations Source: Wikipedia Labels: George Washington, Sally Cary Fairfax, Martha Dandridge Custis, America, Civil War. ~ They already knew of the ended relationship. In those days you married for money and social
connection rather than love most of th time . There was a lot of stuff kept quiet back in those days.
Most of the mulatto population was not supposed to exist but did.
~ An enraged and publicly humiliated George William Fairfax challenges Colonel Washington to a Duel. The resulting gunfire leaves both men wounded and infection leads ultimately to the death of both men from sepsis. In the era before germ theory such a result was all too common.
Supposing that Washington did flee to the UK and remain in the Royal Army he would have been a regular officer, not a mercenary. From accounts of his earlier service he was well thought of by his contemporaries in the UK service right up until hostilities broke out between the Rebels and the UK. He might even have found himself in command of Hanoverian soldiers, but they were also loyal subjects of George III, not mercenaries.
~ 1. Washington would scarcely have been a mercenary. He would have been a loyal Briton serving king and country. That is what the war was about.
2. Rebellion ends autumn of 1776 with the breakup of the army on the retreat from New York. British spend 1777-78 giving amnesties and stamping out remaining trouble spots.
~ Good point re; Washington's status.
As for the Hanoverians, George III himself was a Hanoverian by descent, the first King George having been a German prince who had succeeded to the English throne following the death of Queeen Anne in 1708 only because he was her closest Protestant relative and the 1701 Act of Settlement had banned Catholics from succeeeding to the crown. There were something like fifty other people more closely related to Queen Anne by blood, but all were Roman Catholics. There was a backlash against George I's succession leading to an unsuccessful effort to place Anne's half-brother James Stuart on the throne instead, overturning the ban on Catholic rule. An interesting ATL would arise from the success of these efforts.
~ Don't know enough about Washington or his times to comment very coherently. However, if he'd gone to the UK and into the Army, he might have been able to buy his way to higher rank...promotion was via purchase at that time.
Editor says, what if George Washington had died at a critical point in American history? 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, a savage and desperate tragedy struck the infant American state just two days after the signing of the Constitution at the Grand Convention held in the city of Philadelphia.
Tragedy at Elk RiverThe Chairman of the convention, George Washington was returning to his home at Mount Vernon, accompanied by a fellow Virginian delegate by the name of John Blair. In northeast Maryland, the party encountered an impassable stream near the head of the Elk River.
Washington and Blair rashly chose to cross an old, rotten and long-disused bridge. To lighten the load, the pair crossed the bridge on foot but despite this contingency, the rotten planks collapsed underneath the vehicle. Tragically, Washington was killed whilst attempting to release the the second horse from falling through the bridge.
"A monarchy madam, if you can keep it"The Delaware Gazette reported that "In crossing the bridge near the Head of Elk, the bridge gave way and his horse fell into the river. His Excellency had alighted in order to walk over the bridge, but died attempting to rescue the horse". The Pennsylvia Gazette asked for "providential preservation of the nation after the tragic loss of this great and good man".
Just after the completion and signing of the Constitution, in reply to a woman's inquiry as to the type of government the Founders had created, Benjamin Franklin prophetically said, "A Monarchy, if you can keep it".
Entry posted by Todayinah Editor
© "James Madison, and the Struggle for the Bill of Rights", Richard Labunski (2006)Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Politicians Source: Wikipedia Labels: John Blair, George Washington, Virginia, Elk River, America. ~ Why would AMerican become a Monarchy just because Washington was drowned?
~ Er the suggestion is Washington had in principle already accepted the crown shortly before his death, this being agreed at Philadephia as suggested by Franklin. The tragedy two days later thus throwing a monkey wrench into the works. The irony is that as a military man and a horseman, this particular event almost caught him on the hop.
~ Eeeek!
~ It seems unlikely that an outright monarchy would have been approved.
However, an expanisive presidency amounting to a monarchy might have been--or the presidency might have evolvd in a monarchical direction, absent washington's example of voluntarily leaving office after two terms (or even with it: see Jayge Carr's "The War of '07," in which the electoral staemate of 1800 results in an Aaron Burr presidency which does not end until Burr's death, by which time the office has taken on all the trappings of mnarchy including heredtary succession).
~ absent Washington it is unlikely the constitution is ratified.
