Chapter 112: July 2016 – January 2017
“The most successful people I know believe in themselves almost to the point of delusion. …If you don’t believe in yourself, it’s hard to let yourself have contrarian ideas about the future. But this is where most value gets created.”
– CEO Sam Altman of Open A.I. (OTL)
…Looking back on his numbers among progressive voters, Locke reflected, “I think that people always just assumed that I was liberal because I came from Southeast Seattle,”
[1] when the truth of the matter that Locke was actually to the right of progressives such as Wellstone, Jackson and even Bellamy. But the moderate-leaning Senator
appeared to be liberal in the eyes of the public. As a result of the continuing misunderstanding among those outside of The Beltway, his selection of a fellow moderate would appear to be him reaching out to moderate voters, when he would actually be doubling down on his own campaign; conversely, his selection of a progressive would be perceived as him doubling down instead of the uniting of the party that it would truly be. Thus, picking a progressive running mate would not be as affective – for neither the campaign nor for a Locke administration – as picking a moderate would be.
With this line of thinking, Locke again vetted the top two candidates for running mate – the progressive Monica Lewinsky and the moderate Bob Casey Jr. – and chose the latter.
Casey came from the Rust Belt, while Lewinsky, a fellow West Coast resident, would not geographically balance the ticket. Casey had served in the Senate from a Red State since 2000, while Lewinsky had served in the House from a Blue State since 2011. Lewinsky basked in limelight, while Casey was comfortable leading from “behind the scenes.”
The decision, while satisfying uninformed voters with the illusion of unity, was disquieting for party members who had backed the likes of Ross and Moore in the primaries, with former President Wellstone being the most critical. Former President Mondale and former Vice President Jerry Litton, however, considered Casey’s selection to be a “smart” move. Lewinsky’s speech at the DNC receiving more applause than Casey’s VP nomination acceptance speech, though, should have been seen as a sign that their road to the White House was going to be even tougher than they were expecting it to be.
The DNC’s platform contributed to this by allegedly lacking ambition, calling for higher government regulations to protect the environment and essentially continuing most of the policies of the Jackson and Wellstone administration, with the notable exemption of low military budgets. Considered more moderate than those of Jackson and Wellstone overall, Ross delegates were upset that the platform failed to fully embrace environmentalist polices; while Ross’s proposed G.R.E.E.N. Deal became a plank, the former VP’s proposed E.P.I.C. Projects did not…
– Tiffany Taliaferro’s Decision 2016: Grammar vs. Locke, Penguin Publishing, 2017
“
I just wanted to show you all what a real Seattle native sounds like! …I’m so proud of my Chinese ancestry, but I was born and raised in America, and I really believe in American values, our American system, our freedom, our liberties. …My dad, of course, like a lot of Asian parents, wanted me to be an engineer or doctor and never could understand why I would want to be a lawyer. And then, when I first said I wanted to run for office, he thought that was absolutely insane. …The constant influx of new cultures, new ideas and new ways of looking at old problems is a big part of the reason why America has been the most dynamic economy in the world for well over a century. …The U.S. tries to provide immigrants who grow up here with a world-class education and imbue them with the can-do attitude that has long defined American innovation.”
[2]
– Gary Locke, accepting his party’s nomination for President, 7/7/2016
[pic:
imgur.com/KGqq4rG.png ]
– The Balloon Drop, the final night of the 2016 Democratic National Convention, 7/5-8/2016
[pic:
imgur.com/ZBUKAHN.png ]
– DNC Chair Tony Villar (D-CA) rubbing his hands at the 2016 DNC, 7/8/2016; The Herring Network was quick to use this image often in its broadcasting
…The campaign to re-elect President Kelsey Grammer seemed to be fairly straightforward. An administration presiding over a successful time of prosperous economic growth and expansion with low unemployment and no troops overseas? It should have been a cakewalk. But the problem rested in the internal political world of the GOP, as tacit support from some members of the Religious Right and McAfee diehards threatened to tear the Republican Party apart in a rather self-destructive manner…
– Former White House Chief of Staff Susan Kennedy’s autobiography No Easy Task, Borders Books, 2019
NYC MAYOR MCMILLAN ANNOUNCES THIRD-PARTY BID FOR PRESIDENT!
…the officially-Independent Mayor said that he came to this decision after being dissatisfied with DNC platform for 2016, which he believes does not adequately address the nation’s rent problems…
– The New York Times, 7/11/2016
...The Mayor’s actions on Rent Control in 2014 and 2015 had yielded mixed-to-positive results. Despite businesses not being friendly to his administration, McMillan was able to pass laws without their support. He had limited vacancy increases passed, he reduced permanent rent increases in buildings of 35 units or more for individual apartment improvements, and he set the maximum rent for a standard one-bedroom apartment to $2,000, but acknowledged that this maximum rent should be subject to change with adjustments for inflation. To ensure this, the Rent Maximum Price Bill, which McMillan signed into law in early 2015, established that the rent cap would be adjusted for inflation every two years...
– Maria Stevenson and John Capozzi’s TRITDH: The Jimmy McMillan Story, Vagabond Books, 2021
>MOTHER-POST: Just Announced: Milica Jovovich To Star In Jerrie Cobb Mini-Series
>REPLY 1:
Another Space Show? I thought those went out of style. This isn’t the 2000s decade!
>REPLY 1 to REPLY 2:
To be fair, this decade’s pop culture has more or less been all over the place. Unless Globalization itself is a theme, you can blame globalization and the technet for every theme, idea and culture being on the landscape making for a lack of any one singular pop-culture “image” dominating the rest.
>REPLY 2:
Looks good!
– euphoria.co.usa, a public pop-culture news-sharing and chat-forum-hosting netsite, 7/19/2016 posting
SMALL STATE PASSES BIG MILESTONE IN SWITCHING TO RENEWABLE ENERGY
…Governor John Carney of Delaware today announced that 50% of the state government’s electricity is now captured via renewable energy by arrays across the state, in a plan finally realized after over a decade of work. Begun under his predecessor, Governor Ruth Minner, the Clean Delaware Initiative project is the largest completed solar commitment by any state government in the United States and could serve as a reference point for similar statewide projects in the years ahead…
– The Boston Globe, 7/21/2016
IT’S RANKING TIME?:
…Efforts to implement Instant-Runoff Ranked Choice Voting at the federal level are on the rise, but some experts believe that the system is too complicated for a majority of Americans to understand. These statement come despite RCV having already been implemented in several U.S. states at the city level.
