Misdirection

The state of TIAH

January 2nd, 2007

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	In 2007 the stranger enters the lift carrying a box of Belgian chocolates. “Mine” says the older Son, so she gives him the box with an OK-you-have-it smile. Later, Father places the uneaten chocolates in the trash. There is a gentle red glow to the box.
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!-

In 1953 outgoing President Truman prepares to host an icy pre-inauguration briefing at the White House with President-elect Douglas MacArthur. Back in '51 as UN Commander in Chief (Korean Peninsula) McArthur had had his request denied to end the conflict by launching thirty to fifty nuclear weapons at Manchuria, was angered at what he perceived to be Truman's “limited war” and subsequently ..	Harry S Truman
.. relieved of his command by the President. General Omar Bradley later speculated that MacArthur's disappointment over his inability to wage war on China had "snapped his brilliant but brittle mind."
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!-

	In 1727 James Wolfe was born, a British general remembered mainly for his role in establishing British rule in Canada. By 1942, British rule only existed in Canada, with the British Government in Exile, headed by Lord Halifax unexpected guests of the Governor General at his residence in Rideau Hall, Ottawa.
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!-

In 1935 Bruno Hauptmann goes on trial for the murder of Charles Lindbergh, Jr., infant son of future US President Charles Lindbergh.	Charles Lindbergh
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!-

After(cont.)
They all gathered around the television as details were added to the story they were spinning. President Bush had been in a small shelter underground when the bomb went off; it had taken him the last two days to push his way up through the rubble; he was personally taking charge of the military in his capacity as Commander-in-Chief.
“So, he's saying that he's in charge of all the Guard units,” Janice said, staring at the screen. “His own personal little army.”
Kevin went to the kitchen and opened up a beer. He listened to the others speculate as he sipped at it, and felt the bitterness match what was in his head. He wanted to get drunk, but the cautious part of him said it was best to stay sober right now. He joined the others and glared at the television as it spewed forth more 'facts'. They flashed a picture of the president's 'rescue' on the screen, and Kevin started. He grabbed the remote control and paused.
“Hey, how did - “
“Tivo,” he said, rewinding and playing the picture again. He did that several times while the others looked at each other questioningly. Finally satisfied, Kevin let the broadcast run normally. “That's not George Bush.” He turned to Janice. “Let me see the video you got of the ranch.” She pulled out the camera and twisted around the attached video preview screen so that he could see it. He had her play it a few times, muttering, “Crappy video image.” After he had played it through a few times, he rewound the Tivo image again and compared it to the image on the camera. “I can't be sure, but I think these two are the same person,” he said, pointing between the camera and the TV. “And, neither one of them is George Bush.”
“That throws a little wrinkle in the scheme,” Mike said. “Hey, have you got that Tivo hooked into your PC, here?”
“Yeah,” Kevin said.
“Sweet. Hand me the camera.” Kevin handed it over and sipped at his beer again. “I know a few people who are experts at video analysis. We'll upload this and get them working on it.”
“So, they got a body double for a front,” Janice said. “What did they do with the real thing?”
“Killed him,” Eli said. “Only logical thing to do.”
“No, they might need him for top-secret information only the president has access to,” Jake said. “They'd have to keep him alive, at least for a while.”
“Would 2 days be 'a while' enough?” Steph looked over at Kevin and Jake.
“Depends on how badly they want him to cooperate,” Janice said. “I'm not sure a bunch of coup leaders would still show that much respect for the office. Did you see what they did at Abu Ghraib?”
“We have to save him.”
They all looked at Kevin with more than a little hesitation. “Look, I'm all for the rushing in with guns blazing approach,” Eli said, “but, how could we even find him?”
“Crawford,” Joan said. Everybody looked over at the young girl, surprised. “They'd keep him in the one place nobody thinks exists anymore.”
Jake smiled and patted her on the shoulder. “That's my girl.”

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Dylan Dies

July 29th, 2007

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The Announcement

Drac pulled up the image of the young woman and displayed her on the desk. "And, what happens to dear Melissa when you take her place?"
"I'm afraid she dies."
"Tyr Weapons Systems." He tapped his head. "That's a whole universe of pain and death. Is the price you're getting worth it?"
"I think so."
"Can I be traced through you?"
"Anything is possible, Drac. I can't give you complete assurance on that."
He nodded. Whether he could be traced was a matter of his skill versus those of his opponents, and not up to her. "Who hired you?"
"You know I can't tell you that."
"Worth a shot." He thought for a minute, then nodded. "All right. When do you need to start?"
"I need the body complete by the 14th. And, I'll need to give you updates on her physical condition up to the 13th. All right?"
Drac shook his head. "I'm starting to think this isn't worth it for me."
Sonja leaned across the desk. "I really need this, Drac. You have no idea how important this is."
He reached across and took her hand. "All right, Sonja. For you. Leave me all the information you have, and I'll begin. Will you be able to transmit the updates, or will security require you to bring me those in person?"
"In person. Some things are too easy to pluck out of the air." She transmitted briefly, and he nodded to acknowledge receipt. Then, she got up and took a step back towards the hole. "Coming with me?"
His dark eyes were poring over the data in front of him, and he shook his head. "No, dear, you go ahead. The hole will let you out. I'm going to begin working on this masterpiece." He waved a hand and the hole opened back for her. When she walked underneath it, she was lifted up and passed through, back into the small booth. When she was back on her feet again, the hole closed over and was covered by the rectangular block - the coffin - that Drac kept to greet his customers.
She stepped through the beads and went back into the bazaar. This time, the wash of desires and noises was a welcome distraction from what she would have to do over the next week, and what would be done after that.

