A Giant Sucking Sound: a President Perot TL
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« We have reasons to think that the Iraqi Intelligence Agency is to be held responsible for the World Trade Center attack, at least partially. The explosive that was used in the underground parking area is close to the one used by Iraqi military during the Iran-Iraq war… »
-Press conference of National Security Advisor R. James Woolsey, Jr., March, 5 1993
SADDAM CALLS THROUGH HIS UN AMBASSADOR US CLAIMS « UNREALISTIC ALLEGATIONS »
-Washington Post, March, 7 1993
LOBBYING DISCLOSURE ACT PASSED WITH BIPARTISAN SUPPORT IN BOTH HOUSES : LOBBYISTS FORCED TO REGISTER ; PRES. PEROT PRAISES « VICTORY OF GENERAL INTEREST »
-Washington Post, March, 13 1993
US PRESIDENT PEROT IN MEXICO
-La Prensa, March, 16 1993
« -Carlos, you should begin to put pressure on your drug lords. You must do that before they get too powerful. We will fund you, like we did in Colombia. The first line of the War on Drugs is to be fought in Mexico.
-Listen, Ross. We have already a lot of problems here in Mexico. The people is already tired of the PRI, so we can’t inflict them with a gang war. By the way, remember that next year I’ll be gone. See with my successor. »
-Transcript of the private meeting between US President Ross Perot and Mexican President Carlos Salinas de Gortari, March 1993
« This Chicano is gonna regret this, Tom, I assure you. A Mexican can’t snub a Texan. »
-Overheard conversation between President Perot and his Chief of Staff Tom Luce
BALANCED BUDGET BILL PASSES THE HOUSE 234-201
-Washington Post, March, 22 1993
« The passage of this bill is a personal victory, but it’s also a victory for Representative Kennedy, who has sponsored this amendment with his own influence ; it’s also a victory for bipartisanship, and thus for both political parties in Congress. But furthermore, it’s a victory for the American people. »
-Press conference of President Ross Perot from the Rose Garden, March, 22 1993
TAKING BACK OUR STREETS ACT PASSED : REINFORCED LAW ENFORCEMENT, HARSHER PENALTIES ON DRUG USE AND TRAFFICKING, PRISON CONSTRUCTION FUNDING, PROJECT OF CAMERA SURVEILLANCE NETWORK IN GREAT CITIES
-Washington Post, March, 25 1993
« A camera network ? The President claims he doesn’t want to spend more money, but he uses extravagant expenditure to give a false impression of safety ? I must advise President Perot to take a look into an obscure British novel, it’s called 1984. He will find plenty of ideas there. »
-Senator Paul Wellstone (D-MN), March, 25 1993
« Even if I’m a convinced Republican, I must praise President Perot and Representative Kennedy for this sensed bill, that the American people needed and awaited. I therefore sponsor this bill. I can already announce you that I am joined by Senator Dole but also Senator Lieberman from Connecticut. »
-Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT), March, 28 1993
« I disagree strongly with Senate Minority Leader Dole and my colleagues within the Democratic Party who are in favor of the Kennedy-Hatch bill. This amendment is against the most sacred principles that built the Constitution. I won’t endorse this bill. »
-Senate Majority Leader George J. Mitchell (D-ME), March, 29 1993
KENNEDY-HATCH AMENDMENT SENATE VOTE SCHEDULED FOR MAY
-Washington Post, March, 31 1993
PEROT MEETS YELSTIN ; START III TALKS UNDER WAY
-New York Times, April, 5 1993
« We have just learnt that something has happened to former President George Bush. It seems, and I insist, it seems that during his visit in Kuwait, his hotel has been victim of a car bomb… We are waiting for more information… »
-CNN, April, 16 1993
-« The forty-first President of the United States, George Herbert Walker Bush… My father… has been victim of a terrorist attack while on visit in Kuwait City. A car bomb targeted his hotel room… It was already too late. »
-Press conference by George W. Bush, in Houston, Texas, April, 16 1993
George Herbert Walker Bush (June, 12 1924-April, 16 1993)
41st President of the United States 1989-1993
PEOPLE REJOICE IN IRAQI CITIES UPON NEWS OF BUSH’S DEATH
-New York Times, April, 17 1993
WACO SIEGE ENDS IN BLOODBATH
-New York Times, April, 19 1993
« I and President Bush have disagreed on many themes, but, as his successor and past opponent, I’m the first to acknowledge that he was among the greatest President that these great United States of America ever had. Each American weeps today, Mr. President. I can hear this weeping. And the people who did that horror will soon hear about us. »
-Eulogy of President Ross Perot at George H. W. Bush’s state funeral in Washington D.C., April, 22 1993
Presidential son George W. Bush speaking at his father's state funeral in Washington's National Cathedral, April, 22 1993
It’s not because he died that President Perot finally liked Bush : even if he joined the nation in mourning, he continued to criticize him, in particular for his failure to remove Saddam Hussein. He had been convinced by Woolsey that Saddam had something to do with the World Trade Center attack, and the assassination of Bush was clearly the Iraqi dictator’s deed. Kuwaiti police arrested dozens of Iraqi nationals and agents who had worked into the car bomb. President Perot was all the more upset by the bloody conclusion of the Waco siege and the debate on the Kennedy-Hatch bill. He took advantage of the funerals to consult his predecessors, from Nixon to Reagan. It was the first time that he was truly interested in foreign policy.
