Reflections In Exile

The state of TIAH

January 13th, 2007

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Alternate Historian's Note: Although I still feel weak, I think I'm well enough to continue writing After, so we will move forward today. I would also like to let you all know of a side-project that I'm going to be assembling. I have several timelines with more-or-less complete stories inside them – The Fall, the Tolman timeline, the Mormon War – and I would like to put them all into a collection for sale on Lulu. If you would be interested in this, or would like to suggest something for inclusion in the collection, please email me and let me know. Meanwhile, enjoy Guest Historian Stephen Payne's entry for today, followed by the continuation of our NaNoWriMo novel.

Halifax	In 1947 Head of the British Government in Exile Lord Halifax reflects on his miserable condition as a guest at Rideau Hall, residence of the Governor General of Canada in Ottawa. At long last the Nazis had prepared terms that would permit the Government to return to London, possibly before ..
.. the long and freezing Canadian winter got a great deal worse. The price is that Halifax must hand over the Royal Navy to the Germans, and that is a big heating bill by anyone's reckoning.
~ entry by Steve Payne from counter history in context - you're the judge!

In 1935 as Germany completes a remarkable recovery from the ashes of ..	Saarland Flag
.. defeat in World War I a plebiscite in Saarland shows that 90.3% of those voting wished to join the Weimar Republic. By the time of the 'day of infamy' strikes by the fascist forces of Anglo America on 'deux six un un' (26/11/1941), Germany would be close to 1914 levels of key demographics including population, production and national output.
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

King David Kalā..	In 1887 Marines from the U.S.S. Boston landed in Honolulu and imposed the Bayonet Constitution, stripping the Hawaiian monarchy of much of its authority, disenfranchised all Asians and poor citizens while generally empowering rich citizens, including American, European and native Hawaiian ..
.. elites. This new imperialism led ultimately to the expulsion of the Americans from AsiaPac in the 1940s at the hands of the liberating troops of the Empire of Japan.
~ entry by Steve Payne from counter history in context - you're the judge!

In 1610 by deductive logic Galileo Galilei discovers the counter-earth, a same sized planet rotating on the far side of the sun.	Galileo Galilei..
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

in 1991, game designer Taylor Strawn (nee White) was born in Atlanta, Georgia. Overcoming the tragedy of his pre-teen years, he became one of the most successful computer game programmers in the industry. After his work with Maxis on Spore II, he left the company to concentrate on his own designs, beginning with the virtual reality hit The World Underneath, which garnered several awards on release and established his company as one of the top in the country.

