The Cookout

July 10th, 2007

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The Announcement

The drive to her father's house was long – everybody in town was on the road, it seemed – but uneventful. The radio had snippets of news about the probe in between the pop tunes, none of which carried any new information. The one funny thing that happened was that the news van following her made a report that she had left her house with her daughter and was on her way to “an undisclosed location”. They both had a good chuckle at that one.
When she pulled up to her father's house, there were already several cars in the driveway and along the street. She picked a nice open stretch of road to give the news van some room to park behind her and turned off the car. “Should we invite them in?”
Monica beamed widely. “Grandpa'd love it! He could see if any of 'em are single and try to get 'em to ask you out.”
Andrea shook her head. “This has disaster written all over it.” They got out of the car, Monica gently extracted her pie from the back seat, and Andrea walked over to the van. “There's going to be a big cookout, and my daughter makes a delicious pie,” she said to the driver and reporter inside. “Want to come?”
They looked at each other, shrugged, and the reporter said, “Thanks for the invite, Doctor Ross.”
“No problem, there's plenty of food. Just don't be surprised if my father gives you a hard time.” She and her daughter walked up to the front door while the news people unlimbered their equipment.
Andrea's father was already at the door, arms wide open for a hug from the pair. Monica held her pie out to one side, but gave him a big hug and kiss, and Andrea kissed him on the cheek. He looked at the two men coming up to his door with a camera and mike and asked them, “Y'all here to eat?”
The reporter nodded his head and smiled very nicely. “Your daughter told us there'd be plenty.”
“She was right.” He opened the door wide and ushered them all through his house and into the back yard, where several of his relatives were already gathered around tables and the large barbecue grill. He pointed out a table that was already groaning with food. “Monica, go on and put your pie over there. I wanna show your momma something.” As the young girl ran off to place her pie among the desserts, he whispered into Andrea's ear, “So, how long they been followin' you around?”
“Since the announcement that I was on the committee about the probe.”
“My girl, makin' the big news,” Papa Ross said proudly. “Just don't let 'em eat all the pie.”

Huey Long	"God, don't let me die. I have so much to do." ~ Huey Long, fearing for his life after a bodyguard shot him by accident.
”The Kingfish”

Huey Pierce Long (August 30, 1893 – September 10, 1973), known as "The Kingfish," was an American politician of the Democratic Party; he was governor of Louisiana (1928–1932), Senator (1932–1935) and President (1936-1944). He was a populist who is often alleged to have had many dictatorial tendencies that made many of his actions quite unprecedented in modern American politics. Long had called for a third special session of the Louisiana State Legislature, and he travelled from Washington to Baton Rouge to oversee its progress. On September 8, 1935 Carl Austin Weiss attempted to punch Long in the Capitol building at Baton Rouge. Weiss was immediately shot some thirty times by Long's bodyguards and police on the scene, and a bullet from one of the bodyguards inflicted a non-fatal wound on the Senator. Fearing for his life, Long was quoted as saying “God, don't let me die. I have so much to do.” In Kingfish, journalist Barry N. Malzberg describes how Long became president in 1936 by stealing away FDR's vice-president. Transcripts of interviews of are included in which John Nance Gardner tells how he struck a deal with the Kingfish, and then how they dealt with Hitler by inviting him to America and then murdering him. A synopsis of Weiss's assault is described at Wikipedia

~ variant by Steve Payne : extensive use of original content has been made to celebrate the author's genius.

In 2009, TV networks critically reviewed events of historical significance to consider whether they actually had deep impact. In episode one of So What If?, the Trent Affair brings the British into the States War delivering a Southern Victory. The centennial was marked unofficially by the million-man march on Richmond Virginia. The Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King spoke eloquently of his dream for Confederate Black Americans.

~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

In 2010, the strength of the high-frequency electro-magnetic energy beam is massively attenuated by the creation of a skip zone around HARC. Operatives terminate the powerful beam of high-frequency electro-magnetic energy entering the ionosphere and the episode is over – well, almost. The US military congratulate the Head of HARC, Physicist Mike Ryder for diffusing the catastrophe. Ryder had been initiating the Phase 1 site which had been mothballed at nearby Eureka, effectively using HARC I to destroy HARC II.

~ variant from Steve Payne: extensive use of original content has been made to celebrate the author's genius.