~ Might see the split of the Hartford Convention or Civil War much earlier.
~ One reason we didn't/don't have a monarchy is because we didn't have any very plausible candidates---the nobility didn't go to America for the most part.
| San Francisco | In 1965, on this day the NFL's first Canadian franchise, the Toronto Cannoneers, made an inauspicious debut with a 27-10 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the first NFL game ever played on Canadian soil. |
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| 49ers |
Entry posted by
Chris Oakley
© Chris Oakley,2008-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Grey Cup Overtime Source: Wikipedia Labels: Blue Bombers, Canada, America, Sports, Football.On this day in 1944, the Germany began Fall Nibelung("Case Nibelung"), its last major offensive on the Eastern Front. | |
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Entry posted by
Chris Oakley
© Chris Oakley,2008-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Valkyrie Source: Wikipedia Labels: July 20th Plot, Valkyrie, Adolf Hitler, Goering, Germany.In 2003, it is reported that comedian and television star Jerry Seinfeld has blasted his former Seinfeld co-star, Michael Richards, the night before in a routine whilst doing stand-up in New York. | |
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| Jerry Seinfeld |
Seinfeld is said to have mocked Richards' comments: "And he says the ball is in my court? Y'know, Michael, I didn't even know we were on the first set!" |
Variant entry posted by
Gerry Shannon
original content has been repurposed to celebrate the author's genius © Gerry Shannon, 2008-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Seinfeld Source: Wikipedia Labels: Seinfeld, Jerry Seinfeld , Michael Richards, Cosmo Kramer, The Michael Richards Show. Editor says, In this scenario, the supposed animosity between Seinfeld and Richards is blamed for holding up the proposed Seinfeld movie
In 1983, President Edward Kennedy announces his choice for a vice-president to replace the deceased Henry Jackson: Texas senator Lloyd M. Bentsen Jr., with whom he and his brothers John and Robert had served in Congress. | |
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| Lloyd Bentsen |
The President persuades him by offering to use his family's considerable resources to support Bentsen in a 1988 run either for the presidency or for the Senate seat he would vacate to join Kennedy's administration. |
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Eric Lipps
© Eric Lipps,2007-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Generals Source: Wikipedia Labels: Lloyd Bentsen, Ted Kennedy, President, America, Presidency.| Steve Biko | In 1977, the brutally beaten dead body of thirty-year old anti-apartheid activist Steve Banto Biko lay in a filthy prison in Pretoria, South Africa. Beyond caring himself, Biko was met at the gateway of worlds by great soul-deeps. A Navajo guide looked up quizzically; nodding a respectful greeting, "Ya'aa'tey" ("It is good") by way of explanation. "Yihla Moja" ("Come Spirit") replied Biko in his native Xhosa. "All will be well in time, you'll see" said the Lizard King Jim Morrison placing his arm around Biko with brotherley affection. |
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Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Meggido Source: Wikipedia Labels: Battle of Meggido, End of the World, Battle of Armgaddeon, Book of Revelations, Lawrence of Arabia.September 18
Editor says, what if the Scots vote for their own Kingdom? 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 May 2013 edition of Changing the Times Magazine.
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It is Sept. 18, 2014, and the long-awaited referendum on Scottish independence has finally taken place..along with the restoration of the Stuart dynasty.
Happy Endings 23:
Charlie comes back againSentiment had been largely in favor of keeping Queen Elizabeth as the reigning monarch, especially since Victoria had done so much to show her Scottish sympathies, with her frequent vacations at Balmoral Castle and her Scottish boy toy John Brown.
But now an even more popular candidate has appeared..namely, the great-great-great-great-and-so-forth grandson of Bonnie Prince Charlie. It's true his line was started out of wedlock .. but modern DNA testing had shown that he was indeed a descendant of the Stuart Dynasty.
By electing Parliamentary delegates from the new Stuart Party, the public showed their overwhelming support. He was swept into office with "Will Ye No Come Back Again?" as his campaign song. Women sang it with special enthusiasm at his political rallies, and some of the younger ones even screamed and fainted when they saw him .. just as their feminine ancestors had done 200 years earlier, when he came to Scotland to lead the failed revolt.
That sad song had lasted for more than a century .. and now it had a happy ending at last. Bonnie Charlie HAD come back again .. and thanks to his overwhelming popularity in Britain, Australia and America, he was able to have a great and positive influence in both places.
