Narrow Escape - Almost

The state of TIAH

December 14th, 2006

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Alternate Historian's Note: Stephen Payne takes up the slack for us as we head down to the conclusion of the first half of our NaNoWriMo novel. We hope you are enjoying this change in format – let us know how you feel about it in comments or by emailing us. This will be the format of TIAH throughout the holiday season, unless we receive a great outcry about it. Speaking of the Holiday Season, keep in mind those who need help year-round and keep yourselves safe and happy, as well. And, should you feel generous inclinations towards our guest historians, you can visit the sites of those who have separate ones from TIAH; generosity towards us here at the Academy is always appreciated, too, and you can find ways to help us out all over the site. Right now, we'd appreciate a lead on a good day job, but my lovely Co-Historian could also use some more memory on her PC, if anyone feels generously inclined. (It's PC133-style – yes, it's an old machine). Any good wishes you have towards us can be emailed here.

in 0, Mullah Elijah Rafsanjani witnesses the star of David over the town of Bayt La (Bethlehem). He is gripped by an unexpectedly strong feeling of anticipation. -entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!-

in 1995, the misnamed Yugoslav Wars reach a stalemate as the Dayton Agreement is signed in Paris by President Slobodan Milošević, President Franjo Tuđman, President Alija Izetbegović, President Jacques Chirac, President Bill Clinton, Prime Minister John Major, Chancellor Helmut Kohl and Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin. Those seeking Justice have to wait another 131 years when all of the signatories appeared for questioning before the Peace and Reconciliation Committee of the Reconstructed United Nations in 2126 to answer for their role in the Muslim Holocaust, the renaming of the Yugoslav Wars in post-jihad society. -entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!-

in 2003, President of Pakistan Pervez Musharaf almost narrowly escapes an assassination attempt. He dies the next day and America loses her strongest ally in the war against terror. By the inauguration of John Forbes Kerry thirteen months later, the war is over, closing a short but tragic episode in America's history. -entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!-

Before(cont.)
Kevin looked at the roadblock coming up and sighed. “I'm ready to take this suit off.”
“Just another ten miles or so, and we can.” Sergeant Morris was slowing down. “Hey, do you think there's any way they can trace us through the suits?”
Miss Carbonari piped up and said, “Probably. Hell, they may even have bugs in the suits and be recording everything; but, with so many guys out there to listen to, I doubt they know what you guys are up to. Yet.”
“You're so reassuring,” Kevin said. He pulled out their mission orders as the sergeant pulled the jeep up to the hazmat-suited soldiers guarding the highway. “Now, shut up.”
She was mercifully silent as they rolled to a stop and a guard approached them. The young man asked, “Which team are you?”
“Went to the meteorology building at Baylor,” Sergeant Morris said as he handed the mission orders over. “Real exciting.”
“I bet.” The soldier looked over at Kevin and then back into the jeep. “All this the computer stuff from the meteorology building?”
“Yeah,” Sergeant Morris said. He was perfectly cool, but Kevin felt his face growing hot. He looked away from the soldier to hide it.
Unfortunately, the soldier noticed. “You OK, pal? Is your suit on good?”
“I sure hope so,” Kevin said, checking the zippers.
“Specialist Bradley here's got a lot to worry about,” Sergeant Morris said. “He won the lottery. He just wants to get this mission over with so he can enjoy his money.”
“No kiddin'?” The soldier totally forgot what he was thinking about. “How much did you win?”
“Three million,” Kevin said, sheepishly.
“Holy crap,” the young man said, laughing. He handed their papers back and asked, “Hey, can I get a loan?”
Kevin gave him what he hoped was a convincing smirk and said, “I'll think about it.”
The soldier waved them through the roadblock and Sergeant Morris pulled through nonchalantly. Once their was a bit of distance between them and the checkpoint, he gunned the engine. “You need to work on your skills, boy,” Morris said.
“I'll say,” Miss Carbonari said from under the tarp. “How do you ever get women?”
Kevin blushed. “I don't think that's any of your business.”
Both Morris and Carbonari let out knowing 'ahs'. “So, it's been a while,” Carbonari said.
“Well, he is a computer nerd,” the sergeant said.
“You know, that is such a stereotype,” Kevin said, his cheeks red as apples. “Most of the people I work with are married.”
“Of course, of course,” Carbonari said.
“I think we're far enough away, now,” Morris said, pulling the jeep over to the shoulder. “Let's get these suits off.”
“Finally,” Kevin said. He jumped out, unzipped the helmet and flipped it open. The chill air of the morning had become barely cool in the afternoon, and it brushed his face gently as he shed the hazmat suit. He sat down on the ground to get his feet out of the leggings, and once he was free, tossed it aside.
The sun was starting its slow descent to the horizon, giving the hills a reddish appearance. It was beautiful. A lovely, perfect autumn day. He pulled his cell phone out, turned the camera on, and took a picture of it.
“Hey, hacker-boy, we need to get scootin',” Carbonari called over to him. “We're burnin' daylight.”
He looked at the hills. They were the same as they had been in his childhood, when his parents would take him for those long drives with his brother and sisters. He took a picture of the hills, too.
“Bradley, we need to leave,” Sergeant Morris said, coming over to his side. He looked down at the little view screen on Kevin's phone and said, “Nice picture.”
“My family would drive around out here when I was little,” Kevin said. He stood up and grabbed the hazmat suit. “I just wanted a reminder of what it was all like before.”
Morris nodded. They walked back to the jeep, where Miss Carbonari was waiting impatiently. “Are we done looking at the scenery?”
“Yeah, we're done,” Kevin said, climbing into his seat. “Let's go.”