Tom Luce and I arranged a meeting between the President, Woolsey, Kirkpatrick and Clapper. President Perot wanted Saddam Hussein’s head, he wanted him down at all costs. The National Security Advisor claimed that Iraqi sleeper cells were maybe infiltrated throughout the countries of the Desert Strom coalition, waiting for orders. The Secretary of State said a massive bombing campaign on behalf of revenge for the late President Bush would be met by immediate approval from most of the United Nations’ members. When the President raised the possibility of a Kurdish uprising, the CIA Director commented that if contact had already been made with senior officers within Saddam’s inner circle who were willing to dispose of him, the two Kurdish factions, the KDP and the PUK, were close to a breakdown, due to the pressure that the Iraqi blockade put on them. The President then asked if the Kurds could reconcile their differences with enough money. Lt. Gen. Clapper insisted that it would still be difficult, and that a US-sponspored Kurdish uprising would strain relations with Turkey and Iran. To which the President responded that it was sheer precautions that led the late President Bush to his death, and he closed the meeting.
I stayed alone with him, discussing the new measures to take after the Waco incident…
-From The President’s Son-in-Law : Memoirs from Washington, by former White House Counsel Clay Mulford
« Saddam Hussein’s army has been maybe destroyed, but he remains a major terrorist threat to world peace and security. I hope this Assembly will agree with me that the sacrifice of the late President Bush is enough, and that it should never happen again. Therefore I ask this Assembly to launch a retaliation campaign against Iraq… »
-UN Ambassador Katharine Graham’ speech in front of the United Nations, April, 28 1993
After my father’s death, I felt horribly depressed, I felt into depression. Even the presence of Laura, of my twin daughters couldn’t relieve me of my pain. It’s only thanks to my faith in God that I didn’t fell back in liquor. The world had ceased to exist, just because of an evil dictator who was celebrating in his stone palace in the middle of the desert.
Before my father went to his fateful trip to Kuwait City, I had spoken to him of my plans to run for the Republican nomination in Texas, the following year, in order to challenge Governor Ann Richards : he was somewhat worried about my chances, but I told him I had met an excellent consultant, called Karl Rove, that would help me in the campaign.
After his demise, I relinquished all my gubernatorial aspirations into my depression, and Mr. Rove continued his excellent career. But it was different with Jeb : the terrible end of our father gave him a second wind, a new strength, a desire to overcome his pain through victory, he told our mother that the only way he could avenge our father was to defeat Lawton Chiles in 1994 and to enter national politics. From this day, I knew that another Bush was born, and that his fit of energy would drive Jeb to the White House. I was almost right.
-Tales of My Father, by George Walker Bush, 2010
-Press conference of National Security Advisor R. James Woolsey, Jr., March, 5 1993
SADDAM CALLS THROUGH HIS UN AMBASSADOR US CLAIMS « UNREALISTIC ALLEGATIONS »
-Washington Post, March, 7 1993
LOBBYING DISCLOSURE ACT PASSED WITH BIPARTISAN SUPPORT IN BOTH HOUSES : LOBBYISTS FORCED TO REGISTER ; PRES. PEROT PRAISES « VICTORY OF GENERAL INTEREST »
-Washington Post, March, 13 1993
US PRESIDENT PEROT IN MEXICO
-La Prensa, March, 16 1993
« -Carlos, you should begin to put pressure on your drug lords. You must do that before they get too powerful. We will fund you, like we did in Colombia. The first line of the War on Drugs is to be fought in Mexico.
-Listen, Ross. We have already a lot of problems here in Mexico. The people is already tired of the PRI, so we can’t inflict them with a gang war. By the way, remember that next year I’ll be gone. See with my successor. »
-Transcript of the private meeting between US President Ross Perot and Mexican President Carlos Salinas de Gortari, March 1993
« This Chicano is gonna regret this, Tom, I assure you. A Mexican can’t snub a Texan. »
-Overheard conversation between President Perot and his Chief of Staff Tom Luce
BALANCED BUDGET BILL PASSES THE HOUSE 234-201
-Washington Post, March, 22 1993
« The passage of this bill is a personal victory, but it’s also a victory for Representative Kennedy, who has sponsored this amendment with his own influence ; it’s also a victory for bipartisanship, and thus for both political parties in Congress. But furthermore, it’s a victory for the American people. »
-Press conference of President Ross Perot from the Rose Garden, March, 22 1993
TAKING BACK OUR STREETS ACT PASSED : REINFORCED LAW ENFORCEMENT, HARSHER PENALTIES ON DRUG USE AND TRAFFICKING, PRISON CONSTRUCTION FUNDING, PROJECT OF CAMERA SURVEILLANCE NETWORK IN GREAT CITIES
-Washington Post, March, 25 1993
« A camera network ? The President claims he doesn’t want to spend more money, but he uses extravagant expenditure to give a false impression of safety ? I must advise President Perot to take a look into an obscure British novel, it’s called 1984. He will find plenty of ideas there. »
-Senator Paul Wellstone (D-MN), March, 25 1993
« Even if I’m a convinced Republican, I must praise President Perot and Representative Kennedy for this sensed bill, that the American people needed and awaited. I therefore sponsor this bill. I can already announce you that I am joined by Senator Dole but also Senator Lieberman from Connecticut. »
-Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT), March, 28 1993
« I disagree strongly with Senate Minority Leader Dole and my colleagues within the Democratic Party who are in favor of the Kennedy-Hatch bill. This amendment is against the most sacred principles that built the Constitution. I won’t endorse this bill. »
-Senate Majority Leader George J. Mitchell (D-ME), March, 29 1993
KENNEDY-HATCH AMENDMENT SENATE VOTE SCHEDULED FOR MAY
-Washington Post, March, 31 1993
PEROT MEETS YELSTIN ; START III TALKS UNDER WAY
-New York Times, April, 5 1993
« We have just learnt that something has happened to former President George Bush. It seems, and I insist, it seems that during his visit in Kuwait, his hotel has been victim of a car bomb… We are waiting for more information… »
-CNN, April, 16 1993
-« The forty-first President of the United States, George Herbert Walker Bush… My father… has been victim of a terrorist attack while on visit in Kuwait City. A car bomb targeted his hotel room… It was already too late. »
-Press conference by George W. Bush, in Houston, Texas, April, 16 1993
George Herbert Walker Bush (June, 12 1924-April, 16 1993)
41st President of the United States 1989-1993
PEOPLE REJOICE IN IRAQI CITIES UPON NEWS OF BUSH’S DEATH
-New York Times, April, 17 1993
WACO SIEGE ENDS IN BLOODBATH
-New York Times, April, 19 1993
« I and President Bush have disagreed on many themes, but, as his successor and past opponent, I’m the first to acknowledge that he was among the greatest President that these great United States of America ever had. Each American weeps today, Mr. President. I can hear this weeping. And the people who did that horror will soon hear about us. »
-Eulogy of President Ross Perot at George H. W. Bush’s state funeral in Washington D.C., April, 22 1993
Presidential son George W. Bush speaking at his father's state funeral in Washington's National Cathedral, April, 22 1993
It’s not because he died that President Perot finally liked Bush : even if he joined the nation in mourning, he continued to criticize him, in particular for his failure to remove Saddam Hussein. He had been convinced by Woolsey that Saddam had something to do with the World Trade Center attack, and the assassination of Bush was clearly the Iraqi dictator’s deed. Kuwaiti police arrested dozens of Iraqi nationals and agents who had worked into the car bomb. President Perot was all the more upset by the bloody conclusion of the Waco siege and the debate on the Kennedy-Hatch bill. He took advantage of the funerals to consult his predecessors, from Nixon to Reagan. It was the first time that he was truly interested in foreign policy.