After(cont.)
Off-roading was rough. There was a reason that Bush was always filmed clearing brush on his ranch – there was brush everywhere. The jeep could barely make it through a lot of it; there were several points where everyone had to get out, clear the path, and then move the jeep forward.
“We should just leave the jeep and go forward on foot,” Jake said.
“I think I speak for everyone else when I say that you're probably the only one of us who's in that kinda shape, Jake,” Janice said.
“Nothin' like a good 10-mile hike to get you in shape,” Jake said, laughing at her.
“Yeah, the kinda shape that lies flat on the ground and can't shoot back or escape when the bad guys come and get us.”
“Good point,” Jake muttered, pushing and pulling on a particularly nasty plant that wanted his blood. It got it, but at the cost of its own life. He pulled it out of the ground and tossed it as far away as he could. “I'm just afraid that this is gonna take too long for us to be any good.”
“The president will be able to hold out,” Kevin said. Out of his sight, Eli rolled his eyes. “He's going to be OK till we get there.”
“Right,” Jake said, returning to his task. Janice helped him pull out the last big obstacle in their path, and then he looked ahead. He estimated they had maybe a mile that the jeep didn't need any help to cover in front of them. “Pile in the car, everybody.” They all jumped in and he tore off, trying to make up for the lost time by driving as recklessly as he dared.
“I kinda wish we'd taken the SUV,” Kevin said.
“We wouldn't have made it past the road blocks,” Janice said. “And all this would've ruined it.” A particularly hard bump knocked her back, and she struggled back up. “Nice drivin', Sarge.”
“I ain't drivin' Miss Daisy.” Jake pulled up to another clump of vegetation and scanned the horizon. “Where's west?”
Kevin looked at Janice's GPS and pointed. “That way. We're still about 18 miles from the ranch, according to this thing.”
“It took us two hours to cover the last 5 miles.” He looked up at the sun, which was now dipping into its downward path to afternoon. “This is crap. We can't move forward at night because the lights'll be seen.”
“You can wear my night-vision goggles,” Janice volunteered.
“The Sergeant was right before,” Eli said. “We need to go forward on foot. It'll be faster.”
“Says you,” Janice told him. “These little legs don't do hiking.”
“Maybe they need to start,” Jake said, looking over at Kevin. “What do you say, Bradley? Think you can make 18 miles before nightfall?”
“Probably not, and I've got another reason we need the jeep.” He turned back to the others. “We may need to carry the president out of there. Once we've got him, we don't need to worry about roadblocks; we can take the main roads.”
“Good point,” Janice said, hopefully looking over at Jake.
“Yeah, that is a good point.” Jake looked at the enemy line – he wished that he had a little elevation so that he could see if there was an easier route through. The flatness of the countryside was wonderful from a defensive standpoint; it was almost impossible to get through to the ranch. He bet that the security detail in charge of the president was grateful for the natural advantage this land gave them. “OK, we'll keep the jeep. But, everybody needs to be lookin' for an easier way to drive. Keep your eyes peeled.”
“Aye, aye, sir,” Janice said, throwing him a happy salute.


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Galileo's Counter-Earth

The state of TIAH

February 22nd, 2007

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Alternate Historian's Note: Our Guest Historian, Stephen Payne, had a great suggestion – we haven't had a good contest in a while, so we're going to have an April Fool's Day Contest! Email us up to 3 entries for an alternate April 1st and we will post the best 10, with your own credit and link to your website (if you have one). We'll also see if we have enough credit for an ultimate winner to get a complimentary TIAH mug, but we can't promise anything on that yet. Get researching those alternate histories now, folks! The deadline will be March 29th.

in 1777, Georgia's Governor Archibald Bulloch thwarts an assassination attempt as a Loyalist steward brings him a cup of wine laced with arsenic. When he accidentally spills the cup, the enraged Tory tries to strangle him, but Bulloch wins their struggle. The governor then uses the near-total powers he had been granted by Georgia's rebel government to rally the state's colonists and send them into war for the rebel cause. Bulloch is such a successful leader in the revolution that he maneuvers himself into the newly-created office of president of the new nation after the revolution, and influences the writing of the constitution to give himself powers similar to his near-complete control of Georgia. The other states chafe under his presidency, and the formerly united states dissolve into regional war in Bulloch's 5th year in office. The wars end when Bulloch is shot dead by a member of his staff, Thomas Paine, who had been planted close to the president in order to get the opportunity to kill him. Another Constitutional Convention is called to rewrite the document that had granted so much power to the president, and a tripartite government is born from the ashes of Bulloch's dictatorship in 1797.

in 1998, the deadliest series of tornadoes in Florida's history provides the impetus for Vice-President Al Gore to begin a study of climate change. Already an environmentalist, Gore was alarmed at the massive changes in the climate that many scientists were predicting could soon become irreversible. He runs for the presidency with a passion and urgency that moves the nation, and sweeps in a Democratic majority in the House of Representatives to aid him in his work. The Senate is split evenly, so his vice-president, Paul Wellstone of Minnesota, is more important than any VP in decades. With Gore's skills and commitment, the warming of the earth was slowed, and Wellstone continued his former boss' work when he was elected president in 2008.

Galileo	In 1632 Galileo Galilei's Dialogue Concerning the Two Counter-earths was published. By deductive logic Galileo had postulated the existence of a counter-earth, a same sized planet rotating on the far side of the sun since 1610.
~ entry by Steve Payne from counter history in context - you're the judge!

