Monday, July 31, 2006

President Taft Dies

The state of TIAH

July 31st, 2006

in 1953, President Robert Taft dies of cancer in Washington, DC. Taft had correctly calculated America's mood after World War II and the Korean War and had campaigned on an isolationist platform, beating his Democratic opponent, noted General Dwight Eisenhower, who was seen as a man likely to keep America entangled in world affairs. Taft's withdrawal of America from the greater world community had barely begun when he grew ill, though, and his vice-president, Joe McCarthy, found himself in the big chair completely unprepared for the job; the ceasefire in Korea was only 4 days old, and tensions around the world were high. McCarthy proved everyone right about him – he had been chosen as VP just to make Taft look good. A week after taking office, ill-chosen tactics of his reignited the Korean conflict, and his push for the screening of communists from all government jobs caused a resurgence in what had been a dying political movement in America. Robert La Follette Jr, an old foe of McCarthy's from Wisconsin, switched from the Republican Party to the Socialist Party and was elected governor of Wisconsin, sparking a wave of left-leaning politicians to join him. McCarthy denounced them all as traitors, which only seemed to fuel America's desire to elect them. In the mid-term elections of 1954, Republicans became an endangered species as Democrats and Socialists won more elective offices than ever before, and the GOP was reduced to a handful of seats in the House and Senate. When President McCarthy drunkenly threatened to launch nuclear weapons against North Korea, his opposition in the Congress drew up impeachment papers; they were aided by McCarthy's vice-president, former Senator Richard Nixon of California, who saw McCarthy's troubles as the means to propel himself into the White House. McCarthy was impeached and removed from the presidency in August of 1955, and Richard Nixon took the oath of office that same day. Dealing with a fractious Congress composed of Democrats, Socialists and a few embittered Republicans seemed to bring out the best in Nixon – he renegotiated a cease-fire in Korea and proved far less incendiary in world politics than either of his predecessors. Still, America didn't trust him enough to elect him to the office in his own right, and Adlai Stevenson of Illinois beat him in the 1956 election to become America's 37th president.

in 1964, the Ranger 7 probe takes several close-up photos of the moon before crashing into the surface. The probe had become necessary after a previous one, Ranger 6, had experienced a failure in its camera mechanisms when it had been sent up. The pictures sent back by Ranger 7 revealed why Ranger 6 had failed – there were things on the moon, strange creatures that had strange guns that they had used to shoot down the Ranger probes. NASA was brought under the wing of the Defense Department, and America prepared for a war against the Moon Men.

in 1975, nervous Teamsters report their union boss, Jimmy Hoffa, missing after last seeing him in Detroit. He turned up the next day; it seemed that he had gone on a “Lost Weekend” with some friends in Las Vegas and had simply lost track of time. Although many union members would have been happy to see the troubled Hoffa disappear, he remained in the public eye for many years to come.

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Sunday, July 30, 2006

Roswell Investigation Stalls

The state of TIAH

July 30th, 2006

in 1947, New Mexican State Senator Argus Fitzsimmons is visited in his Santa Fe office by men claiming to be from an agency called the National Security Agency and told that he needs to give up his investigation of the Roswell crash. “If this needs to be kept secret because of national security, gentlemen,” the senator says, somewhat indignantly, “why was a public announcement about a flying saucer made to the press?” One of the NSA officers says, “Misdirection. Keeps the Russkies from knowing what we really have.” Senator Fitzsimmons can't help asking, “What do we really have?” Both of the agents refuse to answer, telling him, “You're not cleared for that.” They leave the office with vague threats of prison time for the senator hanging in the air. Fitzsimmons makes a call to rancher Mac Brazel, the person who started all this, only to be told that Brazel no longer wishes to pursue the matter. “They nearly killed your daughter,” Fitzsimmons almost yells at him. “It doesn't matter. It's for the good of the country,” Brazel replies. Fitzsimmons, dejectedly, agrees to drop the matter.