Tom Luce and I arranged a meeting between the President, Woolsey, Kirkpatrick and Clapper. President Perot wanted Saddam Hussein’s head, he wanted him down at all costs. The National Security Advisor claimed that Iraqi sleeper cells were maybe infiltrated throughout the countries of the Desert Strom coalition, waiting for orders. The Secretary of State said a massive bombing campaign on behalf of revenge for the late President Bush would be met by immediate approval from most of the United Nations’ members. When the President raised the possibility of a Kurdish uprising, the CIA Director commented that if contact had already been made with senior officers within Saddam’s inner circle who were willing to dispose of him, the two Kurdish factions, the KDP and the PUK, were close to a breakdown, due to the pressure that the Iraqi blockade put on them. The President then asked if the Kurds could reconcile their differences with enough money. Lt. Gen. Clapper insisted that it would still be difficult, and that a US-sponspored Kurdish uprising would strain relations with Turkey and Iran. To which the President responded that it was sheer precautions that led the late President Bush to his death, and he closed the meeting.
I stayed alone with him, discussing the new measures to take after the Waco incident…
-From The President’s Son-in-Law : Memoirs from Washington, by former White House Counsel Clay Mulford
« Saddam Hussein’s army has been maybe destroyed, but he remains a major terrorist threat to world peace and security. I hope this Assembly will agree with me that the sacrifice of the late President Bush is enough, and that it should never happen again. Therefore I ask this Assembly to launch a retaliation campaign against Iraq… »
-UN Ambassador Katharine Graham’ speech in front of the United Nations, April, 28 1993
After my father’s death, I felt horribly depressed, I felt into depression. Even the presence of Laura, of my twin daughters couldn’t relieve me of my pain. It’s only thanks to my faith in God that I didn’t fell back in liquor. The world had ceased to exist, just because of an evil dictator who was celebrating in his stone palace in the middle of the desert.
Before my father went to his fateful trip to Kuwait City, I had spoken to him of my plans to run for the Republican nomination in Texas, the following year, in order to challenge Governor Ann Richards : he was somewhat worried about my chances, but I told him I had met an excellent consultant, called Karl Rove, that would help me in the campaign.
After his demise, I relinquished all my gubernatorial aspirations into my depression, and Mr. Rove continued his excellent career. But it was different with Jeb : the terrible end of our father gave him a second wind, a new strength, a desire to overcome his pain through victory, he told our mother that the only way he could avenge our father was to defeat Lawton Chiles in 1994 and to enter national politics. From this day, I knew that another Bush was born, and that his fit of energy would drive Jeb to the White House. I was almost right.
-Tales of My Father, by George Walker Bush, 2010
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vultan, historybuff - There is an update for you, Sir. Please read a bit my updates, but I hope they're clear enough. Thanks for the shout out, Vultan!
lothaw - He will be like this...Until he reaches some point.
Cuauhtemoc, Dead Sea Squirrels - Thanks!
Orville_third - As you see, blood will soon begin to flow...
John Fredrick Parker - Given my poor knowledge in banking system, I can't answer you...
Cook - I have another picture of Perot like this...
Meadow - A clue: the new James Bond is Welsh, and never played for Tarantino IOTL.
thekingsguard, Kidblast - Thanks, I appreciate my movie easter eggs are noticed and appreciated!
lothaw - He will be like this...Until he reaches some point.
Cuauhtemoc, Dead Sea Squirrels - Thanks!
Orville_third - As you see, blood will soon begin to flow...
John Fredrick Parker - Given my poor knowledge in banking system, I can't answer you...
Cook - I have another picture of Perot like this...
Meadow - A clue: the new James Bond is Welsh, and never played for Tarantino IOTL.
thekingsguard, Kidblast - Thanks, I appreciate my movie easter eggs are noticed and appreciated!
Indeed, this is excellent. It has excellent potential.
One question though: Will this TL delve into other aspects of the ATL, such as pop culture? I imagine President Ross Perot is going to have a huge impact on the lives of every American, sooner or later (likely sooner).
For example, the American notion of government after the election of an Independent President is going to be altered dramatically. All sorts of people are going to publishing books in 1993/94 presenting similar theories on why the two-party system is "broken," "over," etc. A lot of people, especially those less knowledgeable in politics, are going to believe these theories. Therefore, Independents are going to be much more likely to win statewide elections.