Once she was home, she set up a security field and dropped the personal defenses she had been keeping up since leaving. She was exhausted. She hadn't slept since getting the assignment, three days ago. There had been a lot to do, many people to see, and hundreds of preparations to make. She was pretty sure that she had it all in hand, now, and could let it all coast for a few hours while she rested.
She took off the silver jacket and laid it carefully at the foot of the bed. Then, she slid out of her boots and socks, lining them up carefully where her feet would fall when she swung her legs out of the bed. Off came her pants, and they were folded neatly and set on the chair within easy reach. She left on her blouse because she didn't like to sleep topless. She folded back the sheets, slid in, and covered up. The room saw that she didn't want to stay up, so the lights dimmed and the temperature dropped to make her comfortable. Within seconds, she was asleep.
Seconds later, a persistent tickle at her ear woke her up. "What is it?" Her eyelids fluttered open, and a man stood at her bedside, admiring her sleeping form. She drew the sheets a little more tightly around her. "What do you want, Gil?"
"You, of course, Sonja, but a little progress report would do for now."
"I'll give it to you after I've had a chance to sleep for a few hours." She waved a hand at him and pulled the cover over her head. "Go away."
His head lowered within inches of hers. "Our employer wants to know where we stand. This kind of man doesn't wait, baby."
"We're on track. Goodbye."
"Details, Sonja."
"Matilda," she muttered to her computer, "what level of privacy am I on?"
"Emergency calls only, mum," the soft english voice replied.
"Sonja, the guy hasn't heard from you in 3 days. He is friggin' threatening to have the Militia come in and torture me. You know I can't take real pain."
She pulled back the sheet and stared into Gil's eyes. They were bloodshot, as always - Gil never did take care of his appearance - and they were worried. He looked almost as bad as she felt. "Look, Gil, I've got the preparations made, the switchover will take place as planned on the 13th. Now, I need eight hours of sleep, or I'm going to die."
"Who are you using for the prep? He wants to know."
She narrowed her eyes. "He doesn't get to know, Gil. My sources remain anonymous to everybody - even big money types."
"Sonja..."
"Gil, I'm cutting you off now. If you call me back before eight hours is up, you won't have to worry about being tortured by the Militia."
"You'll give me everything then, though, right?"
She was really regretting ever coming to work with the little weasel. "Yes, Gil. Now you go bye-bye. Matilda, total privacy."
"Yes, mum." Gil's image blinked out, and Sonja settled back again. "Shall I play some music for you, mum? You seem somewhat tense."
"Sure." A few strains of folk music played out over her, and she breathed deeply. "This had better work." She flipped over on her side, trying to get more comfortable. "Hey, Matilda, was that call monitored?"
"There wasn't any discernible trace, mum."
"Can you analyze any unusual traffic that may have piggy-backed on Gil's signal and let me know?"
"Of course, mum." Matilda was silent for a minute, leaving the soothing pipes to work their magic on Sonja. She was almost asleep when Matilda came back. "There was a slight bulge in the amount of data being transmitted, mum, but I couldn't trace where it came from or where it went. The probability is that the call was being monitored."
"Damn it." Gil had been told to make the call and get information from her, and their employer was listening in. "I hate it when people don't trust you. A contract is a contract." She fussed and fumed mentally for a couple of seconds, then asked, "Can you tap into Gil, and find any residuals left in his area?"
"I'll try, mum. But, for what purpose?"
"If you can pick up a residual from anyone associated with Tyr Weapons Systems, bring it back, isolate, and culture it. Then work up an antidote."
Matilda paused, and hesistantly said, "Tyr Weapons Systems is known very widely for their security, mum."
"I have a lot of faith that you can break that reputation, Matilda."
"Very well, mum."
Sonja's exhaustion was weighing very heavily on her. "I've still got to get some sleep. Matilda, keep me posted of any emergencies, but let me sleep uninterrupted for at least five hours if you can. All right?"
"Yes, mum."
She covered herself again and closed her eyes. Everything was abuzz inside her, but she forced that all down. She called up the morpheus image she'd had planted to help her relax.
A muscular man's hands ran down her body, unclenching each muscle, relaxing all her nerves. Then, those wonderful hands smoothed away her hair and massaged her temples, and her breathing deepened. Her eyes closed, but the hands kept working their magic, flying to any part of her that needed to be soothed, and caressing away her cares and tensions. In minutes, she was asleep.
She really liked morpheus.

Five hours later, Matilda woke her with a gentle ringing bell. She sat up in the bed and stretched, feeling much better than she had in three days. She would have liked more, but she got enough to keep her going for a while.
"Find out anything, Matilda?"
"I have four different residuals that I am attempting to cultivate. They are all from different systems inside Tyr, and one of them is being very nasty about being held and cultured."
"Work on that one. I think it'll probably be the most helpful to the task we have at hand."
Matilda almost sighed. "I will try, mum, but you have no idea how difficult it's being."
Sonja smiled at the old girl. "I'm sorry, Matilda, but please do your best. This could make our lives a lot easier."
That almost-audible sigh again. "Yes, mum."

In 1941, at Sidi Omar on the Egyptian border Loose Cannon Colonel Thomas Edward Lawrence made a fateful decision for England and his family. The letters he had written between 1931 to 1934, posing as his own Uncle to John Bruce were a threat to his family. A threat to his missionary brother, and anchoress mother who had already lost two sons to the war. The shame washed over him. He swalled two quinine tablets, to disguise his sweating as malaria. Yet he had given his word to do his best for his Arab allies. Before November 1917, he would have consulted with his God, but God was no longer speaking to Thomas Edward Lawrence. "Publish and be damned" he told Skorzeny.

