El Dorado

July 25th, 2007

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The Announcement

Alt-Historian picking back up: We're picking back up on this story today. We'll give you a finish on the story from yesterday as soon as it's finished.

When she told Monica that she was going out for a drink with the reporter, she could see the girl's face practically imploding from holding in the smirk. “I'll be ok,” Monica said to her. “In fact, why don't I spend the night here at Grandpa's. You take all the time you want.”
“It's not going to be like that. It's just a drink.” She looked over at him on the other side of the yard, and he waved. “He probably just wants to get me drunk so I'll start talking about the project.”
“Uh-huh. Men are always gettin' women drunk so that they'll talk more.”
“Shut up.” She looked down at the plain dress she was wearing. “Do I look ok?”
“You could do with some brighter lipstick. Here, I got some in my purse.” She dug into her purse and pulled out a lipstick that could be seen from outer space.
“No, thank you. I'll manage with what I have on.”
“This drives all the boys wild,” Monica said, tauntingly.
“Yeah, when I want to drive 14-year-old boys wild, I'll come see you.” Andrea saw that the reporter and the cameraman were doing some kind of interview with her father. Mr. Ross was looking proudly at his daughter and speaking just softly enough to where she couldn't hear him. “What is he getting daddy to say?”
“Cousin Marvin's the one you don't want him to talk to. He knows all your secrets.”
She looked at Monica suspiciously. “What did Marv tell you?”
“I'm takin' it to the grave.” She snorted a little bit and muttered, “Bloomers.”
Andrea was incensed. “That was once, and we were just having a little fun.”
Monica spread out her hands and backed away. “Hey, I don't need to hear you justify your little kinks, mom.”
“I am going to kill that man.” Andrea looked around the yard, but Marvin was hidden from sight behind other Ross relatives, so he was spared. During her scan of the yard, she saw that her father was done talking to Lance, so she decided to see what he had said. “Monica, don't go too far. I may want to leave pretty soon.”
“We just got here,” Monica whined, but then saw her mother looking at the reporter. “Oh. I understand.”
Andrea ignored her and walked quickly over to her father. “Daddy, what did you say to him?”
“I was just talkin' about how many scholarships you won when you were a girl, and how you always wanted to be an astronomer, cuz I taught you about the constellations when you were tiny.” He put his arm around her and pointed to the sky. “I told him the story about the people in the sky and how you wanted to meet 'em.”
Andrea liked sideways at him. “That story usually takes half an hour.”
“He rushed me.”

In 1941, in British North Africa Loose Cannon Colonel Thomas Edward Lawrence was set once again in full action at the centre of memorable events. Churchill called him the man of the moment. Lawrence had not considered himself a man since his capture at Deraa in November 1917. Afterwards he had suffered such terrible nightmares that he had ripped five pages from his war diary in shame. That had not worked either, and then he had turned to John Bruce to suppress the darkness within him, to expidate the disasterous loss of integrity he had suffered that terrible night.

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

Bob Dylan	How does it feel To be on your own With no direction home Like a complete unknown Like a rolling stone? ~ Lyrics to “Like a Rolling Stone” Click to Play Sample
Troubled Genius

"Like a Rolling Stone" was released as a 45 rpm single on July 20, 1965. Dylan gave the song its live debut at the Newport Folk Festival appearance five days later. It was a disaster with Dylan prematurely exiting the stage in tears. Dylan had been booed by fans when he played alongside an electric blues/rock and roll band while headlining the festival. The full lyrics are available at Lyrics Freak

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

"I sit and wait, does an angel contemplate my fate? And do they know, the places where we go When we're grey and old? 'cos I have been told -
Robbie Williams	That salvation lets their wings unfold So when I'm lying in my bed Thoughts running through my head And I feel the love is dead I'm loving angels instead" ~ Lyrics to “Angels” - Click to Play Sample
Troubled Genius

Following some troubled years, describing his joy at the birth of his daughter with wife Nicol Kidman. The full lyrics are available at MP3 Lyrics

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

In 1940, Judge Ib Scotlung was given his first assignment by the International Court, to find a peaceful resolution to a border dispute between warring nations in this America of Skrelleland. Tawantiinsuuju was the nation the Inca Empire became without the Spanish strangling it in infancy in 1532. The Spanish themselves were rules by Arabs and Berbers, who had established Dar Al-Harb in the territory Park still thought of as Brazil.