People might see Perot as being a Populist, ironically, and so they might become more faithful towards their government. I don't know the future of this ATL, but nowadays IOTL, people don't have much faith in their government at all; this will change ITTL, I'm sure of it.
As for pop culture? Not sure what effects Ross Perot would have on this. However, if you do cover this field (as I dearly hope you will), I hope to see some pretty awesome stuff happening. You know, musical supergroups, movies with a kickass cast, etc.
One question though: Will this TL delve into other aspects of the ATL, such as pop culture? I imagine President Ross Perot is going to have a huge impact on the lives of every American, sooner or later (likely sooner).
For example, the American notion of government after the election of an Independent President is going to be altered dramatically. All sorts of people are going to publishing books in 1993/94 presenting similar theories on why the two-party system is "broken," "over," etc. A lot of people, especially those less knowledgeable in politics, are going to believe these theories. Therefore, Independents are going to be much more likely to win statewide elections.
People might see Perot as being a Populist, ironically, and so they might become more faithful towards their government. I don't know the future of this ATL, but nowadays IOTL, people don't have much faith in their government at all; this will change ITTL, I'm sure of it.
As for pop culture? Not sure what effects Ross Perot would have on this. However, if you do cover this field (as I dearly hope you will), I hope to see some pretty awesome stuff happening. You know, musical supergroups, movies with a kickass cast, etc.
My obvious answer was Clive Owen, then, but he's not Welsh (despite the name). Not sure!
ITALY : FORMER PM BETTINO CRAXI AND MEDIA MOGUL SILVIO BERLUSCONI INDICTED IN MANI PULITE TRIALS
-Washington Post, April, 30 1993
« Listen, guys, I’m a true son of Texas, I have a musket which dates back to the War of Independance, but we saw the wackos in Waco… That a bunch of religious fanatics held a standoff for fifty days against trained FBI agents… That they took their women and children hostages with them… That they had automatic weapons, assault rifles… Isn’t that abnormal ? »
-President Ross Perot speaking to police officers in Houston, Texas, May, 3 1993
OPERATION RESTORE HOPE IN SOMALIA UNDER UN CONTROL: BECOMES UNOSOM II
-New York Times, May, 4 1993
« After the Waco tragedy, the President has decided to push forward a Guns Control Package that will be composed of many laws destined to guarantee safety for the law-abiding citizens of the United States. Many congressmen have pledged to propose these bills in Congress. First, the Federal Assault Weapons Ban would prohibit the civilian use of semi-automatic firearms and outlaw their possession. Second, the Weapon Possession Licence will institute a weapons licence, that will require a declaration of owned guns, a background check on every owner and get a physical and mental medical examination. And last, the Firearm Owners Registration would create a computerized database of all the privately owned weapons and their owners throughout the United States, coordinated by the Department of Justice and the Task Force DIIN… »
-Press Secretary James Squire, May, 7 1993
« It’s ridiculous : even if he had a good inspiration into proposing a Balanced Budget Amendment, President Perot was poorly inspired when he proposed to tear apart the Second Amendment. We could well call him unfit to serve. »
-Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL), May, 9 1993
MASS PROTESTS ACCROSS THE SOUTH AGAINST GUNS CONTROL PACKAGE
-New York Times, May, 11 1993
« Mr. President, you disappoint me. I can tell you that I voted for Perot last year, but now, there is no word to tell how much I regret it. He ran on an anti-guns control platform, and yet he pushes for legislation that would deprive any citizen for their right to bear arms, just because some lunatics decided to defy the law. I hope the lawmakers in Washington will have enough decency to counter this crazy project. »
-Charlton Heston speaking at a NRA meeting in Richmond, Virginia, May, 14 1993
NRA meeting during the May 1993 Guns Control Package protests
KENNEDY-HATCH BILL DEFEATED IN SENATE, 52-48
-Washington Post, May, 20 1993
I find it funny to notice that the ones who voted against the Balanced Budget Amendment were the ones who voted in favor of the Arms Control Package. The President believed that we could work with either the conservatives and the liberals : he was right in one sense, but it’s not what it meant. Every columnist throughout the country called the defeat of the Bill the supreme snub to the independant president, and predicted that all his projects would follow this lead, except for the most populist projects. But he didn’t felt like it.