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

Hey Joe Where you goin' with that gun in your hand? Hey Joe I said where you goin' with that gun in your hand? Well, dig it! I'm goin' way down south, way down south,(Hey) way down south to Mexico way!
Jimi Hendrix	Alright! (Joe) I'm goin' way down south, (Hey, Joe) way down where I can be free! you better run on down! (where you gonna...) Goodbye everybody. Ow! ~ Lyrics to “Hey Joe” - Click to Play Sample
Dead Man Walking

Guadalajara 1969 ~ Hendrix apocalyptic warnings about President Richard Nixon (codename “Joe”) and his covert operation to suppress the counter-culture had been largely ignored as paranoia until J. Edgar Hoover had terminated the Woodstock Music Festival on July 6th 1969. Within the next two years, many of the icons of the counter-culture including Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison and Jim Hendrix had mysteriously died and those warnings were seriously re-evaluated. Counter-insurgency techniques planned for the VietCong were turned on American youth as the white suburbs of America became strategic hamlets. Which made perfect sense, some times you have to destroy the village to save it. Greenwich Village included. The Lyrics are available at Lyrics Freak

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

In 1970, António de Oliveira Salazar had been dead for just forty-eight hours. Dramatic changes that had been held in check for many years were now unleashed; Portugal was no longer “Proudly Alone”. Immediate pressure for independence emerged from nationalists in Mozambique and Anglola. The most fevered speculation focused on the west coast of India. The Administration in Goa faced the very real prospect of losing the whole subcontinent, the Jewel in the Crown of the Portugese Colonial Empire. ~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

In 2009, the TV networks presented episode eighteen of So What If?. Historian Mackinlay Kantor reviewed the history of the USA, CSA and Republic of Texas after the death of Grant on the way to Vicksburg and how Lee won at Gettysburg.

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

In 1967, explosion and fire on U.S. navy carrier Forrestall in Tonkin bay left 134 US servicemen dead. A Zuni rocket was accidentally fired from an F4 Phantom parked on the starboard side of the flight deck aft of the island. The missile streaked across the deck into a 400 gallon belly fuel tank on a parked A4D Skyhawk. The pilot of the Skyhawk was [the later to be] President John McCain of Arizona, he was able to evacuate the plane and got away safely.

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

Mosi-oa-Tunya	In 1855, from Mosi-oa-Tunya, known to the European as Victoria Falls, Makololo soul-deeps promoted the continent of Ifriquia to a mega-node in the Mesh, the global network of First Nation consciousness founded in Manna-hata, Turtle Island in 1492.
British witness David Livingstone recorded “the scene as so lovely must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight.” The smoke that thunders burst into the Zambezi River as indigenes around the globe celebrated the dawning of a new age of inter-connectivity.
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

In 1948, the first Summer Olympics since Berlin 1936 opened in London with the Games of the XIV Olympiad. Several new nations sent teams following territorial alignments either delayed or caused by the Great War. These included East and West Austria, North and South Japan, Palestine and Hindustan.	London 1948
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

Bob Dylan	In 1966, the musician Bob Dylan died in upstate New York. Whilst riding his Triumph 500 motorcycle in Woodstock, New York, its brakes locked, throwing him to the ground. The fall broke his neck and he died instantly. He was sadly missed, even though other artists used the master's lyrics.
In the words of the CBS tag, "Nobody Sings Dylan Like Dylan”.
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

In 1981, Lady Diana Spencer married Charles Windsor, Prince of Wales. It was an unhappy marriage for the “Queen of Hearts” which ended with a tragic car crash in 1997, killing the Prince and his lover, Camilla Parker-Bowles. The widow subsequently married Dodi Al-Fayed, finding true happiness at last.	Diana Spencer
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

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The Harvard Conference

August 19th, 2007

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The Announcement

Don't forget - Birthday Contest for Steve – November 22, 1967. Send in an alternate birthday for him for us to post!

We wandered around 'downtown' Nijima for a while before finding Rameses Lane, and then walked forever down Rameses Lane before finding M'boke's. It turned out to be a fairly modest two-story building of reddish stone and a few ornate carvings of old Egyptian gods. We walked in, and the lobby looked as plain as the outside, except for a very nice-looking cedar desk standing in front of a living mummy of a woman.

"May I find you a room, sir?" She offered Patrice a pen and book to sign in on. Some things are universal.

"I'll need a place for my boy to sleep, as well," he told her. Damn nice of him. I was sure he was going to forget that. "Could you tell me, mother, whose pyramid that is in the center of the city?"

The old lady looked strangely at Patrice. "You must have come from very far away, Lumumba, not to have heard of the pyramid of Malik El-Shabazz."

Patrice looked like he'd been slapped for a second, but then smiled at her. "Of course, the El-Shabazz pyramid. I knew there was a great attraction in Nijima, it has simply been so long that I forgot what it was." She handed him a key and he snapped his fingers at me. "Come, Gabriel." He trotted up the stairs and I had to jog to keep up with him. Once we were in the room, he locked the door and lodged a chair under the doorknob.

"Is there a reason we're acting like spies, now?"

"I've found the reason for my discomfort." He projected another image on the wall. It was a man of African descent, but with light, reddish-brown hair, indicating some European ancestry. He wore glasses, and looked quite thoughtful. "Do you know who this man is?"

He looked vaguely familiar, but I couldn't quite place him. "No. From a post-industrial period, obviously, but I don't think I've been to his plane."

"His name varies across the planes, but he's usually known as Malcolm X, and often takes the name of Malik El-Shabazz."

"Our pyramid builder?"

"Not quite." The image morphed from a man of mainly African descent with some European features to a man of mainly European descent with some African features, but it was still the same man. "This is the Malik El-Shabazz that the pyramid is named for." He was processing more of the download he'd gotten earlier, zeroing in on this one person. "In the European planes, particularly the slavery-based European planes, that first Malik is an important figure in the African rights movements. He's a personal hero of mine." He pointed at the European version of Malik. "This man apparently carries much of the same character. His father had been one of the Europeans in China who had been free. When the Chinese took that land back, he led a group of those Europeans here, to Nijima, and then died. Malik took over the city, fighting off the Africans his entire life, and agitating among Europeans throughout the globe. When he was assassinated, the European community here built this pyramid to him, before being conquered about ten years ago."