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Cruel

Lt-Comm George Ericson	In 1942, the "bloody murderer" Lieutenant-Commander George Ericson was court martialed by the British Admiralty. After service in the Merchant Navy, Ericson had been recalled to the Royal Navy in 1939 and given command of the Flower-class corvette HMS Compass Rose, newly built to escort convoys. His officers were mostly new to the Navy, especially the two new Sub-Lieutenants, Lockhart and Ferraby. Only Ericson, and some of the Petty Officers were in any way experienced. Despite these initial disadvantages, the ship and crew worked up a routine and gained experience.
“Bloody Murderer”

The crew crossed the Atlantic many times on escort duty. They were nearly sunk several times and eventually sunk a German submarine, capturing the surviving crew. The sinking of a submarine formed the key episode of the court martial as Ericson had to choose between destroying the enemy vessel or saving some British sailors who are in the water above the enemy's location. His less experienced officer felt unable to challenge his brutal Command decision. Ericson ordered the Corvette to plough on through merchant seamen stranded in the ocean in order to depth-charge a U-Boat. Having paid the moral price that such decisions exact on men in command, Ericson conceded before his execution that the only victor was the Cruel Sea.

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Jesus	In 1843, Ebenezer Scrooge and his clerk Bob Cratchit were at work in the counting house, with Cratchit stationed in the poorly heated "tank", a victim of his employer's stinginess. At the end of the workday, Scrooge grudgingly allows Cratchit to take Christmas Day off, but to arrive to work all the earlier on the day after.
Is Love

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In 1995, the Dayton Agreement was signed in Paris by President Slobodan Milošević, President Franjo Tuđman, President Alija Izetbegović, President Jacques Chirac, President Bill Clinton, Prime Minister John Major, Chancellor Helmut Kohl and Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin. Proxy war continued uninterrupted in the Balkans increasingly persecuted by warlords that were beyond the control of politicians in the Balkanised states of the former Yugoslavia.

In 2003, on this day President of Pakistan Pervez Musharaf was assassinated. Former Prime Ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif returned hurriedly to the country in a naked attempt to seize power. Despite being in exile, they remained presidents of their parties, the Pakistan People's Party and the Pakistan Muslim League respectively. The tribal and provincial character of Pakistani politics make Sharif and Bhutto certain enemies. Sharif is from the Punjab merchant class that harbours deep resentment of the land-owning Bhutto clan from southern Sind province. The favourite to become army chief if General Musharraf goes is Lieutenant-General Ashfaq Kiyani, the chief of the powerful domestic, international and military spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence and an ally of General Musharraf, who is respected even by the military ruler's critics.

George W Bush

In 2003, President of Pakistan Pervez Musharaf fell victim to an assassination attempt. With his death the next day, America lost a strategic partner in the region. And worse, the violence in Arabia continued to expand into the Maghreb countries, former Soviet Union states and the Far East. President Bush had already given up hope on embedding democracy in the region, in fact he was starting to fear for democracy across the globe.

In 1972, Eugene Cernan is the last person to walk on the moon, after he and Harrison Schmitt complete the third and final Extra-vehicular activity (EVA) of Apollo 17. This was the last manned mission to the moon of the 20th century. Further missions were considered pointless until NASA could figure out why re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere drove astronauts into a state of endless catatonia.	Eugene A Cernan

Camilla	In 2006, on this day an enquiry into the death of the concubine to the Prince of Wales Camilla Parker-Bowles concluded that she was probably not murdered.

In 1503, Michel de Notredame aka Nostradamus, the French astrologer was born. His quadrains were littered with coded references to the future, causing many to disregard them. However, with the publication of the de Vince code, this position was re-evaluated, and current research at Cern demonstrates clear evidence of truth saying Bible code.	Nostradamus

In 2003, President of Pakistan Pervez Musharaf almost narrowly escapes an assassination attempt. He dies the next day and America loses her strongest ally in the war against terror. By the inauguration of John Forbes Kerry thirteen months later, the war is over, closing a short but tragic episode in America's history.

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In 1995, the misnamed Yugoslav Wars reach a stalemate as the Dayton Agreement is signed in Paris by President Slobodan Milošević, President Franjo Tuđman, President Alija Izetbegović, President Jacques Chirac, President Bill Clinton, Prime Minister John Major, Chancellor Helmut Kohl and Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin. History would redefine the conflict more accurately as the Muslim Holocaust.

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In 1958, George Mandel of Gregory Township, New York, came to his mother’s deathbed and received some shocking news – he was actually Charles A. Lindbergh, Jr., kidnapped a quarter century earlier. Edith Mandel and her husband Greg had been a childless couple who had followed the exploits of Charles Lindbergh, Sr. with a mad passion. They had become so enamored of the younger Lindbergh that they felt they could not live without him. Mr. Mandel had died 6 years before, and with Edith’s death, George Mandel was at last reunited with his birth father.

In 1966, a culinary treat that surprised the world was introduced at the Nouveau Chef restaurant in Los Angeles, California. Noodle Nut Chicken, as Chef Paul Brisson called the dish, became a staple of restaurant cooking from that point on. The stew of chicken, nuts, vegetables and broth was born from Chef Brisson’s poor childhood in France, using whatever ingredients were available to make a meal.

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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