-From The President’s Son-in-Law : Memoirs from Washington, by former White House Counsel Clay Mulford
« I learnt one thing from business, Tom : if your partners deceive you or stab you in the back, you have to change them. And to unseat them. And to bankrupt them. »
-Overheard conversation between President Perot and his Chief of Staff Tom Luce
« I have come to the conclusion that the businessman Ross Perot, who won a rigged election thanks to the support of the Jews in Wall Street, is now trying to deprive the true American citizens from their weapons. It’s clearly the first step to a Jewish takeover of America. I therefore proclaim that every patriot has the duty to gather and conceal weapons, semi-automatic, automatic or even assault ones, in order to defend themselves before the liberticide laws are passed. »
-Statement from White Aryan Resistance leader Tom Metzger, quoted in Outrun my Gun-A Short History of the Militia Movement
BERLUSCONI RESIGNS FROM FININVEST ; FACES JAIL FOR CORRUPTION AND CONSPIRACY
-Corriere della Sera, June, 2 1993
« Yeah, I began to become involved in politics when Perot pushed for this stupid Gun Licence Act, or whatever it’s called. I immediately made a song called « Ross Perot can suck my rifle » : it was immediately played in all the protests throughout the country, and it was a major success for me. The Michigan Republican Party began to take interest on me, and here I am. Believe me, Perot would be remembered as a decent President if he didn’t became insane on gun rights, and we wouldn’t have had all these terrorism problems. »
-Governor of Michigan Ted Nugent (R-MI), interviewed by Fox News, July, 3 2007
-Washington Post, April, 30 1993
« Listen, guys, I’m a true son of Texas, I have a musket which dates back to the War of Independance, but we saw the wackos in Waco… That a bunch of religious fanatics held a standoff for fifty days against trained FBI agents… That they took their women and children hostages with them… That they had automatic weapons, assault rifles… Isn’t that abnormal ? »
-President Ross Perot speaking to police officers in Houston, Texas, May, 3 1993
OPERATION RESTORE HOPE IN SOMALIA UNDER UN CONTROL: BECOMES UNOSOM II
-New York Times, May, 4 1993
« After the Waco tragedy, the President has decided to push forward a Guns Control Package that will be composed of many laws destined to guarantee safety for the law-abiding citizens of the United States. Many congressmen have pledged to propose these bills in Congress. First, the Federal Assault Weapons Ban would prohibit the civilian use of semi-automatic firearms and outlaw their possession. Second, the Weapon Possession Licence will institute a weapons licence, that will require a declaration of owned guns, a background check on every owner and get a physical and mental medical examination. And last, the Firearm Owners Registration would create a computerized database of all the privately owned weapons and their owners throughout the United States, coordinated by the Department of Justice and the Task Force DIIN… »
-Press Secretary James Squire, May, 7 1993
« It’s ridiculous : even if he had a good inspiration into proposing a Balanced Budget Amendment, President Perot was poorly inspired when he proposed to tear apart the Second Amendment. We could well call him unfit to serve. »
-Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL), May, 9 1993
MASS PROTESTS ACCROSS THE SOUTH AGAINST GUNS CONTROL PACKAGE
-New York Times, May, 11 1993
« Mr. President, you disappoint me. I can tell you that I voted for Perot last year, but now, there is no word to tell how much I regret it. He ran on an anti-guns control platform, and yet he pushes for legislation that would deprive any citizen for their right to bear arms, just because some lunatics decided to defy the law. I hope the lawmakers in Washington will have enough decency to counter this crazy project. »
-Charlton Heston speaking at a NRA meeting in Richmond, Virginia, May, 14 1993
NRA meeting during the May 1993 Guns Control Package protests
KENNEDY-HATCH BILL DEFEATED IN SENATE, 52-48
-Washington Post, May, 20 1993
I find it funny to notice that the ones who voted against the Balanced Budget Amendment were the ones who voted in favor of the Arms Control Package. The President believed that we could work with either the conservatives and the liberals : he was right in one sense, but it’s not what it meant. Every columnist throughout the country called the defeat of the Bill the supreme snub to the independant president, and predicted that all his projects would follow this lead, except for the most populist projects. But he didn’t felt like it.
-From The President’s Son-in-Law : Memoirs from Washington, by former White House Counsel Clay Mulford
« I learnt one thing from business, Tom : if your partners deceive you or stab you in the back, you have to change them. And to unseat them. And to bankrupt them. »
-Overheard conversation between President Perot and his Chief of Staff Tom Luce
« I have come to the conclusion that the businessman Ross Perot, who won a rigged election thanks to the support of the Jews in Wall Street, is now trying to deprive the true American citizens from their weapons. It’s clearly the first step to a Jewish takeover of America. I therefore proclaim that every patriot has the duty to gather and conceal weapons, semi-automatic, automatic or even assault ones, in order to defend themselves before the liberticide laws are passed. »
-Statement from White Aryan Resistance leader Tom Metzger, quoted in Outrun my Gun-A Short History of the Militia Movement
BERLUSCONI RESIGNS FROM FININVEST ; FACES JAIL FOR CORRUPTION AND CONSPIRACY
-Corriere della Sera, June, 2 1993
« Yeah, I began to become involved in politics when Perot pushed for this stupid Gun Licence Act, or whatever it’s called. I immediately made a song called « Ross Perot can suck my rifle » : it was immediately played in all the protests throughout the country, and it was a major success for me. The Michigan Republican Party began to take interest on me, and here I am. Believe me, Perot would be remembered as a decent President if he didn’t became insane on gun rights, and we wouldn’t have had all these terrorism problems. »
-Governor of Michigan Ted Nugent (R-MI), interviewed by Fox News, July, 3 2007
And now, it's a bit of a better world with this Berlusconi crook butterflied away...
RamscoopRaider, John Fredrik Parker, Yelnoc, Wendell, historybuff, Lothaw - Thanks to all! I appreciate!
Falkenburg, Meadow - Clive Owen would have been a decent Bond, with the same fighter look than Daniel Craig, but it's not him.
Dead Sea Squirrels - Butterflies shall, from time to time, appear, and with his Balanced Budget Amendment killed in Senate, this foundation of a third party is incredibly near. My knowledge of music culture of these times is too poor (I'm more a 60s-70s-8às fan), and the musical scene depends of the sheer will of the group itself, but this TL will be full of dreamed movies. The POD is too recent to have consequences on literature... And there will be famous people who will have alternate careers!
RamscoopRaider, John Fredrik Parker, Yelnoc, Wendell, historybuff, Lothaw - Thanks to all! I appreciate!
Falkenburg, Meadow - Clive Owen would have been a decent Bond, with the same fighter look than Daniel Craig, but it's not him.
Dead Sea Squirrels - Butterflies shall, from time to time, appear, and with his Balanced Budget Amendment killed in Senate, this foundation of a third party is incredibly near. My knowledge of music culture of these times is too poor (I'm more a 60s-70s-8às fan), and the musical scene depends of the sheer will of the group itself, but this TL will be full of dreamed movies. The POD is too recent to have consequences on literature... And there will be famous people who will have alternate careers!