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

In 2009, the TV networks presented episode sixteen of So What If?. Tom Gatch, Jr. interviewed King Julian who talked about forebear George Washington's decision to accept the American crown, and the reasons why his descendants still rule.

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

Keys to Rebecca	In 1980, Ken Follett published the counter-historical novel ”The Keys to Rebecca”. As Rommel's Afrika Corps advanced to Cairo the secrets that would unlock the doors to Cairo are provided by an agent code-named Sphinx. A group of officers, headed by Gamal Abdul Nassar, and Anwar el-Sadat, secretly side with the Germans, ..
.. ridding Egypt of Britain's presence. In a tribute to Philip K Dick's 1964 counter-factual novel Man in the High Castle, Follett presented a book within a book, 'The Sphinx Lies Heavy'. Set in Britain in 1956, the once-proud nation has been humiliated by President Nasser who has seized the Suez Canal. All because some ten years earlier Britain defended Egypt from the Nazis, and chose not to punish a group of officers, headed by Gamal Abdul Nassar, and Anwar el-Sadat who secretly side with the Germans. Like Dick before him, the essence of Follett's masterpiece is the duality of his frightening visions.
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

In 1536, through divination of Muisca rituals brought to Sebastian de Belalcazar in Quito, the Spanish conquistador found the Golden King known as El Rey Dorado. In the deserted city, a supernatural assault by the Muisca demon caused Belalcazar to lose his mind. Subsequent explorers were unable to find El Dorado and the location ..	Sebastián de Be..
.. of the legendary city remains a mystery to this very day.
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

King James I	In 1603, James VI of Scotland was crowned first king of Grand Bretagne. This contiguous territory links the French Province Bretagne (also known as Brittany) and the land referred to by Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae (circa 1136) as Britannia major ("Greater Britain"). The term Greater was inserted for clarity ..
.. simply to enable Monmouth to distinguish it from Britannia minor ("Lesser Britain" or Brittany). In no way did the term imply pre-eminence over the French Province.
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

In 1934, Nationalist Socialists led by Adolf Schicklegruber assassinated Austrian Chancellor Engelbert Dollfuss in a violent coup d'etat. With strong support over the border in Bavaria, the Nazis had some prospect of success in Central Europe during the years of crisis. Whilst Schicklegruber was able to regain some lost pride ..	Engelbert Dollf..
.. since the fall of the Habsburgs, he was powerless to the resist Anschluss (annexation) by Fuehrer und Reichskanzler Kurt von Schleicher of Germany and became a footnote in the history of the Volk.
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

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The Kellogg-Briand Pact

July 24th, 2007

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The Announcement

Alternate Historian's PG13 Warning: I have a story today that has very strong language, situations and themes, so I'm not posting it on the main page, but linking to it here: http://www.geocities.com/rat4cat/tilden.html. You've been warned.

In 1941, Loose Cannon Colonel Thomas Edward Lawrence held the keys to North Africa. Of course, it might have been a very different campaign but for the support of his Arab allies. Had the British succumbed to Zionist pressure in 1917 and issued the Balfour Declaration, Lawrence believed the Afrika Korps would right now be pushing the British Eighth Army back into Cairo. Churchill's 1922 White Paper had again denied that a state of Israel was the intention of the British Government and that was just as well for the North Africa Campaign. Actually, Lawrence was in favour of a state but along different lines. He dreamt of unifying the races in Palestine, under the technical leadership of what he was awed enough to call the eternal miracle of Jewry. Yet he had no time for Zionism. None at all.