in 1966, the country that gave birth to soccer is given its best chance to win soccer's ultimate victory when England play West Germany in the World Cup final. England was the host country, and had marched to the final with the anticipation that this would finally be their year. However, the thrilling match ended in a 2-2 draw at the end of regulation time, and during extra time, a goal was disallowed after the linesman ruled that after it hit the crossbar, it touched down in front of the goal line rather than behind it. The demoralized English side was held scoreless during the remainder of extra time, and the game was decided on penalty kicks, the first World Cup ever won this way. West Germany had the better of it, and came out of England as champions, winning 5-3 on penalty kicks.

in 2017, Commander Patterson notices something odd; the Quarai morale seems to have dropped considerably. She asks Captain Mawrao about it, and Mawrao tells her, “It is this dead place. Quarai, we like life, we feel all life is kin to us. To see a world where life is no longer... is depressing. We feel very sad for them.” Commander Patterson patted the captain on the shoulder and said, “Maybe they're still out there somewhere. After all, they made this Jump device – there must have been others.” Mawrao perked up at that, and replied, “So, we might meet them still. I'll let my crew know. It help them deal with all the death around here if it help us find the Starwalkers.”

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Saturday, July 29, 2006

Aztec Fleet Reaches Greenland

The state of TIAH

July 29th, 2006

in 1571, the huge fleet of Aztec ships reaches the southern coast of Greenland and resupplies before heading on to England. They meet with Spanish spies there, who inform them that Elizabeth is expecting their fleet and is assembling a force of her own to combat them. “Good,” says Emperor Mectezuma, “we will crush them once and for all. This will be a battle that will be spoken of in awe and wonder for centuries to come.” The Spanish spies are not as enthusiastic about facing the English, and stay behind while the Aztec leave Greenland on the final leg of their journey to do battle with the British.

in 1947, Mac Brazel's ranch is visited by a small team of the dark-suited men who had threatened him before, and they tell him that he is under investigation for treason, of all things. “All I did was find something on my ranch,” Brazel pleads. “You're the ones who put it there!” His pleas fall on deaf ears, though, and he is taken away while his children and wife are held back by the dark-suited men. Instead of being taken to the local jail, Brazel is taken to the Air Force base, where he is handcuffed to a chair and given an injection of something. An Air Force officer then speaks to him for several minutes, at the end of which Brazel is freed and taken back to his home. His family calls for Dr. Powell, only to find that he is missing. Brazel recovers from the drug he has been injected with in a few hours, and tells his family that they will never discuss the crashed object again.

in 2017, Najib Kasem, Alexei Robles and a couple of the Quarai linguistic specialists stay behind to decipher the Starwalker holographic message while the rest of the Pokor and Eagle crew explore the complex under the dry lake that holds the Starwalker message. There is very little left of the Starwalker civilization, but they do find a slab in gold that seems to have some kind of diagram of the golden Jump device that brought them here. They bring that back to the Pokor, and hope that the team at the holograph will be able to come up with a translation of the language soon. “We have maybe 2, 3 months supplies, so we have time,” Captain Mawrao tells Commander Patterson. “Hopefully, the device will still take us back to the last destination that was input,” Patterson says. “Then, we can at least get back to Pr't'(whistle). Maybe we could shuttle back and forth between here and there; if they can resupply us, we could stay here as long as it takes for our people to figure out that message.” Mawrao agrees, and sets some of the crew working on the jump device to see if they can recall the setting for the Pr't'(whistle) Dyson sphere.

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Friday, July 28, 2006

Wild West Wrestling

The state of TIAH

July 28th, 2006

Alternate Historian's Note: Our latest Guest Historian, Raymond Betancourt, concludes his visit with us with 2 cartoons today. Be sure to visit his site to see more of his work – you can get there just by clicking on the cartoons. We truly appreciate his contributions to TIAH, and hope that you've enjoyed them. Email us if you would like to be a Guest Historian, too!