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Jackie Rose
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Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Religion Source: Wikipedia Labels: Scottish Independence, Bonnie Charlie, Stuart, Monarchy, King. ~ Scotland may go, but I'd bet that London would keep the North Sea oil, or the lion's share of it. Wouldn't want that to go astray, after all...
~ John, I had thought that this Bonnie Prince would represent the long dead dreams of Scottish nationalism with the revival of the Stuart Dynasty. But if his supporters would only be dreaming of the North Sea Oil...it's another illusion shot to hell.
~ One has to wonder if the Highland clan system would come back with him.....
In all seriousness, there are still a few Scots who would to see this happen. If the 2014 Referendum goes the way of independence, I expect the calls for Stuart restoration to increase (slightly).
~ Jared, I did not know there were any Stuarts left...although I would be delighted to hear that there were, and that there were indeed some calls for restoring them.
~ A few years ago, when this possibility surfaced, there were notes that England might be better off financially if it was a Disuninted Kingdom. If that is the truth, such a vote could get support from previously overlooked places -- if the economy goes south.
~ Jackie, you're very much right on there not being Stuarts left. Two generations after the Bonnie Prince, Henry Benedict Stuart (Henry IX) was a cardinal down in Rome with no issue, so no potential continues there (except by illegitimacy, as you mention).
~ I looked it up, though, and found that there were several illegitimate claimants. If the Scots were free to elect a descendant as their king, I don't think they would have worried too much about the legitimacy thing.
Editor says, what if Licinius had recovered from his defeat at Hellespont? 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 324, in the decisive final encounter between the two emperors, Roman forces loyal to Licinius (pictured) prevailed at the Battle of Chrysopolis, in Bithynia.
Licinius wins the Battle of ChrysopolisFollowing his catastrophic defeat at the Battle of the Hellespont, his rival Constantine had crossed over to Asia Minor, using a flotilla of light transports in order to avoid the enemy army, which, under the command of Licinius' newly appointed co-emperor Martinian, was guarding the coast at Lampsacus. Meanwhile Licinius had evacuated his garrison from Byzantium which joined his main army in Chalcedon on the Asiatic shore of the Bosporus. From there he also summoned Martinian's forces and a band of Visigothic auxiliaries, under their leader Aliquaca, to reinforce his principal army which had been depleted by its earlier defeat at the Battle of Adrianople.
Overconfident, Constantine seemingly eschewed any subtlety of manoeuvre, launching a single massive frontal assault on Licinius' troops but his forces were routed by them. Constantia, Constantine's half-sister and Licinius' wife, acted as intermediary, but no mercy was shown and Constantine was executed.
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Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Generals Source: Wikipedia Labels: Chrysopolis, Constantine I, Licinius , Rome, Tetrarchy. Editor says, in authoring this post we have repurpose content from Wikipedia which reports ~ the battle was the final encounter between the two emperors. After his navy's defeat in the Battle of the Hellespont, Licinius withdrew his forces from the city of Byzantium across the Bosporus to Chalcedon in Bithynia. Constantine followed, and won the subsequent battle. This left Constantine as the sole emperor, ending the period of the Tetrarchy.
~ Well, there goes Christianity's shot at becoming Rome's official religion, at least for a while. And if the triumph of the Christian church in the Roman Empire is delayed, someone other than Athanasius may win out in the Church's internal struggles, with potentially major consequences.
~ Would paganism, or Mithraism, or something, anything else, have had a chance at survival?
~ Without one state religion, it's likely. They might even be Unitarian with the Pantheon and similar universal leanings.
~ Or maybe a new Julian would enforce the traditional paganism. Who knows?
Editor says, what if Dief had toppled the USG? 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 1895, on this day the ultra-nationalist Canadian Tory prime minister John George Diefenbaker was born in the peaceful village of Neustadt, Ontario.
Birth of architect of Diefenbaker PlanHis term of office was shaped by the apocalyptic events of October 1962; the often unilateral judgements he took, and the heavy-handed way he communicated those decisions to his colleagues and allies. In his diaries, he rejected these charges, claiming that President Kennedy told him bluntly that, "When I tell Canada to do something, I expect her to do it!". What is indisputed is that on the 22nd, his Defense Minister Douglas Harkness advised him that Kennedy had approved an escalation of the NORAD measurement from two (peace) to three (enhanced awareness) on the way to five (war) without consulting Ottawa even though Canada was supposedly an equal partner to America in NORAD.
