If you decide to incorporate the ideas I have presented so far, you'll let me know right?
Absolutely! I apologize for my lack of replies/posts lately across the board.
Between finals setting in, making plans with my family for Thanksgiving, and catching a really nasty cold which has lingered and left me mostly inert for the past several weeks, I have been much less productive than I would like. I am deeply sorry.
I am happy to say that I have at least 1-2 updates written which I hope will constitute the beginning of Act III of
Blue Skies and plan on getting them posted in the near future.
Do not worry. The timeline lives!
Hi Mr President been a while. I have a question for you. Has the Great Recession hit any other countries or just the US?
An excellent question,
@Kennedy Forever! The Great Recession has not been limited to the United States, but has hit the entire world rather hard, especially the "west" (think US, Anglo-sphere, Western Europe, etc). Its causes were similar to those of the recessions of OTL's 1970's - the energy crises; stagnation after decades of growth following WWII; rise of foreign competition from Japan, Mexico, etc; and others. As of January 1977, where
Blue Skies last left off, the recession is reaching perhaps its fever pitch, and played a major role in President Bush's defeat to Congressman Udall.
Whats the current status of Oswald and Bremer as of 1977, also what happened to Yoko Ono since she never met John Lennon, Mr. President?
What the current state of Japan and the Koreas? Have any significant butterflies affected them as of right now? Mr. President?
Retcon: Regarding Lee Harvey Oswald...
Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested by Texas Rangers on November 23rd, 1963, after being charged with the attempted assassination of President John F. Kennedy and the successful murder of Texas Governor John Connally. Throughout the course of his highly publicized trial, Oswald continued to profess his innocence and claimed that he was a "patsy", used by "shadowy forces" because he "used to live in the Soviet Union". Despite his ramblings, the jury found Oswald guilty for the attempt on the President's life and the murder of the Governor, slapping him with a death sentence which was later commuted to life in prison. As of 1977, Oswald has served out about 14 years, and continues to profess his supposed innocence to any who will hear him. His own personal thoughts regarding who "really" shot at JFK have provided some fuel to truly fringe conspiracy theorists, but most dismiss him as a sad, lonely, disturbed man trying to make sense of his shattered life. President Kennedy himself famously "forgave" Oswald in an interview with
Life shortly after leaving office, saying: "I harbor no lingering ill will towards him... I just thank God for sparing my life." More than anything, Lee Harvey Oswald's name is largely forgotten, save as the answer to a rather difficult question answered by
Jeopardy! champion Ken Jennings in the 2000's, or as a recurring figure in "What if..." scenarios on the popular Alternate History discussion board AH.com.
Unlike Oswald, Arthur Bremer's name has entered the American lexicon ITTL as a synonym for society's failures, man's potential for cruelty and violence, and of course, assassins. After confessing to the murder of President George Romney in March of 1972, Bremer was sentenced to life in prison. Five years later, he continues to serve that sentence, and has had his disturbing diary published, despite public outcry and condemnation from the Bush Administration. Bremer remains the central figure in a myriad of conspiracy theories regarding the Romney Assassination, with his "true" motive being pinpointed as anything from religious hatred of Romney's Mormonism to a bizarre claim that Bremer was contracted to kill the President by the conservative wing of the Republican Party, who believed that Vice President Bush would be more pliable to their right wing policies than the very liberal President. With the advent of the internet in the 1990's, Bremer's writings and persona would attract a cult following on illicit message boards, with many disaffected young men claiming him as a kind of "inspiration" to commit other acts of violence. Though he would never again live as a free man, Bremer's influence over the darker side of American life continues to disturb and sow fear. Truly, one of the villains of American history.
Having never met John Lennon ITTL, Yoko Ono spent the latter part of the 1960's and the 1970's developing as an artist and trying to escape her own personal Hell that was her second marriage, to American Jazz musician, film producer, and art promoter Anthony Cox. Ono eventually managed to secure a divorce from Cox in 1969, though she lost custody of her daughter with him, Kyoko, in the process, and would not see her again until the 1990's. Dejected, depressed, and concerned that her family would pursue institutionalization for her once again in the fall of 1969, a 36 year old Ono found her life turned around by an unlikely ally - American folk singer and social democratic activist Phil Ochs. Moved by his intense energy, Ono's work also took on something of a political bent, blending her abstract, avant garde style with Marxist critiques of consumer culture and the need for women's liberation. Ochs and Ono would eventually marry in 1973, becoming one of the "royal couples" of American counter-culture.
While Japan was certainly hit by the Romney oil shock and the Great Recession of the 1970's, the country's industrial output and overall economic output continue to climb. "The great miracle of East Asia", Japan's post-war boom continues, for now. The country has also seen great change in the form of
ũman ribu, a women's liberation movement which took inspiration from allied movements in the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, and other nations, and sought to modernize Japanese culture and ensure that women were granted equal rights.
The Koreas are largely following their OTL path for the time being. Expect subsequent updates on their progress in the near future however, as TTL's more liberal direction begins to influence youth culture and politics, particularly (obviously) in the South.