Madame Curie - centerfold



Wild West Mud-wrestling



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Thursday, July 27, 2006

Success, Failure In France

The state of TIAH

July 27th, 2006

in 1776, the American revolution's emissary to France, Silas Deane, reluctantly has to inform the Continental Congress that his mission has been a failure, and that the French King Louis will not support the Americans against his fellow monarch because it would create “a bad precedent.” Deane had made overtures to several nobles, but once Louis let it be known that he disapproved, none of them were able to assist the American. Daunted by the collapse of his mission, Deane then moved on to Russia, hoping that the Tsar might be willing to lend assistance and secure an ally in the Americas, but Russia was even less willing to become involved with an attempt to throw off the shackles of another king. Deane finally returned to America when John Jay negotiated an end to the revolution and partial autonomy for the colonial states.

in 1794, in a daring preemptive strike, Maximilien Robespierre, President of France's Revolutionary National Convention, arrests the leading members of his opposition and has them guillotined in Paris. With his Jacobins ruling more harshly than the French kings ever had, Robespierre crushed his opposition throughout the country and declared himself dictator of France, a Caesar for the modern day. He recruited a young Italian who had been drawn to the revolution, Napoleon Buonaparte, to take command of the military and whip it back into shape, which he accomplished to great success. Buonaparte's soldiers not only protected the revolution, but expanded it, conquering several neighboring states and bringing huge chunks of Europe under Robespierre's control. The Great Terror, as Robespierre became known, finally ended when Buonaparte's ambitions finally led him to stage a military coup in 1803, and assume the dictatorship of France for his own.

in 1947, rancher Mac Brazel and New Mexican State Senator Argus Fitzsimmons have Sunday dinner together as the senator prepares to leave Roswell to head back to Santa Fe. Brazek has given the senator much to think about, and he has decided to call a few people he knows in Washington to see if the strange mystery about the “weather balloon” is something that can be cleared up. Saying goodbye, Brazel tells Fitzsimmons, “If it's something they want to keep secret because they don't want our enemies to know about it, that's fine. But they need to keep their secrets better, then, and not go crashing across the countryside.” Senator Fitzsimmons agrees, and heads back to Santa Fe. Heading back into his house, Brazel tells his wife, “I just think they got used to keeping secrets 'cause of the war, and they kinda like it, now.”

in 2017, the Pokor arrives in orbit around the strange world at the heart of the nebula they have been transported to by the golden alien device of the Starwalkers. Though the world looks dead, Najib Kasem, who had configured the device to bring them here, urges Commander Patterson to take the Eagle down and land on it. “There's something still down there, I'm sure of it,” he tells her. “Something they wanted others to see.” Patterson and Captain Mawrao of the Pokor relent to his request, and the Eagle flies down to the planet with Quarai and human crew aboard, including Kasem. Kasem seems to be almost in a trance, guiding Patterson to land on one specific patch of ground near what looks like a dry, dead lake. Donning space suits, they exit the Eagle and Kasem takes them to what appears to be a tunnel leading below the lake and into a large, circular chamber. Kasem says something in a strange language that none of them understand, and images of an alien race spring to life around them.

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Wednesday, July 26, 2006

A Slightly Different Statue Of Liberty

The state of TIAH

July 26th, 2006

Alternate Historian's Note: Our latest Guest Historian, Raymond Betancourt, has 2 more cartoons for us today. Be sure to visit his site to see more of his work – you can get there just by clicking on the cartoons. Email us if you would like to be a Guest Historian, too!