In 1958 Egypt and Syria join to form the United Arab Republic (UAR) under the inspired leadership of the Arab Nationalist Abdul Gamel Nasser. By 1980, the entire Middle East and its oil reserves would be controlled by the UAR making a showdown with the Western World inevitable.	UAR Flag
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

Samuel Byck	In 1974 44-year-old Samuel Byck assassinated U.S. President Richard Nixon. The revelations of corruption that followed destroyed the Imperial Presidency and today the position of US Head of State is a ceremonial role. The self-evident failure of American Foreign Policy with the Fall of ..
.. Vietnam set a new course for America, and Capitol Hill ensured that the executive focused exclusively on domestic concerns.
~ entry by Steve Payne from counter history in context - you're the judge!

In 1994 Aldrich Ames and his wife were charged by the United States Department of Justice with spying for the Soviet Union. Whilst directing the analysis of Soviet intelligence operations at the CIA's Europe Division / Counter-intelligence branch he had access to the identities of U.S. ..	Aldrich Ames
.. sources in the KGB and Soviet military. The information Ames provided led to the compromise of at least 100 U.S. intelligence operations and to the execution of at least 10 U.S. Sources. Ames was sentenced with the death penalty since his betrayal resulted in several CIA assets being killed and he was executed two years later at the US Penitentiary in Allenwood, Pennsylvania
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

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The Overton Statute; Comrade Shephard In Space

April 12th, 2006

in 1633, Father Vincenzo Maculano da Firenzuola, Chief Inquisitor and a Conspirator of the Speaker’s Line, convicts Galileo Galilei of heresy. He had wanted to hear Galileo’s theories in person, and suppress them in the general population, and used his position in the Inquisition to do this. Galileo’s theories moved the Speaker’s Children forward in science, but the rest of the world was left behind.

in 1770, the British Parliament enacted the Overton Statute, named after the English lord who negotiated it, granting all colonies representation in Parliament. This was followed by quick repeal of many of the more odious laws such as the Townshend Act, and a new era of enlightenment propelled the British Empire forward; grumblings from the colonies became a thing of the past.

in 1858, Alfred Cummings arrives in Utah to take control of the territory as its first non-Mormon governor. The Mormons had been flouting U.S. law and threatening secession since arriving, and they felt that the appointment of a “gentile” as their governor was the last straw. They erupted in violence, declaring their independence from America.

in 1915, Dr. Ch'Kel'Mlar of the Q'Bar continues telling Captain Smith of the Harlequin about the mysterious race he has called the Kainku. After befriending the Q'Bar and aiding them with a cure for a recent plague, they began to sow mistrust among the various nations of the Q'Bar, and soon there was full-fledged civil war among the once-unified people. Captain Smith ponders the strange Kainku, and sends a full report back to earth.

in 1945, President Roosevelt suffers a massive stroke, disabling him for several months. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and Vice President Harry Truman cover up the illness in order to keep the nation’s morale high; once the war is won, though, they announce Roosevelt’s resignation and Truman becomes president.

in 1952, Velma Porter and Mikhail von Heflin dig up more than they wanted to in Kenya when they unearth an ancient ancestor of the Baron’s and with it, the burial chamber she had been trapped in. Freed, the extra-dimensional being fled the earth and leaped into the stars.

in 1961, Communism proved its scientific superiority when Comrade Alan Shephard became the first man in space. Comrade President Rosenberg had accelerated the space program to beat the European monarchies in the space race and prove that true innovation could not be found within their reactionary borders.

in 1963, international sensation Pete Best releases his huge hit Between Us, which jumps to the top of the charts on both sides of the Atlantic. He starts planning his first world tour.

in 1997, British leader Margaret Thatcher, Britain’s longest-serving Prime Minister, dies of a heart attack. Leading the fight against the American Constitutionalists and South Africa’s National Front had strained her immeasurably, and she had neglected her health while directing the war against the Fulcrum powers.

in 2005, the success of the Save Earth missions to destroy the centers where the Claws transform themselves into human appearance makes it impossible for the alien race to maintain its presence on earth. There is a vast withdrawal, and many prominent people disappear overnight. U.S. Representative Carl Worthington calls a press conference and announces, “The earth is now safe from alien influence.”