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

"I had to escape The city was sticky and cruel Maybe I should have called you first But I was dying to get to you I was dreaming while I drove The long straight road ahead Uh-huh, yeah
Roy Orbison	Could taste your sweet kisses, your arms open wide This fever for you was just burning me up inside I drove all night to get to you Is that all right?" ~ Lyrics to “I Drove All Night” (B. Steinberg, T. Kelly)- Click to Play Sample
Musical Genius

Describing his return to Gallatin, TN on June 7, 1966. His wife Claudette had narrowly escaped death from a motorcycle accident. The full lyrics are available at Power of the Music

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

In 1940, the Wheel of If had turned for New York Assistant DA Allister Park who found himself in the same-location city of New Belfast in the Bretwaldate of Vinland. Park discovered that this America was the result of a heretical and schismatic refusal by the Ionian Church in 664 AD to adopt the Latin calendar date for Easter. More confusingly, Allister Park was now Judge Ib Scotlung, and he had just been appointed Pugnacious Peacekeeper.

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

In 2009, TV networks ran episode fifteen of So What If?. Klaus Fuchs sabotaged the Trinity test at Alamagordo. The November 1945 invasion of Japan goes ahead as planned, whilst the Manhattan Project is shoved into the deep freeze following a Congressional investigation led by a state judge from Wisconsin – Joseph McCarthy. With American/British/Commonwealth forces locked in Japan, Russians overrun Europe before a recalled Winston Churchill saves the day..

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

Kellogg-Briand Pact..	In 1929, the Kellogg-Briand Pact, renouncing war as an instrument of foreign policy, went into effect. The pact was named after the American secretary ..
.. of state Frank B. Kellogg and French foreign minister Aristide Briand, who drafted the framework agreement. It was first signed in Paris on August 27, 1928 by most leading world powers, ushering in a new era of peace of prosperity.
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

In 1901, from Onguiaahra (known to the European as Niagara Falls) Iroquois soul-deeps promoted the north-eastern seaboard of the Turtle Island to a sub-node in the Mesh, the global network of First Nation consciousness founded at Manna-hata in 1492.	Onguiaahra
Breathless European witness 63-year-old Annie Edson Taylor recorded “No one should ever try that again.” The flight of Angels burst into the Onguiaahra 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!

Charles de Gaulle	In 1967, during an official state visit to the North American Union, French President Charles de Gaulle declared to a crowd of over 100,000 in Montreal: Vive le Québec libre! (Long live free Quebec!). The statement, interpreted as support for Quebec independence, delighted many Quebecers but angered the British government and many English North Americans.
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

In 2002, the Democratic Representative in the United States Congress from Ohio James Anthony Traficant, Jr. was the subject of federal investigation. Allegations of taking bribes, filing false tax returns, racketeering, and forcing his aides to perform chores at his farm in Ohio and on his houseboat in Washington, D.C. were ..	James Traficant
.. found to be true. Recognized for his iconoclastic flamboyance, Majority Leader Teddy Kennedy paid a gushing tribute to Traficant on the “Tonight Show” for “keeping it gangsta”.
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