Give me Liberty



Slightly different liberty



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Tuesday, July 25, 2006

Zimmerman Banned From Newport

The state of TIAH

July 25th, 2006

in 1947, State Senator Argus Fitzsimmons arrives in Roswell, New Mexico for the weekend. Since he was running through the area anyway, he decides to check out the situation that a friend of his from law school, Martha Emmanuel, asked him to look into. He asks the local Air Force base if he can see the weather balloon that “caused the big ruckus” recently by making everyone think a flying saucer had crashed. The base's commander, Colonel Blanchard, told him, “I wish I could let you see it, sir, but it's been sent off to Fort Worth.” Puzzled, Senator Fitzsimmons asked why. “They don't tell me everything, sir,” Colonel Blanchard said, then, pleading a lack of time, left Fitzsimmons and went back to his official duties. Fitzsimmons then went to the home of Dr. Powell, the man who had asked Martha for help, only to find an empty house with a For Sale sign on the lawn. “It's been empty since yesterday,” a man walking up to the Senator said. “Nobody's seen Doc Powell for a couple of days.” He extended his hand to the Senator and said, “I'm Mac Brazel.”

in 1965, folk singer Bob Zimmerman rocked and shocked the Newport Folk Festival by going electric with his new song Maggie's Farm, abandoning the acoustic sound that had won him a huge following among folk fans. Although many in the crowd dug the new Zimmerman, traditionalists booed him off the stage and festival organizer Pete Seeger told him that he would never play Newport again. Zimmerman, undeterred by these dire threats, went on to become a songwriting legend, influencing artists for decades after. He even influenced international superstar Pete Best to move away from the simple rock and roll of his early hits and take risks with his musical style; shortly after this, Best began exploring his ancestral Indian music and producing the truly unusual and great music that became his signature in the early 70's.

in 1988, after a young man is found to have conspired with a couple of friends to kill his step-father for inheritance money, police looking into their background find that the friends all played the game Dungeons & Dragons, and used lurid details from the game to make it seem like some kind of cult slaying. Even though the motive in the case was fairly clearly just money, and no ritualistic elements were involved, (the young men had tried to make the killing look like a robbery), outrage about the game led to laws against it being passed all over the country. Minors were forbidden from purchasing it, and with this revenue stream cut off from them, TSR, the company that published D&D, closed its doors in 1989 and the game faded into memory, only surfacing now and then when a convenient scapegoat was needed to explain the behavior of supposedly “good” kids gone bad.


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Monday, July 24, 2006

That should do it...

Alternate Historian's Note: You should be able to view all of Raymond Betancourt's fine cartoons. Now if we could only get the forums up again...

Thanks for your patience!

Robbie Taylor, Alternate Historian

Cartoons & some images not available - will be fixed soon

Alternate Historian's Note: Apparently, there are more of you out there than we thought. Our recent Guest Historian's cartoons have brought down the web site that we were hosting them on, so we are working on getting them into a new location so that you can access them. In the meantime, please visit our Guest Historian's site and peruse his other fine work.

Thanks for your patience!

Robbie Taylor, Alternate Historian

Napoleon Thwarted

The state of TIAH

July 24th, 2006

Alternate Historian's Note: 2 more cartoons from our latest Guest Historian, Raymond Betancourt, today. Be sure to visit his site to see more of his work – you can get there just by clicking on the cartoons. Email us if you would like to be a Guest Historian, too!

Franklin in France



Napoleon thwarted



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Sunday, July 23, 2006

Roswell Package

The state of TIAH

July 23rd, 2006

Alternate Historian's Note: Another great cartoon from our latest Guest Historian, Raymond Betancourt, today. Be sure to visit his site to see more of his work – you can get there just by clicking on the cartoon.

Ancient Greece



in 1947, the package of information that Dr. Powell of Roswell, New Mexico, sent to Martha Emmanuel of Dallas, Texas, arrives at her door. She opens the package from her old college friend to find strange ramblings about a government conspiracy to hide the truth from the public, dangerous experiments going on at the Air Force base, and a cover story about aliens of all things. At first, she fears for Powell's sanity, but as she looks deeper into his notes, she sees that the good doctor from Roswell is in complete possession of his faculties, but is in an insane situation. She calls a good friend of hers from law school, New Mexican State Senator Argus Fitzsimmons, and asks if he could look into the situation in Roswell with a little more weight than an out-of-state lawyer or a small-town doctor might be able to bring to bear. Senator Fitzsimmons promises to do his best.