"So, you think the Europeans here have designs on freedom?" The glum look on his face made me laugh. "Paradise so close, and just a tiny freedom movement has to spoil it. Pity about that ol' indomitable human spirit and all, Patrice, but I guess we're out of here, huh?"

But, he was studying a timeline of this plane's history, and he had that scheming look on his face. "They've had a Muslim rise, but Christianity didn't, probably through lack of the Roman involvement. Hmmmm." He looked over at me and now I knew he was going to make me sign in blood.



I don't know how he talked me into it.

I mean, I have the conversation preserved in memory somewhere, and I could probably replay it, but I still cannot believe that I agreed to do the Archangel bit again, and this time to enslave people.

But, I was going to do it.

Patrice and I went out to the pyramid and reconnoitered for a while. It was a pretty safe bet that the pyramid was where the slave rebellion had its headquarters; where else in Nijima could you hide hundreds of people without being found out? So, we went a-scanning and bingo, found about sixteen hidden entrances through the base of the pyramid and a few tunnels leading throughout the city. We found about two thousand people inside the pyramid itself, and several dozen moving around its maze.

No wonder Patrice felt uncomfortable. The people inside the pyramid outnumbered the overlords outside it.

"What are they waiting for?" Patrice wondered.

"Well, they're surrounded by a hostile power, for one thing. They probably can only use the pyramid as a base for getting people out into the jungle, or hiding out to make plans, or stockpiling supplies. It's not like they're in darkest Europe, here. They're on the Nile, just south of the entire Egyptian army." I was feeling weird about the whole thing, and I tried to squirm out. "It's only a matter of time before these guys are found out, Patrice. Why not let them have their little hiding place?"

"I'm not going to stay here if there's a chance the whole dream will come crumbling down around my ears."

"Have I told you lately what a jerk you are, Patrice?"

"Sticks and stones, Gabriel." We had been monitoring the population level inside the pyramid, and it was getting larger. There was some sort of meeting going on in there. "It must be Friday night. It's amazing what they're going through to keep the faith."

"Sympathy for the enemy?" I jabbed him in the ribs. "That's not like you."

"I recall enough European atrocities to keep my tears in check, never fear, Gabriel." He shot a calibration beam into the pyramid, pinpointing a spot directly above where the main body of the people inside stood. "I'll handle the teleportation and levitation, you concentrate on the illusion and sound. And, be a little more convincing than you were with the Mayans, all right?"

"Can I help it if Quetzlcoatl isn't my best deity?"

Patrice grunted his opinion of my excuse. "Let's go." He transported us along his calibration beam and we materialized above a group of about a thousand kneeling Europeans, going through prayers to Allah. We were in a gigantic chamber inside the pyramid, almost a hundred feet high, the only light coming from torches and candles set along the walls. I activated my Archangel program, light burst from our bodies, and I sprouted wings.

"Lost children of Nijima!" There was both joy and trepidation in the faces that turned up to us. They could see that I was a European, but the larger, more majestic figure behind me was African. "You have prayed to Allah for deliverance from your station in life; but you serve in Allah's great plan. Hear his words for yourselves." I flew to the side and augmented Patrice's voice to the point where it shook the whole pyramid.

"My children, I have come to you to tell you to forbear; to bow before he who is your rightful master. I have created you as a servant to your brothers of Africa and Asia. Those who resist the will of Africa resist also the will of Allah, and they shall be punished in the next life with everlasting torture. Those who live the life of obedience shall come to be with me in paradise. As a symbol of my promise, this house of worship and remembrance shall be open to the heavens above, so that I may always see within to your hearts."

We linked together then, and opened a shaft straight to the top of the pyramid, knocking off the top fifty feet of the structure while we were at it. Just for effect, I shot a shaft of light from 'above' down into the pyramid.

"Go, children of Nijima, and sin no more!"

Centurions	In 2007, in Archona, five former security officials of Centurion rank were sentenced to death for plotting to kill an anti-domination activist. Attempting a plea bargain, all five admitted trying to kill prominent black activist Frank Chikane in 1989 by lacing his underwear with a nerve toxin.
Rev Chikane, who is now a director in the president's office, has said he did not want to see the men go to prison. Vlok sought forgiveness from Rev Chikane last year by washing his feet. The Alliance for Democracy's representative Peter Greste, at the court in Archona, says the case has threatened to reopen Draka-era divisions.
~ variant by Steve Payne from extensive use of original content has been used to celebrate the author's genius.

In 2006, just before midnight on this day at GMT-5 the new account spiritual_denali_doods@aol.com was created. Selected interests included mysticism, aboriginal cultures and mountaineering.

"Enola Gay, you should have stayed at home yesterday Oho it can't describe the feeling and the way you lied These games you play, they're gonna end it all in tears someday Oho Enola Gay, it shouldn't ever have to end this way It's 8:15, that's the time that it's always been We got your message on the radio, condition's normal and you're coming home Enola Gay, is mother proud of little boy today Oho, this kiss you give, it's never ever gonna fade away
Paul Humphreys	Enola Gay, it shouldn't ever have to end this way. Oho Enola Gay, it should've faded our dreams away" ~ Lyrics to “Enola Gay” (Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark) - Click to Watch Sample
Andy McCluskey

In Harry Truman's broadcast of 9 August 1945 the President said “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”. The lyrics are available at at Poem Hunter

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

In 2002, contemporary hot heads Custer and Patton clash with the Red Army on the Russian-Polish border. In a heroic but foolish Last Stand, Custer dies, his Tarnished Glory threatening a Third World War.