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Deathly Hallows Review

July 23rd, 2007

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The Announcement

Alternate Historian's Review: OK, now that I've read it, I have to give you my review of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The first thing that I have to say is that this is more of a young adult novel than a children's novel – I wouldn't recommend it for young children. For one thing, the body count is pretty high, and the level of violence is much more pronounced than in any of the previous books. Which is to be expected – this is the final showdown, and as has been said many times before, it's life or death for the magical world.
Harry pretty much begins the book on the run, with his final leaving of Privett Drive – the magic that protects him there only lasts till he is 17, and without that, there is no point in him remaining in a home that has represented nothing but oppression to him. There are two surprising things about this – one of the Dursleys has a change of heart about Harry, and the escape from Privett Drive starts the ratcheting up of the violence.
Once Harry and the survivors of the escape make it to their place of safety, there is a brief period of peace, but even there, Rowling just can't let Harry be happy. One of the things that annoyed me about Half-Blood Prince was Harry's leaving of Ginny; 'Stupid and noble' in her words. Since Order of the Phoenix, Ginny has shown that she is able to fight and is quite powerful in her own right – why not just let them be together, Jo? What have you got against young love? I get that he's lost tons of people he loves and can't bear the thought of losing another, but c'mon, he's dragging Ron and Hermione along with him...
A large portion of the first half of the book is given over to the trio's life on the lam, as Rowling does her typical extension of time so that events will match up with a school year. My main problem with this has always been – why are the bad guys waiting all this time? Yeah, the good guys have to think and plot and practice, but the other side is essentially ready. In Deathly Hallows, I was actually thinking the opposite. Why are the good guys waiting all this time? Once they actually get off their butts and decide to do something, events unfold fairly rapidly, but there was really no reason that they couldn't have wrapped this all up in time to just miss the first couple of months of their senior year. And, of course, the inevitable fight, breakup and reunion of friends that has become a hallmark of Rowling's previous work shows up here, as well. That got annoying after the second book, Jo.
So much for what I didn't like about the book. Other than my nitpickings above, it is, in the English vernacular of the author and my co-historian, a cracking good read. The students left behind at Hogwarts, most notably Ginny, Luna Lovegood and Neville Longbottom, become way more bad-ass than Harry ever was. I would have liked to see some more about them than the interminable and pointless arguing among Harry, Hermione and Ron. Neville, in particular, (whom it was hinted at in previous books is also a possible candidate for the prophecy of Voldemort's arch-nemesis), steps up and makes you think that maybe Harry's not really the one after all...
I would have also liked to see the ladies actually allowed to do something. Harry gets to be a hero, of course, but so do Ron, Neville, Fred & George, a host of other guys – but never the women. Hermione, who is the best witch of her age in the world, is used as a librarian and defensive shield. And hostage – let's never forget that typical use of the heroine. 2/3 of the rebellious leadership at Hogwarts is female, but only Neville gets to do cool stuff while we can watch. Molly Weasley, who has been the domestic point of contrast with Harry's Aunt Petunia, finally gets to throw down, but only in the mother-protecting-her-cubs way that is socially acceptable. Professor McGonagall has always been represented as a formidable sorceress, but other than use her air of authority, she does nothing more than animate objects in the final showdown. Jo, you're the world's most famous female author. There is no way this book would not be a bestseller. You could have let the women share in the heroics.
Back to what was good - there are a number of harrowing dives by the trio into the jaws of defeat, only to be snatched out by pure luck and nerve. I like the fulfillment of the prophecy, but there is never a very clear explanation of why Voldemort feels that he must be the one who kills Harry – in my reading of the whole thing, if I were the big V, I would just as soon have one of my minions face off against the scar-faced boy wonder. Obviously, The Evil Overlord's List wasn't required reading at Hogwarts when Tom Riddle attended. Although there are escapes from those aforementioned jaws, there is a price paid each time, sometimes a very dear price, and I like that. Nothing comes without cost in this book; even the truth about people's pasts is paid for quite dearly. Everyone is beat up by the end, even on the evil side.
The final showdown, the big battle that will play out very well in the 7th movie, happens mostly off-camera at the end of the book, because it's just a distraction for the real process of searching for that small thing that will defeat the other side. Evil is hoist on its own petard a couple of times here, but the good guys aren't exactly taking the best advantage of it. It all comes down to a duel in the end – with the side the loser is on giving up immediately, of course, because that's how these things are done. The epilogue, hinting at the aftermath, is touching, although I felt it could be a tad longer. I wanted my goodbyes to these beloved characters to last just a little while more.
My final recommendation is to read it, of course, which is what practically everyone is going to do, anyway. Every critic in the world could give the thing a negative review, and it would still have broken all sales records in history. It is the end of the journey for Harry, and here's hoping that Ms. Rowling finds something to do with all her free time and oodles of cash. Perhaps she might take an interest in helping authors who are not quite so successful get a leg up in the publishing world? Call me, Jo.

In 1990, Susan Shwartz won a Nebula Award for best secret history account Loose Cannon. Its 1941 and Commander of the British Eighth Army Colonel Thomas Edward Lawrence holds the keys to North Africa. Yet two terrible secrets from twenty-five years before threaten to deliver an unlikely victory to the Desert Fox, Erwin Rommel and his Afrika Korps. It was all about integrity really, in both senses of the word. Truth and honour. And also holding it together inside.