Brandon Lee survives? You sir, have caught my attention
But Oliver Stone got to make the planet of the ape
now if you thought Tim Burton ones made no sense, Here what stone would have done
But yea Brandon Lee look like he had an awesome career, I'm growing rather fond of the pop-culture of that TL
, I guess one line of the animaniac song different at leastFIVE PAKISTANI BLUE BERETS KILLED DURING RAID ON SOMALI WARLORD COMPOUND
-New York Times, June, 5 1993
CoS LUCE : Ladies and Gentlemen, thanks for being here, for this special reunion over the situation of Somalia.
PRES. PEROT : OK, guys, I’ll make it quick and simple… I’ve spent last night trying to understand what the hell was going on there, but I couldn’t figure it out. So, what are we doing there ?
SoS KIRKPATRICK : Well, Mr. President, the current United Nations relief operation has been decided a year ago by President Bush due to the ongoing famine and anarchy in Somalia. Established shortly after independance, Siad Barre’s communist regime was overthrown by various clans in 1991. Clan leaders have since fighted for control of the country, dropping it into anarchy and terribly disrupting the agriculture. The northern part of the country has even proclaimed its independance as Somaliland since 1991, and…
PRES. PEROT : Yeah, Jeane, all that is good, but tell me : what are we doing there ?
SoS KIRKPATRICK : To relief the Somali pop…
PRES. PEROT : Come on ! Bush wouldn’t have sent our boys there just for helping the starving Africans ! They are all starving in this continent ! What interests do we have in this part of the world ?
SoS KIRKPATRICK : …
NSA WOOLSEY : Well, Mr. President, Siad Barre had granted two thirds of Somalia’s territory as concessions to various American oils campanies shortly before his downfall.
PRES. PEROT : Ha, there you’re speaking to a Texan, Jim !
SoS KIRKPATRICK : Geographically speaking, Somalia also dominated the Gulf of Aden, which connects the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean, and is thus crucial for the Suez trade road.
CIA Dir. CLAPPER : And as most of Siad Barre’s opponents were islamist warlords, we suspect that Somalia could become a nest for islamist Mujahideens in the near future.
PRES. PEROT : Well. So we went there to help the country, and they don’t want our help, aren’t they ?
GEN. JEREMIAH : Well, we’re currently discussing an assault on enemy forces in Mogadishu.
PRES. PEROT : Stop that, Dave. You and Colin went to Vietnam, so you know that urban fighting is the worse that can occur to a modern army. So we can’t confront them directly. Do we have allies who could do the job instead ?
SecDef POWELL : Well, as the Secretary of State said, our forces have experienced terrible problems there against the many warlords who split the country between them. So we have independant Somaliland on the North, Siad Barre barely holds near the Ethiopian border…
PRES. PEROT : It is real anarchy ? They don’t even have a President ?
UN Amb. GRAHAM : President Ali Mahdi Muhammad isn’t recognized by most of the warlords and only controls chunks of the country.
PRES. PEROT : So we come to this Aidid guy. What does he wants ?
SoS KIRKPATRICK : General Mohamed Farrah Aidid thinks that the current UN intervention could seriously endanger his rule, and he has decided to confront openly the peacekeeping forces. That’s why a Pakistani force had been sent to investigate an arms depot, and that he retaliated.
PRES. PEROT : He’s not funded by Saddam, at least ?
CIA Dir CLAPPER : …We don’t think so…
PRES. PEROT : And he is the most powerful in this goddamn country ? Did we try to enlist him ?
CIA Dir CLAPPER : It doesn’t work like this, Mr. President…
PRES. PEROT : Let me finish ! He just wants to take power for himself ! At least he’s not like the communists in Vietnam, he has only his own ambition, not an ideology ! And there is only a way to deal with this kind of guy, Ladies and Gentlemen…
ALL : …
PRES. PEROT : …In Texas, we used to say : « Dead or alive. »
SecDef POWELL : Huh…It doesn’t work like this, Mr. President…
PRES. PEROT : Come on ! Jim, you guys in CIA are used to assassinate, infiltrate and find guys like him, worse dictators than this petty warlord, no ? Don’t tell me you can’t target a bastard like him !
CIA Dir CLAPPER : Well…
PRES. PEROT : Dave, is there a bounty on this Aidid guy ?
GEN. JEREMIAH : Yes, Mr. President. Of a 25.000 dollars amount.
PRES. PEROT : Raise it to 1 million.
GEN. JEREMIAH : But…
PRES. PEROT : Raise it to 1 million, and destroy this bastard’s forces until he’s forced to leave the cities in this goddamn place. No urban assault : they will soon feel besieged and will want to withdraw to their big deserts. And then, you will launch your special teams or whatever you use to call them. And you will bring me his head.
SoS KIRKPATRICK : But, Mr. President, this manhunt could create a power vacuum in Somalia that would be even worse…
PRES. PEROT : In a goddamn African country, you will always find plenty of guys who will want to take power ! These coloured guys love power !
SecDef POWELL : …*sigh*
PRES. PEROT : Don’t we have a senior officer we’ve bribed, or a relative in our ranks ? To replace General Aidid ?
NSA WOOLSEY : Actually… He has a thirty-one-years-old son…
PRES. PEROT : Wonderful ! Contact him !
CIA Dir CLAPPER : Actually, Hussein Aidid lived in California since he was 17, and he enlisted in the Marines… He’s actually translator on Operation Restore Hope.
PRES. PEROT : Wonderful ! He will have a good American to replace this bastard !
CIA Dir CLAPPER : Our services even said that he wanted to vote Republican once he had US citizenship.
PRES. PEROT : That’s even better ! If Ho Chi Minh has a son who was G.I., and this son had voted for Nixon, we wouldn’t have been in such a mess in Vietnam ! Ladies and Gentlemen, the world is gonna remember us for this ! Like our next bombing campaign in Iraq !