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

In 2002, RM Muleuch published Twelve Legions of Angels in which disgraced Air Marshall Hugh Dowding reflects on his dismissal for failing to mirror Churchill's aggression. Shortly thereafter, the incoming Halifax Government signed a Carthaginian peace with the Nazis. This proved disastrous when the absence of western front forces gifted Europe to the conquering Red Army in April 1946.

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

Castle Bonny	In 1943, Castle Bonny premièred on this day in Broadway. The film was directed by Michael Curtiz, and starred Cary Grant as Dick Blaine and Ingrid Bergman as Ilsa Lund. The rekindled romance between Blaine and Lund was set during Great War II in the Nigerian city of Port Harcourt, off the Bight of Bonny – then controlled ..
.. by the Nazi Protectorate of Britain. The keynote scene is the interchange between Dick and Ilsa at his cafe after seeing each other for the first time in years "But of course, that was the day the Germans marched into London." "Not an easy day to forget. I remember every detail - the Germans wore gray, you wore blue." A dramatic ending is sealed when Blaine, having but two letters of transit, has a choice between love and doing the right thing. He does the right thing by helping Lund and her resistance leader husband Victor Laszlo to escape Port Harcourt. They disappear into the fog with one of the most memorable exit lines in movie history: "Mate, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship." Later, there were plans for a further scene, showing Dick, Laszlo and a detachment of Free British soldiers on a ship, to incorporate the Allies' 1943 invasion of England; however it proved too difficult to get Cary Grant for the shoot, and the scene was finally abandoned after David O. Selznick judged that "it would be a terrible mistake to change the ending”.
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

In 2007, heterophobic America was starting to suspect the truth of revelations made on episode two of the documentary “All the President's women”. Official footage was shown of Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice committing a gaffe by calling President George Bush “my husband”. At a dinner party while ..	George Bush
.. Rice was National Security Advisor, she referred to President George W. Bush as "my husband" before abruptly correcting herself. First man Dick Cheney was seen to be shaking with controlled anger during the footage.
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

Schlieffen	In 1914, on this night Kaiser Wilhelm II suffered a dreadful nightmare in which he witnessed the defeat and fall of the Second Reich. At the end of the dream, Field Marshal Alfred, Graf von Schlieffen had urged him to “keep the right wing strong”.
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

In 1976, following the censorship of “Roots: The Saga of an American Family” by President George Wallace, professor Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. held a press conference at Harvard University. One of the general editors of the Norton Anthology of African-American Literature, Gate's endorsement of “Roots” was to ..	Alex Haley
.. be considered a litmus test for the book's credibility. Roots would not be included in the anthology announced the professor, though he denied that the controversies surrounding Haley's works were the reason for this exclusion. Nonetheless, Dr. Gates acknowledged the doubts about Haley's claims with regard to “Roots”, saying, "Most of us feel it's highly unlikely that Alex actually found the village whence his ancestors sprang. Roots is a work of the imagination rather than strict historical scholarship."
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

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A Reunion

August 23rd, 2007

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The Announcement

Don't forget - Birthday Contest for Steve – November 22, 1967. Send in an alternate birthday for him for us to post!

I went over to the alcove where she kept her holo equipment and plugged myself in. A woman's face appeared in front of me and asked, "Thank you for using TT of A. What number would you like to dial?"

"I'm not quite sure of the number. The name is Rosanto, Emilia Rosanto, and she lives on Set Lane in Thesylonica."

"Thank you. Hold for your call please." The woman's face was replaced with an image of a bell ringing gently every couple of seconds. After seven rings, Emilia's face popped up in front of me, her eyes bleary from lack of sleep. Since this was her normal state, I didn't think anything of it.

She grew immediately animated at seeing me. "Gabe! Oh my gods, it's so good to see you! You've got to come over, right away. Where are you?"

"I'm at Willie's. I wanted to get everybody together, see if we could maybe take a little trip out for a while. My last partner just found his paradise."

Emilia laughed and shook her head. "Everybody but you, huh, Gabe?" Her softly dark Mediterranean features were everything I've ever dreamed of in a woman, but Emilia refused to come with me to the Porno Universe. Some people just don't know what's good in life. "What was it this time? Gold raining from the sky? The hunter-gatherer world?"

"No, nothing so pleasant. Did you ever meet Patrice?" She shook her head. "He wanted the African world, where Europeans were slaves. I helped him make the European slaves realize that their condition was the will of God."

"So, you're feeling a bit slimy at the moment, is that it?"

"Basically."

"You poor thing." Her hand reached out and stroked me. I felt nothing, of course, but it was a nice gesture, nonetheless. "You want to come over? I have a guy here, but he's the understanding type." She winked at me. "A candidate for your dream world."

"You know I'd never refuse an offer like that, honey, but I need to call up the others. Are Sylvan and Moshe still living in Babylonia?"

"Well, Moshe is. Sylvan got carted off by a UFO almost three months ago."

"Damn it!" Sylvan and I had gone to grade school together. He was always one step ahead of the saucers. Until now, of course. "We're going to have to do something about the UFO's someday, Emilia."

"When you figure out what, you let me know, OK? Dartha and Inikia are here in Thesylonica, and I think Karlus moved to Roma, but I'm not sure. I don't think he's up to any more planewalking, though. You remember what happened last time?"

"It was just a small curse, and it stopped working once we got back to our home plane."

"The clap is hardly a small curse, Gabriel. Poor Karlus had to wear a diaper everywhere." She counted us on her fingers. "I think that's everybody. Two boys and three women - you'll practically be in your paradise, Gabe."