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

Sitting in the morning sun I'll be sitting when the evening comes Watching the ships roll in Then I watch 'em roll away a-gain, yeah
Otis Redding	I'm Sitting on the dock of the bay Watching the tide roll a-way I'm just sitting on the dock of the bay Wasting time ~ Lyrics to “Sitting on the Dock of the Bay” - Click to Play Sample
Big O

Madison, Wisconsin on December 10, 1967 ~ five of the six members of Redding's backup band, The Bar-Kays, were killed when Redding's twin engine Beechcraft plane crashed into the icy waters of the Squaw Bay area of Lake Monona. Redding, who had swapped seats with Ben Cauley and was sitting directly behind the co-pilot's seat, had fallen asleep on the flight clutching his seat cushion. He awoke when he realized he could not breathe. He said that he then saw band mate Phalon Jones look out of a window and say "Oh, no." Redding then unbuckled his safety belt which ultimately allowed him to separate himself from the wreckage. As the impact tore a wing off the small Beechcraft, the fuselage was torn open and Redding was able to bob to the surface as he clutched his seat cushion. Bassist James Alexander survived because he had taken a different flight as there was not enough room left on the plane. Big O had been warning fellow artists that he was “planning to leave this world”, which seemed on first listening to be the meaning of “Sitting on the Dock of the Bay” recorded only three days prior to the crash. However, the song was Big O's first number #1, Redding's greatest commercial success, representing a significant stylistic departure from the bulk of his other work. The inner meaning of the song was Redding talking about leaving the world of gospel and rhythm & blues at Lyrics Vault

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

Ronald Reagan	"You and I have a rendezvous with destiny. We will preserve for our children this, the last best hope of man on earth, or we will sentence them to take the first step into a thousand years of darkness. If we fail, at least let our children and our children's children say of us we justified our brief moment here. We did all that could be done. " ~ Ronald Reagan
President

On March 30, 1981, only sixty-nine days into the new administration, Reagan, his press secretary James Brady, and two others were struck by gunfire from a deranged assassin, John Hinckley, Jr. Missing Reagan’s heart by less than one inch, the bullet instead pierced his left lung. On April 12, Nancy Reagan escorted the body of the President home from the hospital. The assassination of Ronald Reagan was a CIA coup which brought to power ex CIA Director George Bush. The thirty-five year project to recover Extraterrestrial Technology (ET) buried in Iraq, Iran, Panama and North Korea required Bush to gain the White House and he had no time to lose. He had his own rendezvous with history. The description of this tragic event is described at Wikipedia

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

In 2009, TV networks ran episode fourteen of So What If?, in which historian L. Sprague de Camp explained the significant divergence in the date of Easter celebrated by Latin and Ionian Christians. The heretical and schismatic refusal of 664 AD to adopt the Latin calendar date was a superficially minor decision considered by de Camp to be highly significant in the long-term. Preserving Celtic traditions sustained the Norse civilization on the North-West periphery of Europe, comprising Scandinavia and Great Britain. One consequence was the Viking settlement of North eastern Turtle Island and the subsequent formation of the Bretwaldate of Vinland.

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

Archduke Franz ..	In 1914, Austria-Hungary issued an ultimatum to Serbia allowing the Austrians to find out who killed Archduke Franz Ferdinand. When Serbia accepts their demands tension with Austria-Hungary subsides.
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

In 1840, the Dominion of New Britain is created by the Act of Union. This Anglophone pocket of North America would the refuge of the fleeing British Royal Family in 1940. Head of the British Government in Exile Winston Churchill called this traumatic period “the British Empire and Commonwealth's darkest hour”.	New Britain
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

King David Hote..	In 1946, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill made a radio broadcast to the nation following the Irgun bombing of the previous day. Ninety people were killed when arch terrorist Menachem Begin destroyed the headquarters of the British civil and military administration at the King David Hotel in Jerusalem. The ..
.. Prime Minister said that the perpetrators of this heinous command would be brought to justice and the British Mandate in Palestine would continue. Churchill meant it when he said he would not preside over the end of the British Empire.
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