in 2017, the Pokor emerged from the “jump” out of Pr't'(whistle)ian space into what seems to be a nebula. The cloud around them is multi-colored and composed of many rich elements, and the astronomers aboard begin studying it in fascination. Najib Kasem, who had adjusted the golden alien device to bring them here, looks at it and the nebula in puzzlement. Commander Patterson asks him, “What is it, Najib?” With one more look at the nebula, Kasem says, “Commander, this is supposed to be the home of the Starwalkers. I was sure of it.” One of the Quarai scientists, overhearing their conversation, says, “Maybe it was.” The Quarai shows Kasem a portable screen with what looks like a planet in the center of the nebula. Captain Mawrao immediately sets course for this world.


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Saturday, July 22, 2006

Comrade Richards' Missile Ban

The state of TIAH

July 22nd, 2006

in 1987, in a stunning concession to the European powers, Comrade President Ann Richards of the Soviet States of America accepts a ban on intermediate-range nuclear missiles. Ever since taking control of her country from her predecessor, Comrade President Richards had sought a more productive relationship with the European monarchies, extending the peace initiatives that Comrade President Anderson had become so famous for. Comrade President Richards wanted to save America the vast drain on its resources that keeping the world's largest nuclear arsenal represented; if she were able to divert those funds from the military to civilian programs, the great dream of socialism could advance even further in the SSA. There were also rumors that pro-capitalist reactionaries were beginning to make inroads in the SSA, rumors which Comrade President Richards wanted to show up as a lie. Her market reforms, coupled with a decline in military spending, gave America a stunning new vision of a world at peace, with socialism co-existing beside the capitalists, each providing the world a unique and valid economic system. Unfortunately, Comrade President Richards had a nasty shock waiting in the wings as those on her left gathered support from hard-liners unwilling to bend their knee to the monarchies.

in 2017, the Pokor is once again deep into space away from Amandara 14, with the Eagle and the Pr't'(whistle)ian scientists on board. Najib Kasem, the Eagle's computer specialist, has adjusted the golden “Jump” device that has brought them all together, and it is now humming with power. “I think we should drop the Pr't'(whistle)ians back home before we attempt this – but I think we can get two jumps out of this with what I have done, rather than sitting and waiting around their Dyson sphere for a few days after we jump.” Everyone is impressed, especially the Quarai and Pr't'(whistle)ians. “I have not been able to decipher any means of prolonging the device's power,” one of the insect-like aliens said. “How did you think of this?” Kasem smiled a little ruefully, shrugged and said, “It came to me in a dream.” He warned everyone to ready themselves, and activated the device. Immediately, the glow surrounded them again and they felt the disorientation of being tugged outside of their own dimension, moved and plopped back into 4-dimensional space. When the glow subsided, they were back at Pr't'(whistle), and the Pokor called for a ship to come pick up the natives of the system. Captain Mawrao said, “Are we going back home once we get them off, or are we going to try something else?” Kasem looked at the Quarai and said, “Something else.” Mawrao clapped Kasem on the back and sent orders out to the crew to be ready for anything. Once a Pr't'(whistle)ian ship evacuated their scientists, to many cries of eternal friendship from the Quarai crew, Kasem told them to get ready, and activated the Jump device again.


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Friday, July 21, 2006

Pirates & Duck Hunting

The state of TIAH

Alternate Historian's Note: We have a guest historian making an appearance today – Raymond Betancourt's art is also available at the web site http://www.mobipocket.com/en/eBooks/AuthorDetails.asp?AuthorID=10624 , which you can also reach by clicking on one of his wonderful illustrations. Let's give Raymond a big TIAH welcome!