"If only. Can you let Dartha and Inikia know? I'll talk to Moshe and try to get hold of Karlus."

"He won't come. Trust me on this, Gabe. The man dripped for three weeks, he hates your guts."

"I'm very persuasive when I set my mind to it, Emi." I gave her my best evil smile. "And, if that doesn't do it, hypnosis works wonders."

"Some archangel you are. When and where?"

"Tomorrow night, and here at Willie's, I think. If she doesn't agree, I'll let everybody know, and we'll find someplace." I took a long look at her tantalizingly lovely features, framed by the black silk of her hair, and sighed. "It's been way too long, Emi."

"I'll get there a little early for the reunion." She blew a kiss at me. "See you tomorrow, love." Her face folded in on itself, and I was left alone with my fantasies.

I got hold of Moshe, but Karlus was simply not reachable. I guess the clap was a little more serious than I thought it had been. After hanging up on the third number suggested for a Karlus Maurelius in Roma, I gave up and went down to Willie's basement.

She was examining a huge painting, one that covered an entire wall, and whose subject reminded me of some of the more ambitious Italian works of the old masters. An alien was coming down from the clouds, bearing a chain in one hand and a UFO in the other. Various Asian figures were gathered about it, some in fear, others up in arms, but most bowing down to worship at the feet of the huge Arythiok. It was quite compelling. "Is this the new artist?"

"It's not his best, but it's certainly his most impressive. The subject matter is rather cliché, but the style makes up for it." She led me over to smaller, more unique pieces. "These present his talent much better." There were several statues scattered among a few framed works, and even a hologram. "Did you contact your friends?"

"Most of them. One of them was abducted, as you feared."

She shook her head in commiseration. "It is regrettable what some of my people do."

I stood between her and a spectacularly overdone wall-hanging. "Are you ever going to tell me why they take us?"

Her eyes became almond jades of embarrassment again. "Perhaps some day. But, I don't believe you're ready."

"You people always say something like that. You just don't want to tell me."

"That could be true, as well."

"You know, you could tell me anything. If you used to do it, you could tell me that. If you still do it, you could tell me. There's very little I haven't imagined as your answer to that question."

She fidgeted, and pointed at the hologram. "This piece represents Buddha under his tree, stylized into a technological image of a double helix. The displacement of the tree by a modern image creates a similar feeling of displacement in the viewer, don't you think?"

"All right, you don't have to answer me. You can stop being all uncomfortable now."

"Thank you." She brightened up right away.

"I needed to ask you if I could use your house to meet them all tomorrow night. Is that all right with you?"

"Of course." Her pensive look came back. "If I did tell you that I was one of the kidnappers, would that make a difference between us?"

"No."

"You answered that quickly."

I shrugged. "It's something I've been thinking about for a long time. It was the first thing that went through my mind when you wouldn't answer my questions." She smiled. "Are you going to answer them now?"

"No, but I think I'll have to soon. A pity. The mystery has been such an exciting part of our relationship."

"Naturally." I took her arm and led her over to some of the more esoteric offerings of her collection. "But, once we really know each other, don't you think that'll deepen our feelings for each other?"

"There is always that hope." She took a small statuette and handed it to me. "This was meant to be handled. Feel the astounding number of textures the artist has managed to place in a single piece? That's an Arythiok technique. Layer upon layer, appearing similar with one sense, showing an amazing complexity when experienced with another."

"That's an Arythiok technique, all right." She poked me, and I nearly dropped the statuette. "Careful, now. We don't want to add any more textures to this thing."

I put the statuette back in its place and we looked at the rest of the collection in silence. Willie's an impressive connoisseur, but art only captures me for so long, and then I go into sensory overload. Still, when you're a guest, it's best to play the appreciative ascetic when your host is. After the tour, she took me upstairs and offered me her bath.

"Am I that offensive?"

She turned black again. "No, no, I just thought that you might want to freshen up before dinner."

I sniffed at myself and agreed with her. "I'll just do that, then." I bathed slowly and luxuriously, enjoying it all. Willie has the most wonderful bubble bath you could ever hope to find. One of the fringe benefits of being a planewalker is finding all the places that are the best of everything.

"When Rachel saw that she was not bearing Jacob any children, she became jealous of her sister. So she said to Jacob, 'Give me children, or I'll die!' Jacob became angry with her and said, 'Am I in the place of God, who has kept you from having children?'

Aunt Lydia	"Then she said, 'Here is Bilhah, my maidservant. Sleep with her so that she can bear children for me and that through her I too can build a family.' " ~ Rachel, wife of Jacob Genesis 30:1-3
Handmaid

The sons of Jacob suspended the US Constitution and replaced Massachusetts with the theocratic Republic of Gilead. The birth rate had fallen alarmingly and radical measures had to be taken to rectify the situation. The full article is available at Manitoba University

~ quotation from Margaret Atwood: extensive use of original content has been made to celebrate the author's genius.

In 1945, General-san Douglas MacArthur declined a reactivation order from US President Harry Truman who promptly fired him. Actually MacArthur had no ambition to receive the Japanese defeat. His Filipinos harriers were busy installing a rogue state in the Philippines, after all why else write the enigmatic message I will return?

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

In 1956, Izear Luster "Ike" Turner, Jr moved the Kings of Rhythm to East St. Louis where he met teenage, gospel-trained singer from Nutbush, TN, named Anna Mae Bullock, and promised her a chance to sing with his band.