"Max" Aitken	In 1942, in Buckingham, the 32nd American President Winston S. Churchill controversially visited the field of the 1760 battle. This event occurred in the later stages of the collapse of English power, in the Williamite War in England between the deposed King James VII of Scotland and II of England and his son-in-law and successor, ..
.. William, for the English, Scottish and Irish thrones. Reporter William Maxwell "Max" Aitken asked Churchill whether in his view Henry VIII took ultimate or relative responsibility for the collapse of English power. This was a reference to 1533 and the precipitous action to launch the Reformation, inviting destruction from Catholic Europe. Churchill took a huge puff on his cigar and quoted - “If you're going through Hell, keep going.“
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

In 1972, Frederick Forsyth published the semi-fictional novel “The Riga File”, later adapted into a 1974 movie starring actor Jon Voight in the lead role as the young reporter, Peter Miller. The plot begins on the day John F. Kennedy was assassinated, November 22, 1963. Miller chases an ambulance on the highway and ..	Freddy Forsyth
.. discovers it contains an elderly Jewish Holocaust-survivor who had committed suicide. Miller obtains the diary of his life in the World War II camps, describing the brutality of commandant SS Captain Eduard Roschmann aka the "Butcher of Riga". Miller makes up his mind to hunt Roschmann, not just for a sensational cover story, but for a more serious personal reason – his father, a highly decorated Wehrmacht captain, was shot dead by Roschmann during a war-time altercation. Miller and real-life investigator of Nazi war criminals Simon Wiesenthal confront Roschmann at Wembley Stadium during the 1966 World Cup Final. Miller shoots Roschmann just as Geoff Hurst scores the winning goal, drowning the gun shot in the roar of the crowd. The commentator's announcement “they think its all over, it is now” is a satire on both the goal and the bringing to justice of the Butcher of Riga.
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

John T Scopes (..	In 1925, on this day began the State of Tennessee vs. John Thomas Scopes (the Scopes or Monkey Trial) in Dayton, Tennessee. John T. Scopes, a young high school science teacher, was accused of teaching biblical interpretations in violation of a Tennessee state law. Judge John T. Raulston ruled against the high school ..
.. teacher. Henceforth 'Any statement that denies Charles Darwins' proven theory of evolution that man has descended from a lower order of animals rather than the story of the Divine Creation of man as taught in the Bible.' became a crime in Tennessee.
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

In 1991, Mikhail Gorbachev began his five year term as the first elected President of Russia. The program of reform included glasnost ("openness"), perestroika ("restructuring"), and uskoreniye ("acceleration", of economic development), which were launched at the 27th Congress of the CPSU in February 1986. Five years later, ..	Mikhail Gorbach..
.. Gorbachev had concluded the Cold War, ended the political supremacy of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and dissolved the Soviet Union. Finally, he was in a position to move forward, and in so doing, his great partner, a re-united Germany joined Russia in setting a course for a Common European Home. In many ways, 1991 was the right outcome for Europe. As early as 1910, Prussian thinkers had identified that Russia would eventually overtake Germany, and therefore after two world wars, a partnership was the logical conclusion to a prolonged, and unnecessary state of tension between two great nations who shared many economic and geopolitical interests.
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

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The Boy Who Didn't Live

July 21st, 2007

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The Announcement

Alternate Historian's Note: Never let it be said I don't plug famous authors. Today, which you know about unless you have no contact with the rest of the world whatsoever, marks the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the final installment in J.K. Rowling's epic series. I thought today I would indulge in a bit of fan fiction – although, of course, it goes without mentioning that ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO JO ROWLING and I mean nothing but respect by what I present here and this HAS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO with the ACTUAL END OF DEATHLY HALLOWS!!! It's just fan fic. I've always imagined the end of the series something like this:

Petunia answered the knock on the door with a little trepidation. The house wasn't nearly as spotless as she usually kept it, owing to her Duddley's recent bouts of, well, strangeness. It's all Harry's fault, she thought, thankful that at least she never had to see her wretched nephew anymore.
She swung the door open and gasped in horror. The figure standing at the door had an almost snake-like appearance, with a nose that was almost not even there, and eyes that glowed green and fiery as they took her in. The hand covering her mouth trembled as she whispered, “No...”
“What, Petunia,” Lord Voldemort said as he stepped across the threshold, followed by Severus Snape, “no kiss for daddy?”