Today In Alternate History

Today In 1862



Today In 1754


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Thursday, July 20, 2006

Human On The Moon

The state of TIAH

July 20th, 2006

Alternate Historian's Note: In honor of the 37th anniversary of the moon landing in this timeline, we present these alternate moon landings from our past entries, with links to moon sites of interest.

in 1720, the Mlosh fly a delegation of world leaders to the earth's moon, to show them that they come from space, and are not any kind of supernatural creatures. The first human to set foot on the moon, King George I of England, saw the blue marble of the earth and gasped, “What wonders of Heaven are these that our world can be little more than a ball on the horizon?”

in 4598, an Imperial probe lands on the moon, proving that the Star Fleet Program is able to voyage to another world. The plans for having a Star Sailor land there go into motion, and a little less than 2 years later, they successfully land and return a Star Sailor, Ouyang Ziyuan.

in the 16th year of Ptolerit’s reign, a man is landed on the moon. The original mission Pharaoh Ptolerit had charged his astronomers with had been seeing if the kingdom of the dead was there, so when the astronaut Soranim stepped out onto the moon, he said, “The kingdom of the moon is dead; but our people are not here.”

in 1957, Nazi scientists land cosmonaut Hugo Steinweg on the moon, and the world goes to sleep by the light of a fascist moon. America tries to open negotiations to prevent them from placing nuclear weapons on the satellite, but Hitler refuses to negotiate.

in 1969, the ultimate hoax was played as the world watched a man walk on “the moon”. The Hollywood effects people weren’t as thorough as they should have been, though; the telecast had to be fuzzed or blacked out several times because the camera strayed past the set, or a crewman walked into the field of vision. Still, virtually everyone in the world was fooled.

in 1972, the Soviet Union lands a cosmonaut on the moon, beating the British Space Agency, the United States & the Confederate States of America by years. Boris Andreyev, a man given to few words, said, “Moscow, luna 1 here. Mission accomplished.”

in 1974, the Soviet States of America’s premier cosmonaut, James Lovell, sets foot on the moon. “That’s one small step for a man; one giant leap for the people,” he said, as the entire planet watched.

in 1368, Allah grants glory to Mahtab Khasim, who flies through the ether and lands on the moon on this day. Mahtab, planting his foot on the dusty surface and then dropping to his knees in prayer, says, “All glory to Allah and to Mohammed his prophet; the skies themselves are now provinces of Islam.”


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Wednesday, July 19, 2006

Rosetta Stone Shattered

The state of TIAH

July 19th, 2006

in 1799, French Captain Pierre-Francois Bouchard, directing the removal of a large slab from the town of Rosetta, Egypt, is horrified when the crew he has employed drops and shatters the basalt wall. Since the stone had writings in Greek, Egyptian Hieroglyphics and the Egyptian Demotic script, he had thought it might be valuable to the study of Egyptian culture, and possibly earn him the favor of an important person or two back at the Parisian court. Unfortunately, the breakage made it nigh-impossible to read, and he was reduced to scooping up the pieces and sending them along to France. After decades of painstaking work, French archaeologists were finally able to reassemble the stone. Although major gaps still existed in it, they were able to use the Greek side to decipher much of the Egyptian sides. The languages were not fully deciphered until the 1920's, when more stones of a similar nature were found around ancient Egyptian sites. This caused a huge resurgence in Egyptology, including many fanciful adaptations in modern dress and architecture – even President Coolidge was seen sporting a Pharaonic Hat now and then on the streets of Washington, DC.

in 1848, the dream of Philadelphian Lucretia Mott and New Yorker Elizabeth Cady Stanton to hold a convention for women's rights comes to fruition as 200 women gather in Seneca Falls, New York to discuss the role of women in American society. Stanton read a Declaration of Sentiments and Grievances which was reminiscent of the Declaration of Independence, and the gathered body of women took up the issue of what rights women should be guaranteed by America. The most contentious right, and the only one voted down by the assembly, was the right of women to vote. Although Stanton and noted former slave Frederick Douglass both argued that this right was essential in securing all others, the cautious group felt that might be going too far. Without a call for the right to vote, the convention still drafted a petition which urged the women of America to fight for the 11 rights that the convention had agreed on. Although some of these rights, such as the right to own property in their own name and right to equal protection from the law, were granted by progressive states such as New York and the Dakotas, they were soon rescinded because women could not elect representatives to maintain them. Elizabeth Cady Stanton, now seen as a Cassandra for the women's movement, started campaigning for universal suffrage, but was a lone voice in the organization she had helped found. It wasn't until the 20th century that women's rights organizations even took up the cause of the right to vote, making America one of the last countries to grant universal suffrage when the Voting Rights Act of 1951 was finally passed.