-Transcript of a private meeting in the Oval Office in June 1993 between President Ross Perot, Chief of Staff Tom Luce, Secretary of State Jeane Kirkpatrick, Secretary of Defense Colin Powell, Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff David Jeremiah, National Security Advisor R. James Woolsey, CIA Director James Clapper and UN Ambassador Katherine Graham
Somali warlord, General Mohammed Aidid
« That’s why, to replace the retiring Supreme Court Associate Justice Byron White, I have decided to nominate my Chief of Staff, Mr. Tom Luce. Mr. Luce has proved his leadership during these last six months in the White House, and remains an highly renowned lawyer in all of Texas and even the Union… »
-Press conference of President Ross Perot, June, 15 1993
GENERAL AIDID'S BOUNTY RAISED TO ONE MILLION
-CNN, June, 17 1993
UN SECURITY COUNCIL VOTES TO RETALIATE AGAINST IRAQ FOR BUSH’S ASSASSINATION
-New York Times, June, 19 1993
IRAQI MILITARY FACILITIES BOMBED, RAIDS ON BAGHDAD, BASRA, MOSUL, KIRKUK, TIKRIT
-CNN, June, 22 1993
SADDAM CALLS FOR RESISTANCE ; MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES EXPRESS CONCERNS OVER CIVILIAN CASUALTIES, REPORTED HIGH ; US AIR FORCE DENIES
-Washington Post, June, 23 1993
Iraqi presidential palace bombed in Baghdad, June 1993
NO FLY-ZONE ESTABLISHED OVER KURDISTAN, IRAQI BLOCKADE THWARTED
-New York Times, June, 30 1993
KIRKPATRICK VISITS IRBIL : AGREEMENT REACHED BETWEEN KDP AND PUK
-CNN, July, 11 1993
LUCE CONFIRMED AS SUPREME COURT JUSTICE, REPLACED AS CHIEF OF STAFF BY ED ROLLINS
-Washington Post, August, 5 1993
The first shipments of humanitarian aid have arrived yesterday in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, in order to relieve Somalia from the drought that has stricken the country this summer.
The UN delegation was greeted by Somali President Hussein Mohammed Farrah Aidid : a former US Marine, and currently the only head of state in the world to have dual citizenship (Somali and American), he assumed the office of President shortly after the withdrawal of Operation Restore Hope that went to Somalia from 1992 to 1994, taking control of Mogadishu with his father’s former troops and UN tacit support. However, since 1996, Aidid only holds Mogadishu and a few oil fields around the capital, the remainder of the country being controlled by various warlords, islamist groups and even the de facto independant countries of Somaliland and Puntland. Aidid owes his continuous rule to his own troops, expeditionnary forces sent by the Ethiopian government and private military companies. He’s been many times charged of genocide and oppression by various human rights’ organizations ; however, no arrest warrant has been issued against him.
Somalia is among the poorest and most dangerous countries in the world ; it is also among the countries who most employ PMC in the world, before Mindanao and Kurdistan, and behind Cuba and Iraq.
-The Guardian, July, 29 2011
-New York Times, June, 5 1993
CoS LUCE : Ladies and Gentlemen, thanks for being here, for this special reunion over the situation of Somalia.
PRES. PEROT : OK, guys, I’ll make it quick and simple… I’ve spent last night trying to understand what the hell was going on there, but I couldn’t figure it out. So, what are we doing there ?
SoS KIRKPATRICK : Well, Mr. President, the current United Nations relief operation has been decided a year ago by President Bush due to the ongoing famine and anarchy in Somalia. Established shortly after independance, Siad Barre’s communist regime was overthrown by various clans in 1991. Clan leaders have since fighted for control of the country, dropping it into anarchy and terribly disrupting the agriculture. The northern part of the country has even proclaimed its independance as Somaliland since 1991, and…
PRES. PEROT : Yeah, Jeane, all that is good, but tell me : what are we doing there ?
SoS KIRKPATRICK : To relief the Somali pop…
PRES. PEROT : Come on ! Bush wouldn’t have sent our boys there just for helping the starving Africans ! They are all starving in this continent ! What interests do we have in this part of the world ?
SoS KIRKPATRICK : …
NSA WOOLSEY : Well, Mr. President, Siad Barre had granted two thirds of Somalia’s territory as concessions to various American oils campanies shortly before his downfall.
PRES. PEROT : Ha, there you’re speaking to a Texan, Jim !
SoS KIRKPATRICK : Geographically speaking, Somalia also dominated the Gulf of Aden, which connects the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean, and is thus crucial for the Suez trade road.
CIA Dir. CLAPPER : And as most of Siad Barre’s opponents were islamist warlords, we suspect that Somalia could become a nest for islamist Mujahideens in the near future.
PRES. PEROT : Well. So we went there to help the country, and they don’t want our help, aren’t they ?
GEN. JEREMIAH : Well, we’re currently discussing an assault on enemy forces in Mogadishu.
PRES. PEROT : Stop that, Dave. You and Colin went to Vietnam, so you know that urban fighting is the worse that can occur to a modern army. So we can’t confront them directly. Do we have allies who could do the job instead ?
SecDef POWELL : Well, as the Secretary of State said, our forces have experienced terrible problems there against the many warlords who split the country between them. So we have independant Somaliland on the North, Siad Barre barely holds near the Ethiopian border…
PRES. PEROT : It is real anarchy ? They don’t even have a President ?
UN Amb. GRAHAM : President Ali Mahdi Muhammad isn’t recognized by most of the warlords and only controls chunks of the country.
PRES. PEROT : So we come to this Aidid guy. What does he wants ?
SoS KIRKPATRICK : General Mohamed Farrah Aidid thinks that the current UN intervention could seriously endanger his rule, and he has decided to confront openly the peacekeeping forces. That’s why a Pakistani force had been sent to investigate an arms depot, and that he retaliated.