Timelines in today's post: the Speaker, the Mlosh, von Heflin, Communist America, Pete Best, the Ralph Shephard timeline and The Claw.

Today's "Six Degrees of Star Trek" challenge: Connect the 1975 adaptation of Brecht's Galileo to Star Trek. Place your answers in the comments and see the Forum for previous results. For more on 6 degrees games, click here.

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Revolutionaries

	In 2007, British politician and statesman, diplomat and businessman George Patrick John Rushworth Jellicoe, 2nd Earl Jellicoe, KBE, DSO, MC, PC, FRS died on this day. Jellicoe was the only son but sixth and youngest child of First World War naval commander, the anti-hero of Jutland, Admiral of the Fleet Sir John Jellicoe, 1st Earl Jellicoe by his wife Florence Gwendoline (died 1964), second daughter of Sir Charles Cayzer, 1st Bart., of Gartmore, Perthshire. Jellicoe was the one of the longest-serving parliamentarians in the world, being a member of the English Bundesrat for 68 years (1939-2007).

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	In 1741, Benedict Arnold V was born in Norwich, Connecticut. A general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, he heroically commanded the American fort at West Point, New York. Arnold was considered by many to be the best general and most accomplished leader in the Continental Army. Without Arnold's early contributions to the American cause, the American Revolution might well have been lost. The hero in the Battle of Saratoga, Arnold's actions persuaded the French, who had been skeptical of the colonists' chances, to intervene in the war on the American side. This alliance tipped the balance and ultimately helped ensure the American victory.

On the battlefield at Saratoga, a lone monument stands in memorial to this man, the inscription reads: 'In memory of the most brilliant soldier of the Continental army, who was desperately wounded on this spot, winning for his countrymen the decisive battle of the American Revolution, and for himself the rank of Major General.' Another memorial to Arnold resides at the United States Military Academy. That the plaque recognises a contribution indelibly tarnished by his betrayal of the Crown.

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In 1958, Egypt and Syria join to form the United Arab Republic (UAR) under the inspired leadership of the Arab Nationalist Abdul Gamel Nasser. By 1980, the entire Middle East and its oil reserves would be controlled by the UAR making a showdown with the Western World inevitable.

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In 1974, 44-year-old Samuel Byck assassinated U.S. President Richard Nixon. The revelations of corruption that followed destroyed the Imperial Presidency and today the position of US Head of State is a ceremonial role. The self-evident failure of American Foreign Policy with the Fall of Vietnam set a new course for America, and Capitol Hill ensured that the executive focused exclusively on domestic concerns.

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	In 1732, rebel general George Washington was born in the Virginia colony. Despite serving with honor in His Majesty's war against the French and Indians, Washington turned traitor to the Crown when the American colonies rebelled in 1774. Washington was captured in Yorktown when Lord Cornwallis defeated the rebels after the French failed to reinforce them.

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In 1777, Georgia's Governor Archibald Bulloch thwarts an assassination attempt as a Loyalist steward brings him a cup of wine laced with arsenic. When he accidentally spills the cup, the enraged Tory tries to strangle him, but Bulloch wins their struggle. The governor then uses the near-total powers he had been granted by Georgia's rebel government to rally the state's colonists and send them into war for the rebel cause. Bulloch is such a successful leader in the revolution that he maneuvers himself into the newly-created office of president of the new nation after the revolution, and influences the writing of the constitution to give himself powers similar to his near-complete control of Georgia. The other states chafe under his presidency, and the formerly united states dissolve into regional war in Bulloch's 5th year in office. The wars end when Bulloch is shot dead by a member of his staff, Thomas Paine, who had been planted close to the president in order to get the opportunity to kill him. Another Constitutional Convention is called to rewrite the document that had granted so much power to the president, and a tripartite government is born from the ashes of Bulloch's dictatorship in 1797.