in 1947, a fire breaks out at the office of Dr. Powell of Roswell, New Mexico. He is fairly certain the fire was a warning from the dark-suited men who had warned him off of his pursuit of the strange wreckage that was found on the Brazel ranch north of town. Fortunately, the notes he had stored in his fire-proof safe are completely unharmed. He makes several copies of them and mails them to friends he trusts across the country. Along with the notes, he encloses a personal aside saying, “I don't know how much further I'm going to be able to take this – I have to rebuild after the fire. But it is my firmest conviction that this matter should be pursued further.” All but one of these packages is intercepted and destroyed; the lone package that makes it to its intended destination arrives at the home of Martha Emmanuel of Dallas, Texas four days later.


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Tuesday, July 18, 2006

Rome Burns

The state of TIAH

July 18th, 2006

in 817 AUC, members of the cult of Christos set fire to a shop in the market area of Rome. The shopkeep had whipped his daughter for joining the Christians, and the cultists wanted revenge against him. Unfortunately, the fire soon spread throughout the entire market, and from there, to the city at large. Hundreds of Romans died and thousands were injured as most of the city was reduced to ashes. When Emperor Nero returned from Antium to survey the damage, the shopkeep, who had escaped the fire by the will of the gods, told the emperor who had set the fire and why. Nero set aside traditional Roman tolerance for other religions and declared the Christians an outlaw cult, and forbade its practice within the borders of Rome. Within a generation, there were no Christians left, but Rome was rebuilt even more magnificently than before.

in 1925, a young Austrian Fascist rabble-rouser by the name of Adolf Hitler published a manifesto of his cause, arrogantly titled Mein Kampf, or My Struggle. The rambling, virtually incoherent tome rattled on for a couple of hundred pages and detailed the Austrian's insane views of the world, which included the thought that some vast conspiracy of Jews ran the world and were responsible for Germany's defeat in the Great War. Most Germans, realizing that Jewish people were a relatively powerless minority in the world, saw the book as a joke, and when Hitler's National Socialist Worker's Party failed to win a single seat in the German Parliament in the 1928 elections, he was laughed back to Austria, where he made a small living painting racist and anti-Semitic art for other lunatics.

in 1969, Senator Edward Kennedy is caught by his wife attempting to leave a party with attractive young Mary Jo Kopechne. The resulting divorce causes havoc with Kennedy’s political career, as details of his womanizing and drinking become public. Kennedy pledges to his constituents that he will reform, and after a brief period in a rehabilitation clinic, he comes out sober and focused. After winning the presidency in 1976, he entered his second marriage – also the second marriage of a President in the White House – to Victoria Reggie in 1977. He narrowly won re-election in 1980 in a hard-fought political campaign against conservative California Governor Ronald Reagan, and the triumph of his liberal programs over the Republican conservative movement caused the GOP to abandon many of the right-leaning ideals that had been dominant in the party since Goldwater's ascendancy in 1964. The newly moderate Republicans then wrested the presidency for themselves with candidate John Anderson of Illinois in 1984. President Anderson continued most of Kennedy's programs, and conservatism, which had once been a thriving movement in American politics, seemed relegated to the dustbin of history.


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TIAH Editor says we'd like to move you off the blog, if you're browsing the archives - and most people are - more than half of them are already on the new site. We need to be sure the new web site accomodates your archive browsing needs because we don't want to lose any readers. Please supply any feedback or comments by email to the Editor and please note the blogger site is shutting on December 1st.