Harry appeared in front of the door at the Dursley's house, sick that he had to come here one more time. But, Snape's note had been quite clear - What you seek shall be at the home that has offered you shelter when Hogwarts has not. You must trust me in this, Potter. From all he had learned of Snape's love for his mother, he had finally come to the conclusion that he had to trust that the potion master had the same motive for revenge that he did; that was why Dumbledore had trusted him, had even let Snape kill him rather than give up his position within Voldemort's ranks. There was still plenty for Snape to pay for – Ron, Tonks, Ginny - but he no longer felt the rage he had a year ago about Dumbledore.
He opened the front door and walked in slowly, wand drawn. The door had been ajar, which made Harry's stomach turn. He advanced slowly into the house, and an odd tableau met his eyes. Seated at the dining room table, dressed in their best clothing, were Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon and Duddley. All three were sitting stock still, with looks of terror frozen on their faces. The cause of that terror sat at the head of the table, his black robes draped across the arms of the chair, his reptilian features broken into a wide smile. “Ah, Harry, my boy, come at last for Sunday dinner.” Snape stood beside Voldemort, his wand pointed at the Dursleys. “No heroics, lad. Let's just chat.” He extended a long, thin hand to the chair at the foot of the table, and Harry sat down. “It's so pleasant to an old man to be able to sit down with his family and have a nice dinner and conversation.” Harry's lip curled at the thought of having Voldemort in his ancestry. The dark lord speared a piece of roast beef with one of Petunia's best silver forks and ate it with relish. “Ah, Petunia, you always were such a good cook when you were properly motivated.”
Harry impatiently said, “What do you want?”
“Why, you, of course, Harry.” Voldemort smiled and wiped his mouth delicately with the best of the Dursleys' napkins. “By now, you've discerned that you're the last of my horcruxes. I'd like to remove that last part of myself from you.”
“Nothing would please me more,” Harry spat at him.
Voldemort continued to speak pleasantly, picking up his wand and gesturing at Harry with it. “Now, it can be done one of two ways. One leaves you alive, the other dead. Which method I employ depends entirely on you.” The two stared at each other for a few seconds before the dark lord continued, “I won't lie and say that you have been pleasant to know, Harry. Your vendetta has been rather singular in its success at stripping me of my power and my followers. All I have left of my old strength is Severus, here,... and you.” He stood, and his wand came dangerously close to sparking at Harry as he spoke again. “You've thwarted me without even knowing what you were doing. I have come to respect that, Harry. I have come to respect you. I want you at my side, grandfather and grandson.”
“You should ask Duddley; he'd jump at the chance to join you.”
Voldemort chuckled, a raspy, thin laugh. “I have always been disappointed in Petunia and her offspring, but I must confess that I am glad I had her today, for she has provided me with bait for you.” He looked affectionately over at his muggle daughter. “And, let's face it, her temperament was much more of a match for mine than was Lily's.” At the mention of Harry's mother, Snape stiffened slightly. “So, my offer,” Voldemort said, getting down to business. “Join me in killing these muggles, and we will be bound together in a more permanent fashion than even the horcrux charm can manage.”
Harry looked at Voldemort with disgust. “Why would I want to kill these people with you?”
Now, Voldemort laughed heartily, clapping his hands together. “Come, Harry, I've spent too much time in your mind for you to lie to me about how you feel about the Dursleys. You hate me, yes, of course, but what have I ever really done to you? Orchestrated things, had my followers attack or kill people close to you; all sort of shadowy and nebulous, nothing real to hang your hate on.”
“You killed my parents.”
Voldemort waved his hand dismissively. “Oh, yes, yes, but you were only one. You didn't even acknowledge your mother as she fell dead in front of you.” Snape's knuckles on his wand turned white as the dark lord said this. “That's an abstract sort of hate. Yes, I placed a hole in your life, but it was a hole that they could have filled, with understanding, affection... love.” He looked at the Dursleys, whose eyes were filling with a new terror. “Instead, there was only neglect, disdain and loathing. I may have placed you in their hands, but they were the ones who tortured you for ten years. Tell me truly, Harry; is there anyone you truly hate as much as you hate them?”
Harry avoided looking at the family as answered, clearly, “No.”
Voldemort's wide smile threatened to envelop his entire face. “Join me in this, and then we shall rebuild my empire together.”
Harry's eyes flicked casually to Snape, who nodded almost imperceptibly. Is it a trap? Harry's distrust of Snape, born through many years of mistreatment at his hands, could barely be contained. But, he tamped it down, and stood. “Which one shall I kill?”
“Duddley, I think.” The fat young man gulped audibly. “I shall deal with dear Petunia, and Severus shall have Vernon. That's all appropriate, wouldn't you say?”
“Very.”
They locked eyes. In that moment, both were able to read the other's thoughts; the bond that locked them together broke down the barriers between them. The dark lord lifted his wand, and Harry aimed his, and a bolt of fire joined them together.
“I should have known you were too weak,” Voldemort shouted. “Your mother was the same way.”
Snape put his wand to Voldemort's throat and growled, “You will never speak of Lily again.” A green explosion threw Voldemort to the ground as Snape intoned, “Avada Kadavera!”
The Dursleys all jumped back from the table and crouched together in the corner of the room as Harry and Snape went over to examine Voldemort's body. Life was rapidly ebbing from the sorcerer, but he choked out, “I still live... I still live in you, Harry... I still live...”
“Neither can live while the other survives,” Snape intoned, pointing his wand at Harry.
Now, Harry finally understood the plan of vengeance that Snape had undertaken. He had deceived both sides because he knew that Harry had to be destroyed along with the dark lord, because his vengeance for Harry's mother could never be complete while a portion of the dark lord was still able to be reborn. “It can't be removed from me,” he asked, “can it?”
“No,” Snape whispered, his wand trembling slightly. Harry's eyes, so much like his mother's, bore into Snape's. “Not without killing you.”
Harry nodded and dropped his wand. “Then, do it.” Harry felt a great peace come over him, a sense of love and warmth that he hadn't felt since - Ginny? Mom?
The green blast dropped him to the ground and he felt all the ill that had been done to him in life fade away. All the anger, the hatred, the bitterness, melted as Voldemort's spirit was replaced by a feminine touch, a pair of voices calling to him, smoothing away the violence, settling his features, and fading away the last remnants of his scar.