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In 1632, Galileo Galilei's Dialogue Concerning the Two Counter-earths was published. By deductive logic Galileo had postulated the existence of a counter-earth, a same sized planet rotating on the far side of the sun since 1610.

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In 1994, Aldrich Ames and his wife were charged by the United States Department of Justice with spying for the Soviet Union. Whilst directing the analysis of Soviet intelligence operations at the CIA's Europe Division / Counter-intelligence branch he had access to the identities of U.S. Sources in the KGB and Soviet military. The information Ames provided led to the compromise of at least 100 U.S. intelligence operations and to the execution of at least 10 U.S. Sources. Ames was sentenced with the death penalty since his betrayal resulted in several CIA assets being killed and he was executed two years later at the US Penitentiary in Allenwood, Pennsylvania

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In 1998, the deadliest series of tornadoes in Florida's history provides the impetus for Vice-President Al Gore to begin a study of climate change. Already an environmentalist, Gore was alarmed at the massive changes in the climate that many scientists were predicting could soon become irreversible. He runs for the presidency with a passion and urgency that moves the nation, and sweeps in a Democratic majority in the House of Representatives to aid him in his work. The Senate is split evenly, so his vice-president, Paul Wellstone of Minnesota, is more important than any VP in decades. With Gore's skills and commitment, the warming of the earth was slowed, and Wellstone continued his former boss' work when he was elected president in 2008.

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In 1991, US President George HW Bush threatened Iraq with land war, giving Iraq until 1700 GMT the next day to pull out of Kuwait or face the full force of the allies. It was an incredible volte-face from the American 'green light' for the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait given by Ambassador April Glaspie. The magnitude of that error did not become clear until the 18th January. Israel joined the Gulf War after Iraq attacks Tel Aviv and Haifa with Scud missiles. Saddam Husssein had succeeded in provoking the Israel leadership both through these bombings, and also by establishing linkage between Kuwait and Palestinian nationhood.

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	In 1997, a sheep named Dolly was cloned by scientists in Edinburgh and hailed as one of the most significant breakthroughs of the decade. The sheep's birth was heralded as one of the most significant scientific breakthroughs of the decade although it sparked ethical controversy. Scientists in Scotland cloned a ewe by inserting DNA from a single sheep cell into an egg and implanted it in a surrogate mother. Within twenty years, cloning would become the most lucrative medical technology on the planet.Within twenty years, cloning would become the most lucrative medical technology on the planet.

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In 1994, African American community leaders absorbed the import of US President Bill Clinton's briefing on the contents of the Ames dossier. Jesse Jackson knew a few things about skeletons in the closet himself. Clinton had been wily in suggesting that of course. Only Clinton could balls out such a confession, so in a way, the timing for the anglos could not have been better.

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	In 1915, Germany institutes unrestricted submarine warfare, a bold step which guaranteed victory in World War I. The evidence suggests that Imperial Germany had not started World War I with an appreciation of the impact on commerce and supply that submarines could have. They had fewer than 30 operational boats, all with small torpedo capacities.

At first, merchant ships would be stopped, occupants safely evacuated and then the vessel sunk, usually by gunfire, all following Prize Rules. This had little effect and increasingly placed the German submarine – U-boat - at risk from defensive weaponry. Germany had practical strategic problems. War-weariness affected the German home situation. The best chance of achieving an early advantageous peace with Britain was to stifle its trade and imports. Surface ships had not been effective, neither could the Kaiserliche Marine force the British Royal Navy off the seas - the Battle of Jutland had shown this, despite an apparent German victory. The gamble which was taken was that unrestricted submarine warfare would critically damage Britain before an incensed United States could make a practical impact. The success of the submarines was a killer blow to British supply lines and the gamble ultimately succeeded.

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