Prove the critics wrong and educate yourself for a few minutes:
[video:
youtube.com /watch?v=8Z2fRPRkWvY ]
– usarightnow.co.usa, 7/22/2016
ALL THE REASONS WHY GRAMMER WILL WIN
…under his leadership, the economy has significantly improved from the Unlucky Recession of 2013. …and most Americans approve of his handling of these subsequent economic windfalls…
– National Review, late July 2016 issue
…Virtual medical checkups became possible during the SARS Pandemic, when safezoning measures prevented many people from being closer than five feet to one another. As access to the technet and “technet literacy” rose, so did the use of virtual checkups. In 2016, an extensive study revealed that the rise in VMCs had contributed considerably to cutting down on UHC costs. This is because virtual work required far less real estate and renting of office space (due to there being, for example, no need for a corporeal waiting room, or other amenities…)...
– clickopedia.co.usa
CLAIM: Gary Locke was born in China and thus is not constitutionally eligible for the Presidency
Source of claim: several conservative radio shows and multiple conservative netsites, beginning in late 2015
VERDICT: 100% False
EXPLANATION:
Gary Locke is eligible for the United States Presidency because he was born in the United States. More specifically, he was born in Seattle, Washington on January 21, 1950. His campaign has already released his birth certificate, found
here. His father was born in the Republic of China (better known as Taiwan and not to be confused with the People’s Republic of China) with ancestral roots in Shanghai, PRC; his mother was born in Taiwan as well, with ancestral roots in Hubei (central PRC). Rumors claiming that he is not eligible for the Presidency are supported by people opposed to his campaign and aim to deceive voters away from his candidacy for a variety of reasons which are discussed in further detail
here.
ADDITIONAL FACTOID: Gary Locke’s wife’s father’s half-sister is the granddaughter of Sun Yat-sen, who was the “father of the nation” of Taiwan and served as the 1st President of Taiwan in 1912.
– factorfiction.co.can, 7/28/2016 entry
LOCKE: 45%
GRAMMER: 42%
MCMILLAN: 3%
OTHER: 1%
UNDECIDED: 9%
– Gallup poll, 7/29/2016
ITALIAN P.M. LOSES POWER AS VOTERS VIEW POST-RECESSION POLICIES “UNNECESSARY”
…In tonight’s Italian parliamentary elections, the NSA party, and with it, incumbent PM Bobo Craxi, lost majority control amid conservative backlash to Craxi’s allegedly “overreaching” large-government policies, with criticism focusing on emergency policies implemented at the height of the 2013 recession. The new Prime Minister of Italy is expected to be opposition leader Gianfranco Fini of the CAN party. …Italy took longer to recover from the 2013 recession than other nations such as the U.K., France and Germany, but their country market growth has nurtured criticisms of Craxi’s policies in recent months…
– The Daily Telegraph, 7/30/2016
…Contrary to western media speculation, the main focus of China’s leadership in 2016 was not on the ascension of Gary Locke, the US’s first Taiwanese-American major-party nominee for President, but on a rising internal issue. The decades of lackluster environmental protection for the sake of manufacturing was beginning to clash with technet-based reports linking the nation’s pollution rates to health issues and a “deplorable” quality of life for those at the bottom rungs of Chinese society. The Green Marble Movement, a grassroots technet-based call for the PRC to reform its environmental policies such as join the Cairo Protocol, was small but rising in both prominence and popularity as the country’s environmental damage appeared to reach levels that could no longer be ignored, by neither the people nor their government. PRC Premier Yang Gang (b. 1953) oversaw the state respond to the GMM by tightening technet activities, allowing information to be released to the public concerning scientific data but censoring and prosecuting those who published editorials, “biased” articles, or even simplified descriptions of the scientific data, often accusing these “dissenters” of spreading anti-government misinformation…
– Carl Krosinsky’s Modern China: A Complex Recent History, Borders Books, 2020
“…Russian President Vladimir Nikolayev today signed legislation to deregulate his nation’s meat processing industry, claiming that the government red tape was, to quote the controversial leader, ‘communism in disguise,’ end-quote…”
– BBC World News, 3/8/2016 broadcast
…For running mate, McMillan doubled down and selected John James Capozzi Jr. of Potomac, another back of rent control efforts. A shadow member of the U.S. House for Washington, D.C. from 1995 to 1997, Capozzi won an actual US House seat from Potomac in 2008, and served from 2009 to 2011, losing re-election in 2010 and later mounting an unsuccessful bid for the Democratic nomination for Governor of Potomac in 2014.
Capozzi worked with several key members of the Mayor’s Presidential campaign. Sabrina Sojourner, a BLUTAGO-American activist, was the campaigns communications director, while Sekou Biddle and Veronica O. Davis worked on strategizing, fundraising, and volunteer mobilizing. All three of them were originally from Potomac as well...
…The “third party” banner of McMillan campaign had no official name; appeared in advertising as the “Rent Is Too Damn High” Party but appeared on the ballot as either the “Rent Control” Party, the “Rent Cap” Party, or even simply as just the “Rent” Party. In other cases, McMillan managed to win the ballot line of a state-level party, such as in Vermont, where he was the Liberty Union party’s nominee, and in other places still, McMillan was listed as an independent. Also on some tickets was a different running mate. The Liberty Union party selected one of their own for the bottom of the ticket, while in the state of Illinois, McMillan’s initial “placeholder” running mate (Steve Rauschenberger (R-IL), a former state senator (1993-2007) and two-time nominee for the U.S. House) appeared in the VP slot instead of Capozzi…
– Maria Stevenson and John Capozzi’s TRITDH: The Jimmy McMillan Story, Vagabond Books, 2021
A FIVE-RING CIRCUS: How To Watch The NYC Olympics
New York City, NY – Every four years, a certain section of the American population will become obsessed with a particular quadrennial event – the President race, the World Cup, maybe Cobain and Love’s latest spat or health crises. And then there’s the Olympics, those globally-watched measurements of mankind’s physical abilities, accomplishments and limitations. This time around, the games kicked off at 7:30 PM tonight with a grand Opening Ceremony at the Big Apple’s new Olympic stadium… Mayor McMillan did not attend the festivities…
– The Grand Rapids Press, 8/5/2016
“Under Jesse Jackson, the Democrats got to expand the union from 50 states to 52 states. Now it’s the GOP’s turn. Now it’s the time to make new states out of places like American Samoa, the Virginia Islands, the conservative half of California, Cuba, Jamaica, whichever, you know what I mean.”
– political analyst Bill Kristol, Grammer supporters, conservative radio interview, 8/9/2016; the comment was widely ridiculed by technetters on many ontech social media platforms
MOTHER-POST: Query: What’s with all the American nutjobs in Mexico and other places?
I’ve lived in Sonora, Mexico all my life and one trend I’ve noticed lately is that over the past many years the number of white people in town has steadily risen. They’re almost all either one of two kinds of Americans. They either are polite professionals who have moved here for a business project, or are annoying proudly-American nut-jobs walking around with useless weaponry, often times making true locals uncomfortable, especially when they butcher the Spanish language. Am I alone in witnessing this influx of Caucasians?