Ike Turner Revue	That chance kept failing to materialize, until one night Bullock simply grabbed the microphone and started belting. Turner made her a part of his revue, changing her name to Tina. Ike had other plans for Tina – he wanted to control her free spirit. Predictably, after Tina became pregnant by the band's saxophonist, Raymond Hill her prospects receded sharply.
A second and final chance appeared - and then disappeared. In late 1959, Turner's band entered the studio to cut a song called "A Fool in Love" for the Sue Records label. The scheduled male vocalist was running late. Tina was about to be pressed into service by Ike, who thought the vocalist had failed to show up for the session - when he suddenly appeared, full of apologies.
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

Tony Blair	"I am a modern man. I am part of the rock and roll generation—the Beatles, colour TV, that’s the generation I come from." ~ Tony Blair Pre-election speech at Stevenage, 22 April 1997
Bliar

Demonstrating he was living in a time warp by describing the modern world in terms of symbols from thirty years before.

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

She stared at him, He stared at her. No one said anything for ages. The clock ticked. Outside a large ship honked. No one said anything for ages. She stared at him. He stared at her. The tension at the whaleing station was palpable. "Sardines on toast anyone?" said Father at last. And so it goes.

~ from Sardine-House-Five, a thrilling new pschyo novel by Kod Vongutfish

In 2002, in RM Muleuch's Twelve Legions of Angels Air Marshall Hugh Dowding returns to 1940. Without the distraction of his loving family he will make a success of Big Wing and win the Battle of Britain. He will delay German invasion until the autumn when the English Channel would be too hostile for the Kriegsmarine's landing craft. Trouble is the ghost of Keith Park dispatched Dowding to a 1940 that really needs him. The rescue flotilla heading towards Dunkirk has been decimated by Stuka Dive bombers. Dowding somehow must buy the Royal Navy another two weeks whilst the British Expeditionary Force fights for its life against the Wehrmacht.

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

In 1914, the British Army begins withdrawal from the Battle of Mons. It was in the period of this hectic retreat, when the British troops would have been so vulnerable to a pursuing enemy, that something extraordinary occurred. British troops claimed that they had seen an apparition in the sky of three angelic figures who appeared to ward off the attacks of the enemy. The retreat was successfully accomplished and the British troops lived to fight another day. The story of the Angel at Mons spread like wildfire through Britain. It became the subject of many articles and even artistic productions. After the war, Harold Begbie published a book on the phenomenon, On the Side of the Angels, in which he quoted some who had witnessed the apparition first-hand. One lance-corporal recalled: '"I could see quite plainly in mid-air a strange light which seemed to be quite distinctly outlined and was not a reflection of the moon, nor were there any clouds in the neighbourhood. The light became brighter and I could see quite distinctly three shapes, one in the centre having what looked like outspread wings, the other two were not so large, but were quite plainly distinct from the centre one. They appeared to have a long loose-hanging garment of a golden tint they were above the German line facing us." The Angel of Mons was in fact the entity known as Aiwass, summoned by Aleister Crowley at the request of a desperate British Government.

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

1973, seven years as Simon Templar earned Greatest living Englishman Roger Moore enough popularity (and credibility) among fans of detective fiction to earn him the role James Bond despite the inevitable comparisons to Sean Connery. Due to redrafting errors at the contract office at Eon Productions, Moore was offered a contract for life. His latest movie, Golden Years features a dramatic hand of the card game patience with "Jaws" at the Moonbase. Wikipedia reports - "The satire show Spitting Image once had a sketch in which their latex likeness of Moore, when asked to display emotions by an offscreen director, does nothing but raise an eyebrow. Moore himself has stated that he thought the sketch was funny, and took it in good humour. That series later featured a Bond movie spoof, The Man With The Wooden Delivery, with Moore's puppet receiving orders from Margaret Thatcher to kill Mikhail Gorbachev, and many other comedy shows of that time ridiculed Moore's acting, Rory Bremner once claiming to have had a death threat from an irate fan of Moore's, following one such routine. "

~ entry by Co-Historian Steve Payne

Castle Bonny	In 1943, movie critics give a varied response to Castle Bonny which premièred four days before on Broadway. The film was directed by Michael Curtiz, and starred Cary Grant as Dick Blaine and Ingrid Bergman as Ilsa Lund.
The rekindled romance between Blaine and Lund was set during Great War II in the Nigerian city of Port Harcourt, off the Bight of Bonny – then controlled by the Nazi Protectorate of Britain. Rudy Behlmer emphasises the variety in the picture: "it’s a blend of drama, melodrama, comedy [and] intrigue". The other characters, in Rudy Behlmer's words, are "not cut and dried": they come into their goodness in the course of the film. Ronald begins the film as a collaborator with the Nazis, who extorts sexual favours from refugees and has Ugarte killed. Dick, according to Behlmer, is "not a hero, ... not a bad guy": he does what is necessary to get along with the authorities and "sticks his neck out for nobody". Even Ilsa, the least active of the main characters, is "caught in the emotional struggle" over which man she really loves. By the end of the film, however, "everybody is sacrificing".
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

In 2127, Mullah Elijah Rafsanjani returns from a truth and reconciliation visit to the eastern seaboard of Turtle Island that being the continent renamed after the Italian merchant Amerigo Vespucci during the western epoch c1492 to 2081.	Brent
As part of his Peace and Brotherhood jihad he has embarked on a fact-finding mission by visiting the centres of the fallen Western Civilisation. On-board his light aircraft is a Eurasian stowaway, Brent. The plan that Brent has hatched is straight out of Rafsanjani's book, not that he would appreciate it himself.
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

Chiang Kai-Shek	In 1839, the United Kingdom captured Hong Kong as a base as it prepared to war with Qing China during the First Opium War. Just over one hundred years later, Kuomintang leader Chiang Kai Shek sought refuge in the Colony. Having arrived with the entire gold and foreign currency reserves of China, he joined British imperialists ..
.. in building a thumb-your-nose at Communism show case in the middle of Guangdong Province. Just as a small impurity can cause great stomach upset, Hong Kong created greater and greater problems for the Chinese Communist Party until it collapsed entirely in 1967. Thereupon the Kuomintang returned to Beijing, and set about building an even more powerful city than Hong Kong, a mission that was completed by the end of the century.
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