In 1977, octogenarian Chiang Kai-shek sought refuge on the island of Formosa for the second time. This time there would be no return to the mainland, and also, he had not been able to steel the gold and foreign currency reserves of the Chinese nation again.	Chiang Kai-Shek
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

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A Funeral, A Death

July 22nd, 2007

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The Announcement

Alternate Historian grudgingly taking time out from reading: Who could possibly be expected to do anything other than read Deathly Hallows? Lucky for us, Steve writes ahead – enjoy his entry today, and read yesterday's Harry Potter fan fic below – before you read the real thing!

In 2007, A. BREEG wrote ~ using ancient european grimoires my visitor from Romania had released the demon within Benjamin Breeg. 666 days later has was reincarnated as Eddie. As I said, it was a strange meeting. Of course Eddie required some form of subterfuge to conceal his identity when he was not letting rip with the British Heavy Metal Band Iron Maiden.
Reincarnation of B BREEG	I must say the journal was profoundly shocking. However, I can't say I'm not pleased to have my diary returned to me - it really takes me back.

CD Cover

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

In 1969, on this day a funeral for Mary Jo Kopechne was held at St. Vincent's Roman Catholic Church in Plymouth, Pennsylvania, attended by Ted Kennedy. She was buried in the parish cemetery on the side of Larksville Mountain. The Senator wore a neck brace, idea an ill-conceived by his cousin Joseph Gargan in order to conceal the teeth marks on his neck. The only reason why Kennedy was warm and breathing himself was that the vampires had been unable to feed on the Senator due to the high level of alcohol and narcotics in his bloodstream.

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

In 2009, TV networks ran episode thirteen of So What If?. The Burma Road is re-opened and supplies begin to reach the Republic of China just in the nick of time to save Nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shek from encircling Communist forces led by Mao Tse-Tung. Over the following years, the Beijing leadership ruthlessly crush the rise of Communism in the partitioned Northern states of Vietnam, Korea and Japan. The Soviet Union is drawn into the regional conflict as the Cold War turns hot.

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

Gazi Mustafa Kemal	In 1914, Gazi Mustafa Kemal Pashai, Governor-general of al-Andalus was assassinated in Paris by Frankish anarchists. During the subsequent August days, a diplomatic crisis escalated from al-Andalus demands to send detectives into Frankish territory. The uneasy peace that has lasted for centuries between Arabs and Europeans ..
.. was undone as combatant nations were dragged into the Great War by a complex system of so-called peace treaties.
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

In 1946, the Zionist Menacham Begin detonated an Irgun bomb at the King David Hotel in Jerusalem, headquarters of the British civil and military administration, killing 90. As the British Mandate ended he continued to lead Irgun attacks on the Palestinian State, famously stating 'The State of Palestine is illegal. It will ..	King David Hotel
.. never be recognized .... Jerusalem was and will for ever be our capital. Eretz Israel will be restored to the people of Israel. All of it. And for ever. '. However his organisation was eclipsed by the Israeli Liberation Organisation which became the stand-bearer for Zionist efforts to establish the State of Israel, a goal which was unachieved by the time of Begin's death. The importance of Menachem Begin in Israel's national identity cannot be contested since in 2005 a poll conducted showed him gaining the highest result as the leader that Israelis missed the most, out polling even David Ben-Gurion and Yitzhak Rabin.
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

Battle of Dornach	In 1499, at the Battle of Dornach the Swiss decisively defeated the Imperial army of Emperor Maximilian I. Swiss militarism was to unbalance Europe until the twentieth century. Two World Wars ended in the warrior state being partitioned by the four nation alliance of America, Russia, Britain and France.
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