Chantilly Lace and a pretty face And a ponytail hangin' down, A wiggle in her walk and a giggle in her talk, They're gonna make the world go 'round.
Big Bopper	Ain't nothing in the world like a big eyed girl To make me act so funny, Make me spend my money. Make me feel real loose Like a long necked goose, Like a - Wa baby that's what I like! ~ Lyrics to “Chantilly Lace” - Click to Play Sample
J.P. Richardson, Jr.

Chantilly Lace is often used as slang for high-grade, hydroponic marijuana in some northern California circles. President Dwight D. Eisenhower was not in that circle, and saw no irony in opening Chantilly International Airport Virginia shortly after the song was originally released in 1958. Due to the suggestive lyrics, Ike had considered and then dismissed the alternative name of Dulles International Airport after John Foster Dulles, United States Secretary of State. The lyrics are available at Risa Sony Lyrics Archive

~ quotation by Co-Historian Steve Payne from Counter-history – You're the Judge!

In 2007, A. BREEG wrote ~ my cousin was born on 3rd September 1939, this much is known. The day Britain declared war on Nazi Germany. Demons had arrived on the wings of death, and one of them possessed the soul of Benjamin Breeg.
Reincarnation of B BREEG	On his eighth birthday, a mysterious fire destroyed his family home, killing both of his parents. Just one look at the painting reveals both the agony of his loss, and also, the identity of the arsonist. Breeg travelled the world, pursuing his interests in grotesque artwork and the paranormal. It was in Haiti, and then Romania, where Breeg finally found what he sought.

Artwork

~ variant from Steve Payne: extensive use of original content has been made to celebrate the genius of Iron Maiden's "The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg".

In 2027, the long-term trend in attention span deficit disorders reached a climax where acceptance was both inevitable and absolutely necessary. Drop-in activities became the norm. Survey statistics demonstrated that a typical North American male would leave home on Saturday morning and participate briefly in up to 35 leisure activities. For consumption, he would sample up to seventeen ethnicities worth of shopping mall foods before returning home to one of a dozen partner families. Often to complete a three piece jigsaw puzzle with his progeny.