>REPLY 1:
I’m aware of this trend, friend. Lots of gun-happy American nut-jobs are moving to Mexico because it’s much easier to get a gun down. In most of the US’s states, it’s actually not too hard to get your hands on a .22 caliber, revolver, single shot weapon, pistol, taser, bow/arrow, or crossbow for either self-defense or animal hunting. All you have to do is pass a background check and have an unexpired license, and after what is typically a two-week waiting period, you’re all set. But some Americans want to have and own semi-autos and even autos, full-on machine guns, cannons, and even grenade launchers. For those they need to go outside the US, and if you can afford buying that kind of weaponry, you can afford the relocating that can now come with it.
>REPLY 2:
You’re not alone. I live in Mexico City. There were never so many whites around here twenty years ago – they are
everywhere it seems nowadays.
– friendtechtalk.co.mex, a Mexico-based chat-forum-hosting netsite, 8/15/2016 posting (translated)
AUSTRALIA’S FIRST HYDROGEN TRUCKS COME TO PORT KEMBLA AS PART OF LANDMARK “GO GREEN” PROJECT
…
The first heavy vehicles to be powered by hydrogen in Australia have just become publicly available to own, rolling out of production
in Port Kembla after the New South Wales government approved funding for the landmark project under the final Ignatieff government.
The largest producer of hydrogen in the country, Coregas, is behind the plan to harness the power of two acquired
hydrogen-powered prime movers and build a hydrogen refueling facility at its Port Kembla plant. Coregas’ ambitious project was green-lit in 2004, after it
received half-a-million dollars in backing from the state government in a generous
round of the Port Kembla Community Investment Fund…
– abc.net.au/news, 8/20/2016 [3]
WITH OLYMPICS OVER, NYC ASKS: “NOW WHAT?”
…The city if left with Olympic-sized stadiums and other facilities that will now have to be repurposed in order for them to remain economically beneficial to New Yorkers…
– The New York Post, 8/21/2016
THE SWEET SIDE OF THE HOUSE: A Brief History of the Decades-Long Tradition of the U.S. House Candy Desks
Washington, D.C. – Inside the United States House of Representatives is a mother lode that to a young child is far greater than any treasure chest full of gold. It is the house Candy Desks, two traditional 19th-century pedestal desks found on the floor of the House chamber. Both desks – one manned by a Republican, the other by a Democrat – are filled with various sweets and confections, though the exact contents depend on their “holders,” the congresspersons assigned to the desks and tasked with keeping them full to the brim with tasty goodies, in order to supply their fellow lawmakers with what are known as sweets in the UK and lollies in Australia.
The tradition of the US House Candy Desks was begun by George Murphy in 1967, after the former song-and-dance man was elected to the House in 1966, after initially trying to enter politics by running for the US Senate in 1964. With the official US House rules and regulations forbidding food to be eaten on the House floor, the sweet-toothed Murphy began to sneak in candy and hide it in his desk, stealthily taking one now and again, before beginning to hand them out to his friends in the GOP. Murphy’s “desk of surprises” became an open secret within the House GOP until in 1968, when freshman Republican Congressman Philip G. Bixler of Illinois switched to the Democratic Party, and brought the secret to the other side of the aisle, which had long suspected of shenanigans by the occasional crinkling sounds candy wrappers and congregating of Republican staffers and lawmakers around George Murphy’s desk. With the House GOP’s secret revealed, House Democrats, reportedly “angry” of the Republicans for keeping the candy to themselves, conceived their own House Candy Desk.
The sweets then remained an open secret on Capitol Hill until 1986, when, in an effort to distance themselves from President Denton amid his possible impeachment, House Republicans publicly acknowledged the no-food “rule bending,” with House Democrats, not to be undone, releasing a similar statement a few days later.
However, the desks are not always a symbol of DC partisan division. In fact, one can tell how united the Congress is by how many House members walk around the room to reach the other party’s candy desk. For example, when President Iacocca was killed, both desks – typically placed randomly around the room every two years, at the beginning of each new congress – were pushed together and made open to all members. However, during the congressional gridlock against President Wellstone in 2011, not a single Democrat or Republican was reported to have crossed the aisle for 22 straight months.
The tradition of the Candy Desks has stayed alive and well over these many years due to its reported positive effects on lawmakers. Most notably, the inclusion of sugary sweets allegedly helped US House members stay awake and focused during the long hours of the investigations into Denton’s connection to the Lukens Hush money Scandal and the subsequent impeachment proceedings.
Filled with goodies to satisfy the taste buds of sweet-toothed lawmakers and energize them during long work hours, the Candy Desks reminds us all that the millionaire politicians sent to Washington can often behave like children in more ways than one.
– Time Magazine, late August 2016 issue
LIST OF HOLDERS OF THE HOUSE REPUBLICAN CANDY DESK
1967-1977: 1)
George L. Murphy (CA, 1902-1992) – retired
1977-1985: 2)
William L. “Bill” Dickinson (AL, 1925-2008) – lost re-election
1985-1993: 3)
James M. “Jim” Ramstad (MN, b. 1946) – resigned to join Iacocca administration
1989-1999: 4)
Hawkins H. Menefee Jr. (TX, b. 1945) – lost re-election
1999-2005: 5)
Richard J. “Dick” Santorum (PA, b. 1958) – lost re-election
2005-2007: 6)
Richard G. “Rick” Renzi (AZ, b. 1958) – relinquished duties
2007-2008: 7)
William H. “Bill” Hudnut III (IN, b. 1932) – relinquished duties
2008-2011: 8)
Eugene Clay (Clay) Shaw Jr. (FL, 1939-2013) – relinquished duties
2011-2015: 5)
Richard J. “Dick” Santorum (PA, b. 1958) – lost re-election
2015-present: 9)
Ramona Gail McIver Phillips (AK, b. 1944) – incumbent
Murphy passed the custom on to an ally of his, starting the tradition of the outgoing Candy Desk holder having sway over their successor. With a rich history of making puns, Menefee carved the motto “Cavity Emptor” onto the GOP Candy Desk in 1991 (and then purportedly called for a “move to filling-bustering”)
[4]. Santorum’s ascension to the position led to the Hershey’s candy company of his home town of Pennsylvania to donate culinary supplies to the desk, leading in turn to congresspersons tied to candy companies gaining preference when selecting the next Candy Desk Holder.