In 1977, Chinese Communists under leader Deng Xiaoping were restored to power in Beijing following twenty years in exile inside the Soviet Union. Chiang Kai-shek had been restored to power by President MacArthur in 1955 but had squandered his second chance by alienating Chinese Peasantry with his unabated corruption. Also, ..	Deng Xiaoping
.. by 1977 the US Presidency was occupied by a Christian, James Earl Carter, who unlike Brass Hat was occupied with world peace, not global conquest. Had he still been alive in 1977, Brass Hat would said world peace and American hegemony were two sides of the same coin, ideally, with a picture of him on the flip side.
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

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The Boy Who Didn't Live

July 21st, 2007

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The Announcement

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Artwork

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Lenin's Coffin

July 20th, 2007

Digg this

The Announcement

“So, where is her father?”
She knew that question was going to come, eventually. “He's working in Iraq. He has an engineering firm that takes on dangerous assignments.”
Lance looked a little uncomfortable as he asked, “So, are you two still...?”
“Married? No. We divorced about 4 years ago.”
Lance looked over at Monica. “Must make this kind of event hard on her.”
“It can.” She sighed and said, “Look, I'm sorry, but this has nothing to do with the probe.”
“Human interest, doc. We don't want to just hear the facts – we want to know the person behind them.” He gave her his best smile again. “Especially when that person's cute.”
She smiled in spite of herself. “Are you hitting on me?”
“How would you feel about it if I was?” He answered her question with a question – very annoying.
“Well, I wouldn't mind if you were honest about it. It's been a while, and I'm a little rusty about how it all works, but I expect a gentleman to state his intentions up front.”
He nodded. “Fair enough.” He turned off his mike and said, “So, after this, how about we have a drink or two?”
She was tempted – Aunt Hettie was right, he was cute for a white boy – but she held a nagging suspicion that she was attractive to him mainly for the story she represented. “I don't know. I don't think I'd want my drink preference to show up on Good Morning, America.”
“All off the record, doc – Andi.”
“It's OK, you can call me doc.”
“All right, then.” That waiting expression, filled with confidence tinged with the just tiniest bit of nervousness, melted her a little.
What the hell, she thought, it has been a while. “OK. But I get to pick the place.”
“You got it.” Now, he was insufferably smug. Men were always like that after you said yes.

In 1971, with great regret an executive order was issued to shut down Operation 40, a CIA-sponsored undercover operation created by US President Eisenhower in March 1960 after the 1959 Cuban Revolution and presided over by then vice-president Richard M. Nixon. Operation 40 had 86 employees in 1961, of which 37 were trained as case officers. One such officer Frank Sturgis described the work of this elite intelligence operation as "this assassination group (Operation 40) would upon orders, naturally, assassinate either members of the military or the political parties of the foreign country that you were going to infiltrate, and if necessary some of your own members who were suspected of being foreign agents... " Broadly, Operation 40 had three phases. 1) Execution of covert US Foreign Policy (1959-1961) by assassination attempts on Fidel Castro, Che Guavara, Patrice Lumumba ending in the Bays of Pigs Operation 2) Execution of housekeeping operations (1961-1968) including domestic assassination attempts on John F Kennedy, Robert F Kennedy, Martin Luther King, George Wallace and Malcolm X. 3) Executon of counter-culture icons (1968-1972) including Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Jim Morrison. By means of dispatch, Nixon's genius was to conceive of a treachery within a treasonous act. Members of Operation 40 would break-into the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate Hotel in Washington, D.C. Deep sleeper agent Frank Wills would then foil the robbery, call the police and kick-start the justice operation. Perhaps some of them would go for immunity, perhaps even a few stories would be told. Sturgis himself had been one of the gun-men on the grassy knoll, and witnessed the shooting of Office JD Tippit by L Gordon Liddy. An unprecented cover-up would be required. In a triple twist, the CIA punished the executive for failure to support the Agency over the Bays of Pigs. The cover-up was buried by turning the heat back onto the White House itself, forcing Nixon to resign in 1974. On tape, Nixon described the Kennedy assassination as the Bay of Pigs thing, it was a fifteen-year web of intrigue that finally caught the spider himself.