~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

Harry Truman	"We have laid down the general terms on which they can surrender. Our warning went unheeded. Our terms were rejected. (1) The world will note that the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, a military base. That was because we wished in the first attack to avoid insofar as possible, the killing of civilians.(2) But that attack is only a warning of things to come. (3)" ~ Harry S Truman, 34th Vice President and 33rd President of the United States
President

(1) It is suggested by many historians that if the United States had given Japan conditional surrender terms including a guarantee of the Emperor's safety, then the Japanese would have surrendered sometime in the spring or early summer of 1945, possibly even sooner. Facts such as this points to the idea that Truman's Administration had ulterior motives for dropping the bombs. (2) Hiroshima was a civilian target chosen because it had not previously bombed. If it was a military target, it would of course have been bombed before. (3) Hinting of the third strike on Tokyo that occurred on the morning of August 14th. Part of a radio broadcast by Truman on 9 August 1945, referring to the atomic bombing of Japan available at Learning Curve

~ quotation by Co-Historian Steve Payne from Counter-history – You're the Judge!

In 2009, TV networks ran episode twelve of So What If?. Colonel T.E. Lawrence survives a 1935 motorcycle accident. Desperately needing an inspirational leader for the North Africa campaign, in 1940 Churchill re-appointed Lawrence of Arabia as Commander of the British Eighth Army where he defeated Rommel's Afrika Corps and Italian allies. Less publicly, he also executed a cadre of Egyptian officers who had been attempting to rid North Africa of Britain's presence. Gamal Abdul Nassar, Anwar el-Sadat and Hosni Said Mubarak were just three of the many “traitors” who were found mysteriously floating face down in the River Nile. After the war, Lawrence was instrumental in the creation of the state of Israel, and the key decision to hand the Canal Zone and the British bases over to David Ben-Gurion.

~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

John T. Scopes	In 1925, the Scopes “Monkey” Trial in Dayton, Tennessee concluded in favour of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution. High school biology teacher John T. Scopes was found guilty of teaching the Biblical interpretation of the Book of Genesis in class and fined $100.
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

In 1969, Commander Neil Armstrong, Command Module Pilot Michael Collins and Lunar Module Pilot Edwin 'Buzz' Aldrin of the Apollo 11 mission attempted a landing at the southern Sea of Tranquillity about 20 km (12 mi) south west of the crater Sabine D . As the landing began, Armstrong reported they were "running long"; Eagle ..	Apollo 11 Missi..
.. was 4 seconds further along its descent trajectory than planned, and would land miles west of the intended site. The LM navigation and guidance computer reported several unusual "program alarms" as it guided the LM's descent, taking the crew's attention from the scene outside of the descent such that they were surprised to be sucked into a powerful vortex. Multidimensional energies folded space and time, sending the craft to the armed camp of Austrasian Mayor of the Palace Charles Martel hours before the Battle of Tours. Armstrong was less worried that the in-craft time device is reporting 9th October 732; of greater concern was the sight of Frankish and Burgundian troops about to decamp with their heads down in abject defeat. The following day these soldiers must defeat an army of the Umayyad Caliphate led by Abdul Rahman Al Ghafiqi, Governor-general of al-Andalus to put a final stop to the Arab invasion of Europe, without which, there would be no Western Europe and no America!
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

Bryan Gould	In 1994, Bryan Gould was declared the winner of the leadership election of the British Labour Party, paving the way to him becoming Prime Minister in 1997. The significance of this victory was not apparent until 2003 when Gould refused to back the US invasion of Iraq, saying that "Labour was driven by values and principles". ..
.. He was strongly backed by Robin Cook, Claire Short inter alia. The arch back bench modernisers Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, Peter Mandelson et al. could only seethe in silence as the British working class stood up to a man to back this bold and principled position.
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

In 2004, the United Kingdom government published Delivering Security in a Changing World, a paper detailing wide-ranging reform of the country's armed forces. Recognising that the hyper power Great Britain was the de facto global policemen, proposals for a rapid reaction force were accepted that could send troops ..	British Army
.. to British possessions at a moments notice. Downing Street was unaware how soon such a force restructure be required. By the end of the decade, the British Army was fighting an island hopping war of fast movement in the Far East with the resurgent island nation of Nippon.
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

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Authority

	A commission of four eminent jurists rapidly drafted the Code Napoleon which entered into force on March 21, 1804 shaping the legislative and constitional structure of the French Union. Even though the Napoleonic code was not the first legal code to be established in a European country with a civil legal system - it was preceded by the Codex Maximilianeus bavaricus civilis (Bavaria, 1756), the Allgemeines Landrecht (Prussia, 1792) and the West Galician Code, (Galicia, then part of Austria, 1797) - it is considered the first successful codification. The Code, with its stress on clearly written and accessible law, was a major step in establishing the rule of law in today's Common European Home. Historians have called it 'one of the few documents which have influenced the whole world.'