PRES. PEROT : He’s not funded by Saddam, at least ?
CIA Dir CLAPPER : …We don’t think so…
PRES. PEROT : And he is the most powerful in this goddamn country ? Did we try to enlist him ?
CIA Dir CLAPPER : It doesn’t work like this, Mr. President…
PRES. PEROT : Let me finish ! He just wants to take power for himself ! At least he’s not like the communists in Vietnam, he has only his own ambition, not an ideology ! And there is only a way to deal with this kind of guy, Ladies and Gentlemen…
ALL : …
PRES. PEROT : …In Texas, we used to say : « Dead or alive. »
SecDef POWELL : Huh…It doesn’t work like this, Mr. President…
PRES. PEROT : Come on ! Jim, you guys in CIA are used to assassinate, infiltrate and find guys like him, worse dictators than this petty warlord, no ? Don’t tell me you can’t target a bastard like him !
CIA Dir CLAPPER : Well…
PRES. PEROT : Dave, is there a bounty on this Aidid guy ?
GEN. JEREMIAH : Yes, Mr. President. Of a 25.000 dollars amount.
PRES. PEROT : Raise it to 1 million.
GEN. JEREMIAH : But…
PRES. PEROT : Raise it to 1 million, and destroy this bastard’s forces until he’s forced to leave the cities in this goddamn place. No urban assault : they will soon feel besieged and will want to withdraw to their big deserts. And then, you will launch your special teams or whatever you use to call them. And you will bring me his head.
SoS KIRKPATRICK : But, Mr. President, this manhunt could create a power vacuum in Somalia that would be even worse…
PRES. PEROT : In a goddamn African country, you will always find plenty of guys who will want to take power ! These coloured guys love power !
SecDef POWELL : …*sigh*
PRES. PEROT : Don’t we have a senior officer we’ve bribed, or a relative in our ranks ? To replace General Aidid ?
NSA WOOLSEY : Actually… He has a thirty-one-years-old son…
PRES. PEROT : Wonderful ! Contact him !
CIA Dir CLAPPER : Actually, Hussein Aidid lived in California since he was 17, and he enlisted in the Marines… He’s actually translator on Operation Restore Hope.
PRES. PEROT : Wonderful ! He will have a good American to replace this bastard !
CIA Dir CLAPPER : Our services even said that he wanted to vote Republican once he had US citizenship.
PRES. PEROT : That’s even better ! If Ho Chi Minh has a son who was G.I., and this son had voted for Nixon, we wouldn’t have been in such a mess in Vietnam ! Ladies and Gentlemen, the world is gonna remember us for this ! Like our next bombing campaign in Iraq !
-Transcript of a private meeting in the Oval Office in June 1993 between President Ross Perot, Chief of Staff Tom Luce, Secretary of State Jeane Kirkpatrick, Secretary of Defense Colin Powell, Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff David Jeremiah, National Security Advisor R. James Woolsey, CIA Director James Clapper and UN Ambassador Katherine Graham
Somali warlord, General Mohammed Aidid
« That’s why, to replace the retiring Supreme Court Associate Justice Byron White, I have decided to nominate my Chief of Staff, Mr. Tom Luce. Mr. Luce has proved his leadership during these last six months in the White House, and remains an highly renowned lawyer in all of Texas and even the Union… »
-Press conference of President Ross Perot, June, 15 1993
GENERAL AIDID'S BOUNTY RAISED TO ONE MILLION
-CNN, June, 17 1993
UN SECURITY COUNCIL VOTES TO RETALIATE AGAINST IRAQ FOR BUSH’S ASSASSINATION
-New York Times, June, 19 1993
IRAQI MILITARY FACILITIES BOMBED, RAIDS ON BAGHDAD, BASRA, MOSUL, KIRKUK, TIKRIT
-CNN, June, 22 1993
SADDAM CALLS FOR RESISTANCE ; MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES EXPRESS CONCERNS OVER CIVILIAN CASUALTIES, REPORTED HIGH ; US AIR FORCE DENIES
-Washington Post, June, 23 1993
Iraqi presidential palace bombed in Baghdad, June 1993
NO FLY-ZONE ESTABLISHED OVER KURDISTAN, IRAQI BLOCKADE THWARTED
-New York Times, June, 30 1993
KIRKPATRICK VISITS IRBIL : AGREEMENT REACHED BETWEEN KDP AND PUK
-CNN, July, 11 1993
LUCE CONFIRMED AS SUPREME COURT JUSTICE, REPLACED AS CHIEF OF STAFF BY ED ROLLINS
-Washington Post, August, 5 1993
The first shipments of humanitarian aid have arrived yesterday in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, in order to relieve Somalia from the drought that has stricken the country this summer.
The UN delegation was greeted by Somali President Hussein Mohammed Farrah Aidid : a former US Marine, and currently the only head of state in the world to have dual citizenship (Somali and American), he assumed the office of President shortly after the withdrawal of Operation Restore Hope that went to Somalia from 1992 to 1994, taking control of Mogadishu with his father’s former troops and UN tacit support. However, since 1996, Aidid only holds Mogadishu and a few oil fields around the capital, the remainder of the country being controlled by various warlords, islamist groups and even the de facto independant countries of Somaliland and Puntland. Aidid owes his continuous rule to his own troops, expeditionnary forces sent by the Ethiopian government and private military companies. He’s been many times charged of genocide and oppression by various human rights’ organizations ; however, no arrest warrant has been issued against him.
Somalia is among the poorest and most dangerous countries in the world ; it is also among the countries who most employ PMC in the world, before Mindanao and Kurdistan, and behind Cuba and Iraq.
-The Guardian, July, 29 2011
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