In 1952, on this day the charter of the Arab League went into effect. Head quartered in Cairo, Egypt, the League's charter states that the League shall co-ordinate economic affairs, including commercial relations; communications; cultural affairs; nationality, passports, ..	Anthony Eden
.. and visas; social affairs; and health affairs. This predecessor organisation to Nasser's United Arab Republic (UAR) greatly alarmed governments in London and Paris. Four years later, led by British Prime Minister Anthony Eden, Anglo-France forces joined with Israel to strike the Suez Canal Zone, being forced to back down by President Eisenhower. Following the enlargement of the UAR to Saudi Arabia in 1980, official biographer Robert Rhodes asked, "who can now claim that Eden was wrong?"
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

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Irregulars

In 1915, refusing to admit defeat at Gallipoli, War Minister Kitchener orders a surge in British and Commonwealth troop levels, vainly trying to force their way to the capital of the Ottoman Empire. Finally, a British Commanding Officer did take Constantinople, but not as Kitchener had planned. Five years later, Colonel T.E. Lawrence realised Napoleon's young dream of conquering the East. Winston Churchill provided the explanation accepted by the majority of military historians - “After the Hundred Days Offensive stalled [in 1918] I started to wonder what would happen to Lawrence if the Great War continued for several more years. His fame was spreading fast and with the momentum of the fabulous through Asia. The earth trembled with the wrath of the warring nations. All the metals were molten. Everything was in motion. No one could say what was impossible. Lawrence might have realised Napoleon's young dream of conquering the East; he might have arrived in Constantinople in 1919 or 1920 with most of the tribes and races of Asia Minor and Arabia at his back.”

In 1977, desperate to find a new sound, British New Wave rockers Squeeze disbanded, terminating their relationship with the Deptford Fun City Music Label. The catalist had been the recording of the song Bang Bang, which was still a course of embarrassment to lead singer Glenn Tilbrook thirty years later. Chris Difford was not fond of the song either, and Jools Holland decided to pursue his Boogie Woogie '78 concept instead, dominating the 1980's with his Rhythm and Blues Orchestra. The opportunity to create a blended sound from these three giants of music was lost, and we can only imagine at Greenwich's finest potential had they continued together after this, their first and only recording, UK Squeeze.

In 1978, The Soviet States of America formally recognizes the capitalist state of Brazil. America had never recognized the counter-revolutionaries who overthrew the People’s Republic of Brazil in 1959, and had armed Communist rebels in the country for nearly 15 years. Comrade President John Anderson wished to work with the capitalists of the world, though, and he felt that recognizing one of the world’s largest nations was a good step in that direction.

Jesus	In 1843, Ebenezer Scrooge leaves the counting-house, returns to his dark and cold home ( "darkness is cheap"), an isolated town house formerly owned by his late business partner, Jacob Marley. While he unlocks his door Scrooge is startled to see the ghostly face of Marley instead of the familiar appearance of his door knocker. This is just the beginning of Scrooge's harrowing night.
Is Love

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In 1947, in a traditional Fulani ceremony at the Shehu Mosque in West Africa the Sultan of Sokoto marries Princess Elizabeth of England.

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In 1966, Walt Disney died at his home in Kansas City, Missouri, handing his business empire to his brother Roy. Revelations later emerged that damaged the Disney image. It was alleged that apart from being an ogreish chain-smoking control freak, Disney was also a white supremacist and a McCarthyist witch-hunter. After the 1941 strike of Disney Studio employees, Walt Disney deeply distrusted organized labor. In 1947, during the early years of the Cold War, Disney testified before the House Un-American Activities Committee, where he branded Herbert Sorrell, David Hilberman and William Pomerance, former animators and labor union organizers, as Communist agitators (the three men denied the allegations.) Disney implicated the Screen Actors Guild as a Communist front, and charged that the 1941 strike was part of an organized Communist effort to gain influence in Hollywood. However, no evidence has been discovered to support this. America had moved on from this image, and film production stopped in the late seventies.

John Forbes Kerry

In 2004, John Forbes Kerry embarked on a national tour of America. Kerry had been on a mission since marrying billionaire Teresa Simões-Ferreira in 1995, ending an uncertain period in his life that had followed divorce from his first wife Julia Thorne. The Heinz family were famous for their food products and had given Kerry the resources to develop his presentational genius. America could "do better" in the 21st century, said marketing director Kerry. Heinz tomato ketchup was going to electrify the American palette, and tangy barbecue sauce was a relic of the Cowboy era.

In 1972, restaurateur Carl Johnson, an Alabaman born and raised during the Great Depression, brought a series of recipes from his childhood to a mass market with his chain of Southern Fried Possum stores. The spicey meat treat was surprisingly popular across the country, and Johnson was soon a multi-millionaire.

In 1947, in Ottawa Canada Prince Philippos of Greece and Denmark married Princess Elizabeth of England, the heir to King George VI. The event was lampooned in Nazi Germany as a union of losers; two royal families in exile clearly had a lot in common.	Prince Phillip

Camilla	In 2006, there was a mixed reaction to news that Camilla Parker-Bowles, was probably not murdered. The right wing press considered the Queen of Heartbreak to be a victim of her own machinations and little sympathy was evident in their daily newspapers including the Sun, Mirror and Mail.

In 1939, Gone with the Wind premièred on Broadway. Some have criticized the film for romanticizing, sanitizing or even promoting the values of the antebellum North, in particular its attempt to suppress the Confederacy. Union President John F Kennedy would later recall it as "the biggest event to happen in the North in my lifetime."	GWTW