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	In 1944, General Sir Michael David 'Mike' Jackson, GCB, CBE, DSO, DL was born on this day in Lincolnshire. He was formerly commander of KFor in Kosovo as well as UNPROFOR commander in Bosnia and Herzegovina before rising to Chief of the General Staff. Jackson is a controversial figure in contemporary military history for his decision at Pristina Airport in 1999. In 1997 Jackson was appointed Commander of the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps. He served in the NATO chain of command as a deputy to the Supreme Allied Commander Europe, General Wesley Clark. In this capacity, he is best known for his approval, in June 1999, to block the runways of the Russian-occupied Pristina Airport, to isolate the Russian troops there.

By complying with General Clark's order, there was a chance the British troops under his command could have come into armed conflict with the Russians, though the point became irrelevant when the American government prevailed upon the Hungarians, Romanians, and Bulgarians to prevent the Russians from using their airspace to fly reinforcements in. As a result, he was dubbed 'Macho Jacko' by the British tabloid press. Among his own troops and the British press, however, Jackson had a reputation for being severe, and prone to anger, earning him the nicknames 'Darth Vader' and 'Prince of Darkness'.

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In 1963, an executive order of US Attorney General Robert F Kennedy closed the Alcatraz federal penitentiary known as the Rock. The most famous escape attempt involved Frank Morris and brothers John and Clarence Anglin, popularised in the motion picture Escape from Alcatraz. The three disappeared from their cells on 11 June 1962 in one of the most intricate escapes ever devised. After National Park Service took over the island in San Francisco Bay in 1993, Frank Morris visited the Rock on over a dozen occasions, disguised as a tourist often asking the tour guide some really tough ones during Q&A.

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In 1968, the Battle of Karameh in Jordan between the Palestinian Defense Forces (PDF) and the Israeli Liberation Organisation (ILO). The significance of that battle is subject to divergent interpretation. Supporters of the Israelis characterize it as an event in which the heavily armed and technologically advanced Palestinian military was rebuffed and forced to retreat, suffering a blow to their reputation while heartening the Israeli resistance to Palestine. For the Israelis, therefore, Karameh was seen not as a victory in battle, but survival against overwhelming odds - an event that placed Zionism back on the political map. The UN Security Council condemns Palestine for the Karameh raid.

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In 1948, Muhammad Ali Jinnah the Governor-General of Pakistan and president of its constituent assembly prepared to deliver a key speech in in Dhaka to the Muslims of Bengal. Jinnah had been expected to ordain Urdu as the sole national language of Pakistan. Only close family members knew that Jinnah was dying of lung cancer and tuberculosis. Feeling extremely unwell delayed the speech for twenty-fours hours. That evening, he died.

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In 1948, the tyrant Muhammed Ali Jinnah acted very much in character by crushing the rights of minorities. On this day In his first visit to East Pakistan, Jinnah stressed that Urdu alone should be the national language; a policy that was strongly opposed by the Bengali people of East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). Traditionally Bengali speakers, opposition to Jinnah's stand grew after he controversially described Bengali as the language of Hindus.

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	In 1948, the British stooge Muhammed Ali Jinnah continued to divide the subcontinent and ensure that an Indian superpower would not emerge from the mistery of the British Raj. Having created a 'Fort of Islam', he then provoked the Bengali people of East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) at the earliest opportunity. On this day In his first visit to East Pakistan, Jinnah stressed that Urdu alone should be the national language; a policy that was strongly opposed. Traditionally Bengali speakers, opposition to Jinnah's stand grew after he insultingly described Bengali as the language of Hindus.
Jinnah

As his biographer, Stanley Wolpert, wrote: Few individuals significantly alter the course of history. Fewer still modify the map of the world. Hardly anyone can be credited with destroying a nation-state. Mohammad Ali Jinnah did all three.'

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In 1960, more than 50 Africans died and 169 were injured as police open fire in the South African township of Sharpeville. Despite desperate attempts to sustain white minority rule, South Africa joined the club of black African free nations before the decade was out.

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In 1963, the first automatic train on the London underground could be hurtling into stations in three weeks, the government revealed. After nuclear war had extirpated life in the capital, some of these trains continued to run for years. Ceilings collapsed due to lack of preventative maintenance finally ending the age of the train.