Two days later, World War Three broke out and the boot was on the other foot. American Cities were devastated by Soviet nuclear missiles. Under the Dieffenbaker Plan, the Canadian Government laid claim to territory possessed by the United States in order to rehabilitate that land "back to a standard of civilization".
This is an installemend from the Cuba 62 - Canada thread.
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Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Cuba62 Canada Source: Wikipedia Labels: John Diefenbaker, Kennedy, Cuba, NORAD, Cold War. Editor says, in reality the Cuban Missiles Crisis was resolved, World War Three did not break although it has been conjectured that Kennedy toppled Dieffenbaker's Government.
Editor says, what if the Caribbean basin had joined the Union as a Sugar State? 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 2011 edition of Changing the Times Magazine.
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In 1861, on this day Union President Abraham Lincoln received an urgent request for reinforcements from Alexander Hamilton III the Governor of the Sugar State.
The Civil War engulfs the IslandsSix months of slave revolts had paralyzed the economic activity across the Caribbean basin and precipitated a plantation owner's backlash.
The larger islands were threatening to secede from the Union and appeal to the British Government for Royal Naval support to protect their new-found sovereignty. Some were even threatening to join the Confederacy.
"When I analyze the stench to me it makes a lot of sense" ~ Bob MarleyThe outbreak of the American Civil War was of course only the latest threat to the continued and perhaps accidental existence of the single maritime polity known as "The Sugar State". Because in 1782 the decisive French naval victory at the Battle of the Saintes marked the beginning of the end of British rule over the Sugar Islands. The crushing of Royal Naval Forces under the command of Admiral Sir George Rodney by the Comte de Grasse's French Fleet enabled the French and Spanish to proceed with the planned invasion of Jamaica. Within eighteen months, the seven thousand islands, islets, reefs, and cays of the Caribbean region were admitted into the Union. And the infant American Republic was confronted with a whole set of fresh challenges that threatened to wreck the ship of state.
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Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Politicians Source: Wikipedia Labels: Alexander Hamilton, Sugar State, Slavery, Civil War, Abraham Lincoln. Editor says, in reality the British won the Battle of the Saintes.
~ So how would these islands end up in US control? They were big sources of income for Britain and France and the other countries that owned them, and most of those countries had pretty good navies---they'd take them back right quick. A very good point to be addressed in a future post in the TL :-)
~ The US would've had to have been a naval power in the early 19th century... as to this period, it'd be a wonder if the CSA wanted to take on the Sugar State. Sounds like a white elephant with all its defensive and social problems.
~ France would hold onto them if it could. It would certainly keep Jamaica. The US might get the Bahamas and Bermuda if it provided infantry for the operation. It would also put the US and France into future conflict as American settlers moved west into Louisiana, certainly by the 1830s.
~ The common aspects of shared history are not fully understand in Europe, IMHO
Editor says, what if Britain fought in Vietnam? please note this post was inspired an article in the New Statesman Please note that the opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of the author(s).
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In 2010, Ken Loach and his production team completed final editing on Searching For Albert in advance of the movie's scheduled January 2011 release.
Searching For Albert, Part 4Although Paddy Ashdown and his supporters still planned to stage nationwide protests in Britain against Albert when it premiered, opinion of the movie within the rest of the British Vietnam veterans' community had by this time begun to shift considerably in the movie's favor thanks partly to an outreach effort by Loach and his cast aimed at allaying the veterans' concerns about Loach's handling of its subject matter.
Loach's PR campaign even managed to sway some people who had previously sided with Ashdown's boycott plan; in a New Statesman interview published just before Albert's theatrical release, a House of Commons MP who at first had supported the boycott disclosed that he had reversed his stance after meeting with one of the movie's technical advisors. Eventually the boycott plan would fizzle out and Albert would open to rave reviews on both sides of the Atlantic.
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Chris Oakley
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Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: We Were Tommies Once And Young Source: New Statesman Magazine Labels: Vietnam, Britain, Sixties, Vinny Jones, Far East.Older Posts 
© Today in Alternate History, 2013-. All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