LIST OF HOLDERS OF THE HOUSE DEMOCRATIC CANDY DESK
1968-1979: 1)
Joseph David “Joe D.” Waggoner, Jr. (LA, 1918-2007) – retired
1979-1991: 2)
George Thomas “Tom” Turnipseed (SC, b. 1936) – lost re-election
1991-1999: 3)
Robert Douglas “Bob” Bullock Sr. (TX, 1929-1999) – died in office
1999-2005: 4)
Juanita Millender (CA, 1938-2007) – retired
2005-2009: 5)
Jeffrey A. “Jeff” Merkley (OR, b. 1956) – resigned to join the Wellstone administration
2009-present: 6)
Ronald I. Buxton (PA, b. 1949) – incumbent
While Waggoner filled the Democratic Desk strictly with hard candies, Turnipseed diversified its contents with gummy candies, jelly beans, M&Ms, and, after 1986, donations from candy stores from his home state, sparking a trend. Bullock diversified its contents even further by handing out cookies; according to an unconfirmed rumor, this led to US Representatives meeting behind closed doors to determine whether or not a cookie could be treated as a “candy” in this particular context; their inclusion was approved by an overwhelming majority, according to the rumor. Like the GOP’s Santorum, Buxton accepts donated sweets from Hershey to supply the Democrats’ Desk with chocolates.
– knowldgepolitics.co.usa, c. August 2016
LEADERS OF CUBA AND GUATEMALA SIGN “LANDMARK” TRADE DEAL
– Associated Press, 8/29/2016
GRAMMER: 45%
LOCKE: 43%
MCMILLAN: 5%
OTHER: 1%
UNDECIDED: 6%
– Gallup poll, 8/30/2016
…DNC Chair Benjamin “Benjy” McAdams worked enthusiastically to get the Locke campaign to appeal to libertarians by emphasizing his western roots when meeting with wealthy potential donors from places such as Texas and Nevada. McAdams also sought to improve Locke’s standing among minority voters in Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico, states won in 2008 but lost in 2012…
– Tiffany Taliaferro’s Decision 2016: Grammar vs. Locke, Penguin Publishing, 2017
“A LITTLE NOW OR A LOT LATER”: PM Balls Implements Controversial Plan To Combat Post-Recession Deflation Concerns
– The Daily Telegraph, UK newspaper, 4/9/2016
BEST LEADERS WE NEVER HAD
Here’s a thread for discussing political figures who are underused, underrated, and underutilized in our TLs. People with unique personalities, positions, histories, etc., who, under the right circumstances, could have been interesting leaders in their respective countries. This thread could help new AH writers avoid clichéd figures in favor of unsung figures from history.
> POST 1:
How about Tony Blair for UK PM – he served in several cabinet positions under Lennon, but he feuded with him a lot. He’s an interesting and somewhat charismatic man in his own right, and he supported immediately joining the coalition forces at the start of KW2; if he was PM during that time, he could have been in office for as long as Lennon, if not longer even!
For the UK’s first PM, you could go for a better experienced MP like Barbara Castle, Margaret Thatcher, Mary McAlister or even Margaret Beckett.
> POST 2:
At some point, Mary Scranton could have run for President. She was the wife of the Vice President of Colonel Sanders, William Scranton, but she served in several high-profile positions, and ran for a US Senate seat in the late 1970s and again in the early 1980s. Had she won her first try, she could have ended up as a (somewhat old) President, or at least Vice President, in 1985, 1989 or 1993.
>> REPLY 1 to POST 2:
Didn’t she die recently?
>>> REPLY 1 to REPLY 1 to POST 2:
Yes, she died on December 26, 2015 at age 97.
> POST 3:
Four off the top of my head:
Jacob Coxey – a progressive Ohioan who lived from 1854 to 1951. He was sort of ahead of his time and jumped around from one political party to another, and apart from serving as the Mayor of Massillon, Ohio for the year of 1931, he was pretty much a perennial candidate for his entire life, but, man, what a candidate! A real missed opportunity.
George McGovern – not a relative of the heavily unappreciated Jim McGovern, this is the father of US Senator Teresa McGovern (actually, she would be a pretty interesting alternate President, too, but I digress). George here ran twice for the US Senate and lost, then served two two-year terms as Governor, from 1971 to 1975, before losing re-election. According to his clickopedia article he was a really progressive guy considering when he was most prominent
Gerald Ford – an alternate Jack Kemp? He was a US Congressman who got his start playing football. He ran for GOP House leader in 1965 but lost in the wake of The Colonel’s unexpected victory in 1964 and the GOP regaining many seats under the leadership of GOP leader Halleck. Then he lost a bid for higher office. Not too charismatic, but he could have gone places had things gone his way.
Jimmy Carter – arguably the best President we never had! He played a key role in ushering in the era of “Our Delicate Peace” in the Middle East; if he was able to do that as Secretary of State, imagine what he could have done as President!
>> REPLY 1 to POST 3:
I doubt Ford would have become President. He wanted to be House Speaker and only ran for the Senate because he was “cast out” – Halleck basically blacklisted him from his preferred committees to “punish” him for challenging him in ’65. The House Speakership is not a launchpad for the Presidency, or at least, it hasn’t been since 1844.
> POST 4:
Fulwar Skipwith (1765-1839) – the first, last and only leader of the short-lived Republic of West Florida in 1810, he was a distant cousin of Thomas Jefferson who married into Flemish aristocracy. His name alone merits more use!
>> REPLY 1 to POST 4:
JSYK (just so you know), there’s already an entire site to devoted to political leaders based solely on their unusual names:
https://politicalstrangenames.blogspot.co.usa/
> POST 5:
American dynasties are kind of hard to come by. How about, instead of John Adams and John Quincy Adams, some TL has Ambassador Joe Kennedy and his son Jack, or Florida governor LeRoy Collins and his son LeRoy Jr., or the aforementioned George and Terri McGovern?
– counterfactual.co.usa, 9/9/2016 thread
…Fundraising efforts for President Grammer received a boost after the RNC. A one R. Randolph “Randy” Brinson (b. 1957), a Republican physician and activist from Alabama, was leading a regional “get out the vote” drive across the South, getting young people and conservative people registered to vote ahead of election day, to the point of Brinson backing legislation to make registration automatic upon turning 18. The doctor’s efforts were proving to be very successful as the weeks went on. In September, Rev. Dale Huckabee gave Brinson’s efforts a boost by helping to get 12.1million people registered at churches across the Bible Belt…
– Tiffany Taliaferro’s Decision 2016: Grammar vs. Locke, Penguin Publishing, 2017
THIRTY YEARS AFTER MULLIGAN
…this month marks the 30-year anniversary of the High Court of Australia’s landmark 1986 decision of Mulligan vs. Western Australia. Often referred to as simply the Mulligan Decision, the Mulligan High Court Decision overturned previous decisions that had declined to recognize native land claims, reversing decades-long policy and recognizing that some Indigenous Australians do have property rights and can claim them with a new legal term of “native title”…
– Frankie, Australian magazine, September 2016 issue
Anchor Alisyn CAMEROTA: “The upcoming debates between Locke and Grammer are most likely going to focus on foreign intervention, renewable infrastructure projects, and the size and role of government, with less focus on social issues unless the moderators care to touch on Grammer’s pro-life views on abortion.”