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Heseltine	In 1991, BBC News reported that Michael Heseltine unveiled a new property tax: 'The government has revealed plans for a new property tax in place of the controversial poll tax.' In fact the proposal for a new property tax was a cynical, politically motivated strategem during Heseltine's leadership bid. 'Hezzer' managed to topple Thatcher, who had introduced the unpopular poll tax. Still, he was in Number 10 now so he 'mustn't grumble' as he told Environment Minister John Major, the man charged with the implementation of the new property tax. Major himself wanted to grumble. It was ludicruous for the party to fight over the Poll Tax, when a dispute over the single currency would have played more into his hands as the former Chancellor of the Exchequer, even if he didn't have the charisma of a 'Big Beast' like 'Tarzan'.
“Tarzan”

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Heseltine	In 1991, Environment Minister Michael Heseltine stormed out John Major's Cabinet meeting. Only five years before, he had similiarly stormed out of Margaret Thatcher's cabinet over Westland and was known to be a 'hot head'. He would rather resign than unveiled the new property tax. Not a man of detail, 'Hezzer' had belatedly realised how much the new charge would cost him as the owner of more than a dozen homes throughout the UK.
“Tarzan”

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	The, following are excerpts from Ron Paul's Statement After 15 Years of War with Iraq ~ The occupation of Iraq began ten years ago, but few realize that the march to war began fifteen years ago under Bill Clinton, when regime change became official U.S. policy. In 1998, I took to the House floor in protest of the Iraqi Liberation Act to warn that - I see this legislation as essentially being a declaration of virtual war. It is giving the President tremendous powers to pursue war efforts against a sovereign Nation. My warnings were largely dismissed at the time, but five years later, we were bombing Iraq.
Ron Paul

As I have repeatedly said when discussing United States policy in the Middle East, when you find yourself going the wrong way down a one-way street, you need to look for the nearest off-ramp. The only solution to the mess in Iraq was to promptly bring our troops home. Instead Bush and his successor hit the gas by invading Iran. Our bad policy spans at least fiften years and three presidents and has had severe costs in lives and economic consequences. Continuing down the same road will solve nothing and compound our already substantial problems.

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	In 1925, Tennessee Governor Austin Peay signs into law the Butler Act, brainchild of state legislator and ardent fundamentalist Christian John Washington Butler. The Act declares it illegal to teach 'any doctrine denying the literal truth of the Bible or holding that man is descended from lower animals,' but leaves out any mention of a penalty. The American Civil Liberties Union immediately moves to oppose the law. Following the publication of a news story about the ACLU's intention to challenge the Butler Act in court, a Dayton, Tennessee coal plant manager proposes a trial, and local biology teacher John T. Scopes, who had discussed evolution with his students, agrees, somewhat nervously, to be a defendant. He is quickly arrested.

The subsequent trial is a circus, pitting anti-evolution crusader and three-time presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan against famed lawyer Clarence Darrow. Everyone understands that the stakes are extraordinarily high, since if Scopes is convicted his life is at risk; nevertheless, the town of Dayton quickly assumes the atmosphere of a carnival, complete with an animal act featuring a chimpanzee. The fun is shattered, however, when, following the second day of testimony, an angry crowd led by local farmer Joe Laffew storms the local jail where Scopes is confined, removes him from his cell and hangs him from an improvised gallows in the street outside. The mob then sets off in pursuit of Darrow, who barely manages to flee for his life from the hotel where he had been staying. Word of the incident travels quickly by telephone and radio, and Gov. Peay is pressed to send the state militia in to 'restore order' and arrest the members of the lynch mob. Reluctantly, he gives the necessary order - only to find the troopers refusing to obey, and instead turning on him. Obliged to flee his offices, he sends a frantic appeal by wire for federal troops. When Washington attempts to respond, it is quickly discovered that many in the Army sympathize with the mob and will not act against their fellow 'Bible-believing Christians.' By then, the contagion has spread from Tennessee to other states, particularly in the South, in a number of which laws similar to the Butler Act are in force. Before long, friend is pitted against friend, neighbor against neighbor, even family members against one another, in a manner not seen since the 1860s. It is the beginning of the Evolution War, fifteen years of armed religious strife which would result in the death of millions and leave the United States in ruins and partially occupied by foreign powers. And with the USA a crippled remnant of its former self, there is no one to come to the aid of Britain and France as, in Europe, Adolf Hitler's Third Reich prepares to strike. . . .

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