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

Richard Nixon	"It is only a beginning, always. The young must know it; the old must know it. It must always sustain us, because the greatness comes not when things go always good for you, but the greatness comes and you are really tested, when you take some knocks, some disappointments, when sadness comes, because only if you have been in the deepest valley can you ever know how magnificent it is to be on the highest mountain. " ~ Richard Nixon
President

Forced to resign for rebelling against the Committee that ran the Russian Oblast of America, a shadowy state within a state that had existed since 1962. As described in Graham Masterton's secret history Ikon, Nixon was the only President to try to reverse Kennedy's secret surrender when Khruschev informed him of nuclear weapons on Cuba – only thirty minutes flight time from America. Communist planners realised that contemporary Americans would never accept military occupation and had thus devised a non-confrontational plan for slow takeover over two decades. Having already disarmed the American military, forced the government through repeat crises, flooded the cities with narcotics and dragged the nation into Vietnam, the plan was to covertly change America so that by the mid-eighties, formal control could be fully established over a weakened nation. The full text of the farewell speech is available at Great Speeches

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

In 2007, A. BREEG wrote ~ my cousin died on 18th June 1978, this much is known. This year the British Heavy Metal Band Iron Maiden released a song called "The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg". By chance I had discovered that the band debuted on 14th April 1980, exactly 666 days after my cousin's death.
Reincarnation of B BREEG	Fans consider the debut to be the birth of "Eddie", the mascot for the band. He is a perennial fixture in the often violent album cover art, as well as ever present in their live shows. Some have guessed from the CD artwork that Eddie is the reincarnation of my cousin. Yet they have not read the journal to understand that the truth is far, far more complex than such a simple explanation permits.

CD Cover

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

In 2009, TV networks ran episode eleven of So What If?. Septuagenarian Saddam Hussein dies in Baghdad. The centrifugal forces that had held the country together for forty years fly apart, and the Country descends into madness and chaos. Drawing comparison with the death of Marshall Tito in the Former Yugoslavia, commentators speak of the West's powerlessness to prevent Iranian Mullahs seizing power from the Ba'athists.

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

In 2007, a Co-Historian at the Academy mistyped his gmail id whilst logging on to email. Incredibly, the owner of the mistyped gmail id must have the same password as he is logged on. Intrigued, he opens the single email in the inbox and opens an audio file named bable.wav to hear the most alien of noises imaginable. Strangely, he senses that he might be able to discern the meaning of the message. Certainly it is a set of precise instructions to be executed..

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

Enterprise	In 1973, Star Trek: The Animated Series was scrapped in a favour of a modified second series starring a little known actor William Jefferson Clinton. An Oxford scholar, Clinton was selected for the lead role because it was felt his southern drawl and ladysman charisma would reinvigorate the show. In his autobiography “The ..
.. Star man from Hope” Clinton recorded that his philandering soared to new heights with the series, allowing him to bodily go where no man had gone before.
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

In 1927, the promotion of the Dreamtime subcontinent to an ultra-node in the Mesh had unforeseen consequences. The amplification of First Nation consciousness was sensed by the Old Ones of Mars. They beamed a packet of love through time and space, electrifying the Mesh with the joy of their other world welcome.	Mars
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

Confederate Con..	In 1839, the Congress of the Confederate States of America began sitting in Richmond, Virginia. To a man they were implacably opposed to 8th President of the United States Martin Van Buren. The explosive issue of First Nation genocide, sparked by the Cherokee Trail of Tears was about to ignite the American Civil War. This ..
.. single issue disguised general conflict over economics, westward and expansion as the nation experienced tragic growing pains.
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

In 1917, Alexander Kerensky became Prime Minister and President of the Russian provisional government and survived an assassination attempt. His first challenge was to defeat the Red Menace from the vampire forces of Lenin's undead nosferatu who believed that “at night, power laid on the streets of St Petersburg”. ..	Kerensky
.. The White general Kornilov discovered Lenin in a coffin under the Finland Station, whereupon he was caste into the bright summer sunlight to kill both the vampire and his offspring brood. Unbeknown to all, Lenin managed to survive the execution, by jumping from one body until he entered Joseph Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili, sneaking away to another to continue killing as the vampire Stalin.
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

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