Prof. Janice FINE: “If this was a debate between Ross and Grammer, it would not just be a debate over the size and role of government due to there being a lot of overlap on some points there. It would have been a sort of ‘Battle of Personalities.’ Grammer is charismatic, while Ross is personable, uplifting, and optimistic. Grammer’s supporters view him as reliable and charming, while Ross has this almost-infectious ability to see the best in everyone. Both men have witty senses of humor and quick with the retort and the sound bite, but Ross has that sunny disposition as well.”
CAMEROTA: “So what do you expect from the grammar-Locke debates.”
FINE: “I’ll be blunt – I fear the President will mop the floor with Locke. He’s personable and charming, but not at the level that Kelsey Grammer is at. Both men are good debaters – Locke’s much better, actually – he can easily defend his positions – but I’m looking at this from an optics point of view. And that view does not look pretty for Locke, but it does look pretty for the President.”
– Kennedy News Network roundtable discussion, 9/14/2016 broadcast
MELTING FLOWERS: The Nuking of El Dorado
Premiered: September 15, 2016
Genre(s): sci-fi/religious/hidden-history/fantasy
Directed by: Greg Sestero
Written by: Neil Breen and Jeff Nathanson
Produced by: Neil Breen
Cast:
Manuel-Ramos Ruiz as Hupi
Yalitza Gutierrez as Ruha
Maria-Anna Melendez as Daya
See Full List Here
Synopsis:
The City of Gold is located deep in the jungles of the Amazon. Hupi, an adolescent native, has no friends because he does not understand the ways of his generation; everyone is becoming increasingly greedy, selfish, and immoral. He decides to leave the city during the night after seeing his sister, Ruha, drunkenly enter the bed-hut of someone other than her fiancé. That night, their Gods (revealed to be aliens) detonate a nuclear device over the entire city to “clean off” the land, leaving nothing alive in its wake. The crater in the Earth left behind is then filled in by water from the nearby river. Hupi, with Daya, a girl who followed him out of the city, are the only survivors. Hupi determines that the Gods punished the City of Gold for their greed and decides to make a new life for himself with Daya in another village, marry, anachronistically converting to a Christianity-like religion, and deciding to tell their children the story of the loss of their once glorious home, the city made almost entirely out of gold.
Development:
Breen covered the cost of the film’s production; it remains Breen's most expensive film to make. The movie was filmed near Flagstaff, Arizona over the course of six weeks, with reshoots being extensive and production being put on hold twice due to food poisoning. Gutierrez later sued Breen for labor violations; the conflict was settled out of court.
Reception:
The film was universally disliked. Nearly all critics panned it, and almost all audiences disliked its awkward combination of contradicting sci-fi and religious elements and themes at its "atrociously bad" special effects, with even fans of Breen’s previous films expressing disappointment in it.
– mediarchives.co.usa
KELLY N. HILLENBURG JR., 80
…the father of businessman and SpongeBob’s Undersea Cuisine founder Stephen Hillenburg died at Robert King High Memorial Hospital yesterday afternoon at the age of 80 from undisclosed cause. Hillenburg was born on July 16, 1936, in Roanoke, Virginia, to Kelly N. Hillenburg Sr. and Anna Mae (Vest) Hillenburg. Kelly served his country in the US Army, attended the Virginia Military Institute, and was employed by Hughes Aircraft for many years. A member of several local community groups and organizations in his home town of Youngstown, Ohio, Hillenburg and his wife often spent the summers with their children in Florida, and had many great memories with friends and family. Hillenburg is survived by his loving wife of 57 years, Nancy (Dufour) Hillenburg; sons, Stephen Hillenburg and wife Carol of Miami, FL and Bryan Hillenburg and wife Isabel of New Smyrna Beach, FL; grandchildren, Clayton, Emma, James, Marcy and Hazel; a brother, Gregory Hillenburg and wife, Martha, of Perryman, MD; and several nieces and nephews.
[5]
– The Miami Herald, obituary section, 9/18/2016
…There is a world of difference between an incumbent running for re-election and his opponent trying to claim their office, other than the starkly different campaign war chest sizes, of course. An opponent only discusses action, while an incumbent can actually take action on something. An example of this phenomenon came about when the 2016 Democratic nominee claimed that he would be tougher on China’s government. White House officials soon reminded people, via a flurry of ads on TV and ontech, that the President had already had officials file an Unfair Trading case against the PRC at the World Trade Organization over allegations of wage theft back in June of 2016...
– researcher Ed Romano’s debut book Defending Democracy: The Grammer Years, Borders Books, 2022
KFC TO BEGIN SELLING EDIBLE NAIL POLISH TO PROMOTE THEIR “FINGER LICKIN’ GOOD” OFFERINGS
[6]
[pic:
imgur.com/eeIJ0nn.png ]
…The global company’s latest gimmick was announced today in a major presentation of the new products, available for a limited time only…
Comments Section:
>COMMENT 1:
Has it really come to this? I thought these guys were the best, you know? Like they were the top-quality brand?
>REPLY 1 to COMMENT 1:
Their food is still top-notch, but the same just can’t be said about their advertising department. Well, at least not anymore anyway. Not since The Colonel passed away.
>COMMENT 2:
#BringBackTheCartoonColonel
>REPLY 1 to COMMENT 2:
(sitcom mom overacting, hands on hips, overly enthusiastic smile) Oh, is that you, Randy Quaid? Oh, you character you!
– usarightnow.co.usa, 9/22/2016
Political analyst BILL KRISTAL: “It is imperative that Grammer wins re-election. The economy cannot afford another four-term President.”
Anchor ANDERSON COOPER: “Okay, care to explain that?”
KRISTAL: “Studies and financial trends prove that politicians losing re-election over and over promotes instability, first political instability then economic instability. Kemp losing a bid for his own term in 1988 was followed by the early 1990s recession. Bellamy losing re-election in 1992 led to economic trouble for Lee Iacocca, Dinger losing re-election in 2000 led to all kinds of instability in the early 2000s, and Wellstone losing in 2012 may have contributed to the effects of the Unlucky Recession. But Grammer has to win re-election for reasons beyond politics. Grammer is leading this country’s culture toward a new a better direction that views small government more favorably because people are seeing that it is working. And regarding the 22nd Amendment, you know,
what’s the point of having two terms if a President can’t win re-election?”
[7]
COOPER: “Hm, I see. Mr. Reich, you counterpoint?”
Former US Labor Secretary Robert Reich: “Bill, I’m impressed. You got the thesis right, but all the supporting facts were wrong. Yes, frequently changing governments can impede progress – you can see that sort of thing happen in many countries both nowadays and throughout history – but the early 1990s recession was due to the irresponsible fiscal policies of the Denton administration, the economic trouble under Iacocca was due to Iacocca’s trade wars, and the instability of the early 2000s was due to the recession of 1999 combined with the SARS pandemic!”
KRISTAL: “Well, um, that just shows what you know!”
REICH: “Yes. On that note, I agree with you.”
– CBS News, roundtable discussion, 9/24/2016 broadcast
MCMILLAN FAILS TO QUALIFY FOR PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES
– The New York Times, 9/25/2016
“…hundreds of Southern Australians are without power as storms continue to roll across the region…”
– Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 9/26/2016
EX-WH STAFFER REVEALS: VP Brown Was “Inches Away” From Being Dropped From The 2016 Ticket
…President Grammer and his team of advisors and analysts were seriously contemplating replacing Brown with a less controversial nominee that would still appeal to conservatives while being much easier to work with while in the White House.” Being able to work with other conservatives, the names of US Senator Spencer Bachus (R-AL), Governor David Woods (R-AL) and US Senator Hillary Rodham-Clinton (R-TN) were all floated for a possible “replacement” situation more than once…
– The New York Times, 9/27/2016 exposé
“My fellow Americans ain’t dumb enough to fall for lies and garbage not even good enough for a third rate tabloid, so of course it ended up in the
Times.”
– VP Harley Brown, claiming a recent NYT article’s claims are false, 9/29/2016
LOCKE: 46%
GRAMMER: 44%
MCMILLAN: 4%
OTHER: 1%
UNDECIDED: 5%
– Gallup poll, 9/30/2016
POPE PATRICK I MOURNS PASSING OF ALLY CARDINAL
…Catholic Church Cardinal Peter Leo Gerety (born July 19, 1912 in California) was the oldest living Catholic cardinal in the world at the time of his passing, on September 20 at the age of 104. A revered former reverend and archbishop had been a strong ally of the Pope for decades. Pope Patrick I today honored him in a speech at the Vatican, praising his contributions to the church, beginning with his time as the Bishop of Portland, Maine…
– The Boston Globe, 10/1/2016
The first Presidential Debate, which focus almost entirely on domestic issues, was held on October 4, and was considered to be cordial, but intense. Grammer was initially put on defense by Locke over his tax plan and social views, only for Grammer to counter with his record, stating that his handling of the 2013 recession was responsible for the economy being in a state of healthy growth at the time. When the moderators brought up the proposed E.P.I.C. Projects Program and G.R.E.E.N. Deal, Locke was hesitant to question the viability of the former being able to work, but praised the push to globally reduce emissions. Grammer gave a similar response that focused more on the private business side of things, saying that he would support variation of both proposals if he was certain that they would not curb “independent innovation” in both the power industries and the private sector.
[snip]
Grammer replied, “Ending fossil fuel subsidies outright would kill the coal industry, at a time when it still employs thousands of American workers. It’d be like demolishing a condemned building before all the people can get out. The subsidies need to be weaned out to give coal workers ample time to find new jobs in the growing renewable energy industries.”
[snip]
Grammer called for the national Inheritance Tax to be again lowered, this time by implementing a ratio rate of just 2% across the board, while Locke wanted more rich inheritors to pay a “much higher” rate than low-income inheritors. Locke took an even more assertive stance, however, on Corporate Tax rates and top Income Tax rates, which would be raised under Locke’s proposed economic plan.
[snip]
Grammer was seen as the victor of the night by a majority of polls, and this was understandable – the economy was on the rise, Grammer appeared willing to work with Democrats to pass legislation that would benefit both parties as well as most Americans, and while military bases overseas were re-opening, the U.S. was not at war with a single country.
– Tiffany Taliaferro’s Decision 2016: Grammar vs. Locke, Penguin Publishing, 2017
…The Vice Presidential debate on October 11, between Bob Casey Jr. and Harley Davidson Brown, was viewed as a missed opportunity both beforehand and retrospectively. While Casey got some jabs in by condemning the VP for past comments and “jokes” for their ability to offend, Brown got in more cuts by lambasting Casey’s voting record, which, after 25 years in the Senate, was extensive and sometimes contradictory. Post-debate polls showed that undecided voters had found Brown’s assertiveness and defense of his own positions to be more encouraging of his leadership abilities than Casey’s arguably milquetoast praising of Locke while shying away from the most conservative parts of his voting record; as a result, Brown was declared the “winner” of the debate.
[pic:
imgur.com/6lvBhcn.png ]
Pictured: Vice President Brown explains his "plan of attack" for addressing natural disasters; the "President" half of the "Vice President" label on his iconic biker jacket is visible from under his left arm
Casey’s lackluster debate performance revealed that Casey was a good candidate for the long-term goal of Vice President, but a poor candidate for the short-term position of running mate. While someone more dynamic like Governor Goldberg, a progressive firebrand like Monica Lewinsky, for even a “middle lane” politician like Sylvia Burwell, could have allegedly “run circles” around Harley Brown, Casey failed to leave an impact. Another reason for this was partially due to the debate highlighting more similarities between the two men than differences. For example, during the debate, Brown pointed out that he supported “responsible fracking,” while Senator Casey had voted against a ban on hydraulic fracking in 2006 and again in 2010 before shifting to an anti-fracking stance in 2012; the prodding reinforced the reservations that some progressive Democrats had had about supporting Casey for running mate back when his selection was announced earlier that year…
– researcher Ed Romano’s debut book Defending Democracy: The Grammer Years, Borders Books, 2022
MCCAIN TALKS FAMILY VALUES DURING RE-ELECTION BID AS POLLLS TIGHTEN
…Governor Barack “Rocky” McCain running on a more culture-based campaign theme this time around, touting his accomplishment in office but also backing socially conservative talking points such as “a strong country starts at home.” In one stump speech, McCain stated “if…we are honest with ourselves, we’ll admit that…too many fathers are…missing from too many lives and too many homes.”
[8]…
Comments Section:
>COMMENT 1:
Such a sellout smh
– themontanastandard.co.usa, 10/14/2016
[pic:
imgur.com/ykwSr3R.png ]
– Gary Locke on the campaign trail, 10/15/2016
LOCKE: “I understand that
the potential for any additional expense is never
welcomed by American businesses no matter how well the economy is performing.
But in long run, the expansion of worker rights
will cut employment
costs for U.S. businesses, not expand them.”
[snip]
LOCKE: “
Every year, some 12,000 high school students –
many of them star students and leaders in their communities – are unable to go to college or get a good job because they have no legal status. We have to fix that.”
[snip]
GRAMMER: “This administration has taken a strong stance on the world stage, refusing to ignore the human rights violations that were unfolding in Sudan and helping Europe recover from the 2013 recession. If you re-elect me, the last four years of successful foreign policy will be followed by four more years of successful foreign policy.”
MODERATOR: “Thank you. Senator Locke, same question.”
LOCKE: “
China must play by the international rules, the international trading system from which they’ve benefited so much. But the President’s tough act will not benefit anyone when the inevitable time comes for him to fully address the issue of jobs being outsourced to places like China and India.
If the Chinese can’t buy U.S. products, they’ll buy them from European countries and then develop stronger economic ties with France and Germany and perhaps side more with those countries when international issues flare up. That is why we need a foreign policy that is welcoming to international collaboration and trade, and only firm when American and Global interests and benefits are directly at risk.”
[snip]
LOCKE: “
We need the private sector to succeed, because if the private sector succeeds, America succeeds. Because it’s not the government that produces jobs, it’s the private sector. The Federal Jobs Guarantee program is not enough in ensure that the next generation is as innovative as the last several. There needs to be a balance of federal job creation and the federal government supporting the job creation found in the private sector.”
MODERATOR: “Mr. President, your response please.”
GRAMMER: “Gary, your policy makes no sense. You can’t support the private sector while at the same time suppressing it with red tape because that just doesn’t make any sense. Being pro-jobs and anti-business is like being pro-egg and anti-chicken!”
[9]
[snip]
LOCKE: “If it means bringing democracy to China, we should
welcome Chinese investment in the United States with open arms.”
CROWD: [mix of cheers and jeers]
– snippets from the Second Locke-Grammer Presidential Debate, 10/18/2016 [10]
[pic:
imgur.com/c5nt5nc.png ]
– President Kelsey Grammer standing at his podium during the Second Grammer-Locke debate, 10/17/2016
“Senator Gary Locke has the experience, the ideas, and the drive to make a great President – one that we can all be proud of!”
– former US President Walter Mondale, surrogate campaigner for the Locke/Casey’16 ticket, Charlotte, NC rally, 10/19/2016
Attendee Gavin CATO: “Mr. President, as someone who is of Guyanese descent, I have experienced racism and have twice survived attacks on my life because of the color of my skin. Since Senator Locke became a prominent figure in this race in January, hate crimes against Asian Americans have increased 11%. How would you address hatred during a second term?”
GRAMMER: “There is no acceptable level of violence, not a bit. If one moves the barrier of inactivity a bit each time a small transgression – a sneer, a dirty look – it welcomes a bit more aggressiveness – slurs, threats – and then more aggressions until someone ends up hurt or worse. It must be nipped in the bud, and I believe it can be. All of us must take seriously even small hints of hate, because slurs can lead to threats can lead pestering can led to assault. My administration has been actively opposing rumors against my opponent’s racial background from the start, and has always promoted the American principle of equality, and that will continue into a second Grammer administration, if that is what the voters want. This wave of attacks is part of a larger, more deeply seated issue, and so it requires a united front among all groups, liberal and conservative, young and old, all the faiths, all the classes, all the races, and businesses and schools. Now, Gary has confronted this issue as well and I commend his efforts to create healthy relationships with anti-hatred groups, and as President I have urged such groups to work with law enforcement, including the US Justice Department, and with prevention groups. We all must resolve our differences with discussion and reason, through words, through understanding, and expose and denounce hate crimes by getting to the press and telling them what’s what, by getting the word out. Do not give in to apathy or fear, stand strong for your neighbors, stay united for your community. Because, for all of their alleged flag-waving, true freedom-loving Americans fight hatred and violence, not their fellow Americans. My administration denounces and is ashamed of anyone spreading lies about Gary here, or about anyone with Asian ancestry, because this isn’t about this one election, this is about common decency. Mistreatment begets mistreatment. We are not barbarians, we are not haters, we are Americans. And we are better at getting along than the haters hope we are.”
LOCKE: “May I also say something?”
MODERATOR: “The President referred to you in his answer, so yes.”
LOCKE: “Thank you. I just want to say that the President’s efforts to curb the rise in hate crimes is commendable. The Southern Poverty Law Center tracks hundreds of active hate groups consisting of only a handful of people with just technet access to spread their vitriol, but the fact remains that roughly 95% of hate crimes are from not groups but from individuals, people driven by propaganda and misinformation. People forgotten or rejected, people who suffer from feelings of isolation or from mental illness. They need to know that hatred is not the answer. They need to know this because we cannot accept the unraveling of America’s rich culture. And we need to promote that culture at the community, state and national levels, because we all need to stay vigilant. We need to move from ‘thoughts and prayers’ to bolder action. When a hate crime occurs and nobody speaks up, then
you have to speak up. Don’t make excuses for ignoring another’s misery; don’t say you’re too busy with your own life to care about someone else’s, because that doesn’t help; if anything, that worsens the problem. One great promotion that I have seen work in many places across this great country of ours is dinner clubs where there are no speakers but there is one and only one rule – sit next to someone you don’t know. It encourages people of different backgrounds to learn something that haters want people to be blind to: that we all want the same thing – to do what’s right, to do best by our families, to try to have good lives, to have liberty, and to pursue happiness.”
[snip]
Attendee Kevin Michael KOWALCYK: “Um, Mr. Senator, I will not be old enough to vote on Election Day, but will turn 18 on December 10, just 33 days afterwards, and before this election’s winner enters office. My home state of Wisconsin is holding a voter initiative this November; if passed, it will lower the voting age for state-level elections to 17. As President, would you support an adjustment to the 25th Amendment to allow people like me, who will turn 18 before the inauguration but not before the election, to vote in said election?”
LOCKE: “I would, because in America, the circumstances of your birth should never be held against you. In America, it should not matter where you were born or into what class you were born, or even when you were born. If you are an upstanding, law-abiding citizen, then a technicality like that should not inhibit your ability to participate in the democratic process.”
– snippets from the Locke-Grammer Presidential Debate/Town Hall Event, Saturday, 10/22/2016
POLL: Grammer Considered The “Winner” Of Yesterday’s Town Hall Debate, 48%-45%, 7% Unsure
– Gallup, 10/23/2016
FUNDRAISING SPECS: Locke, Closing In On Grammer, Still Lags Behind
– nationalreview.co.usa, 10/25/2016 e-report
LATEST FISCAL QUARTERS HIGHLIGHT MARKET REBOUND
…with the economy going strong and seemingly getting stronger, investors are returning to the stock market…
– The Wall Street Journal, 10/26/2016
TULSI: Running For U.S. President To Break Up The U.S.?
…Tulsi Gabbard, the 35-year-old daughter of former Hawaiian Governor Mike Gabbard, is a usually-Republican perennial candidate from Hawaii who is of Samoan ancestry. For some reason, she is running for President this year on a pro-Samoa statehood ticket. Running almost exclusively in Hawaii and the west coast, where Samoan population is highest, Tulsi may be hoping to deadlock the Electoral College in order to play kingmaker in a contingent election, and give the Presidency to whichever candidate will pledge to hold a referendum on the subject. However, such trouble would probably all be for naught, as the latest poll concerning A.S. independence (taken in 2013, at the height of the Unlucky Recession) showed that only 17% of American Samoans supported the idea of independence. So perhaps she is running to try and increase those numbers...
– minorpartiesmatter.co.usa, 10/27/2016
GRAMMER: 46%
LOCKE: 45%
MCMILLAN: 3%
OTHER: 1%
UNDECIDED: 4%
– Gallup poll, 10/28/2016
HOME STRETCH: Candidates Touring Several Swing States In Election’s Final Days
– Associated Press, 10/29/2016
[pic:
imgur.com/FGflAzU.png ]
– American voters wait in line at dusk at a polling station in Little Rock, Arkansas to vote in the 2016 elections, 11/8/2016
“…As the first handful of states begin to close their polling stations, the US national voter turnout is projected to be about the same as it was in 2012, with an expected increase in Asian-American voter turnout likely cancelling out the many libertarians, progressives, and hardline sitting out the race. Both parties are hoping for this election to not end up having another 'second-place winner' situation…”
– CBS Evening News, 11/8/2016 broadcast
[pic:
imgur.com/g8iGPZF.png ]
…one state elector from New York publicly attempted to vote for the McMillan/Capozzi ticket but was not allowed to do so due to a state law…
Tickets:
Pres. A. Kelsey Grammer (CA) / VP Harley Davidson Brown (ID) (Republican) – 74,652,995 (49.21%)
US Sen. Gary F. Locke (WA) / Robert Patrick “Bob” Casey Jr. (PA) (Democratic) – 68,235,963 (44.98%)
NYC Mayor Jimmy McMillan (NY) / Fmr US Rep. John J. Capozzi Jr. (PO) (
various) – 4,323,533 (2.85%)
Fmr Nat. Green Party Chair Richard “Rich” Whitney (IL) / Fmr state rep. Della Coburn (AK) (Green (endorsed by Natural Mind)) – 2,472,757 (1.63%)
Fmr US Rep. Steve Stockman (TX) / Ms. Joy Waymire (IA) (replaced Dr. Marc Allen Feldman (OH)) (Liberty (endorsed by Boulder)) – 1,016,409 (0.67%)
Dr. Bruce Maccabee (VT) / Dr. Steven Earl Jones (UT) (Bigfoot (Truth on 3 state ballots) (endorsed by Defense/Exposure)) – 394,428 (0.26%)
Fmr state Lands Dir. Walt Bayes (ID) / Mr. Tom Hoefling (IA) (Values-Salvation fusion ticket (endorsed by Country)) – 288,236 (0.19%)
Fmr state rep. Tulsi Tamayo (HI) / Mr. Patrick Anthony Ockander (TX) (American Samoan Independence) – 182,043 (0.12%)
All other votes – 136,537 (0.09%)
Total Votes – 151,702,896 (100.0%)
– clickopedia.co.usa [11]
"Huh. Maybe I should have picked Monica Lewinsky for Running Mate after all."
– Gary Locke, 11/9/2016 (allegedly)
…While some Democratic figures blamed Moore’s lack of enthusiasm for the Locke/CODEY ticket for its loss in Michigan, Moore blamed the collapse of Democratic support among the Midwestern states on Locke’s uninspiring campaign, which he claimed “was more about keeping things business-as-usual than about any actual improvements.” The Overmyer Network’s Kevin Jeys reported that the high turnout for third party candidates was the result of the ballot access reforms of the past decade combined with media outlets covering the more “catchy” elements of their campaigns…
…The distribution of former Goetzite voters was scattered across several candidates (primarily Bayes, Stockman, Grammer and even McMillan), while former Ross backers and Moore supporters who refused to vote for Locke and instead voted for McMillan and Whitney. This voting trend resulted in making this election the first in US history to see the top five candidates for President each receive at least 1million votes...
…Down ballot, the election night saw more state referendums favor voter reform, allowing RCV to inch closer to becoming a reality. However, the clear and decisive win that Grammer had received made EC Reform backers fear that momentum would be lost, with the aforementioned Jeys observing that “the process of the Electoral College did in fact work this time. …Never underestimate the sheer raw power of American Forgetfulness”...
– researcher Ed Romano’s debut book Defending Democracy: The Grammer Years, Borders Books, 2022
THE STRANGE CASE OF THE “BIGFOOT” POLITICAL PARTY
…Of the many “also-runs” covered on this site, perhaps the most peculiar one is The Bigfoot Party, a fringe spin-off of Jason Buck’s conservative Strong Party ticket from the 2012 Presidential election cycle. The Strong Party, which was itself a branch-off of the Boulder Party founded by former US Senator and Boulder, Colorado-based businessman Bernie Goetz founded in 2008, acquired the nickname “the party of Bigfoot” due to Buck’s running mate claiming to have spotted a UFO in 2006. In early 2016, after the collapse of the Strong Party in 2015, 29 former Buck supporters convened in Hurricane, West Virginia to establish a political party that fully embraced and politicized the paranormal in the hopes of raising awareness of what they called “troubling theories” of the world, such as “chemtrails,” UFO sightings, ontech rumors alleging China’s government was planning to take over the world, and the global power of the Kentucky Fried Chicken fast food franchise allegedly being linked to The Illuminati through the Freemasons.
The Bigfoot Party, named after the iconic humanoid creature allegedly roaming around in the American Pacific Northwest, contained a platform calling for the complete disclosure of all government and military secrets, the establishing of open trade relations with hospitable inhabited planets, and the funding of expeditions to remote locations on Earth, including the North and South Poles and the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean to search for a variety of alleged lost items and places. Listed as the Truth ticket on three state ballots, the Bigfoot Party founders knew they would not win the White House, so they defined “victory” by the number of people they could reach and influence. A party fit for any conspiracy theorist, Bigfooters relied heavy on the technet for media attention and gathering donations.
Amid obtaining ballot access (ultimately in 23 states, with official write-in access being obtained and recognized in an additional 17 states) the party searched for a Presidential candidate and a Vice President candidate. Prominent ufologist and conspiracy theorist James Farrell Marrs Jr. of Texas endorsed the party but declined interest in running on either part of their ticket, citing a decline in health. With deadlines fast approaching, the lack of any prominent takers ultimately led to the party selecting its two most prominent co-founders – doctors Bruce Maccabee of Vermont and Steven Earl Jones of Utah – as their Presidential and Vice-Presidential nominees, respectively.
Unsurprisingly, the party did not do well in the general election, receiving less than .5% of the vote. While some supporters of the party claimed that the low results were due to voter suppression, most dismissed these notions due to the Maccabee/Jones having made some appearances on some news outlets in September, when their campaign advertisements went fervid ontech…
– minorpartiesmatter.co.usa
November United States Senate election results, 2016
Date: November 8, 2016
Seats: 34 of 104
Seats needed for majority: 53
New Senate majority leader: Webb Franklin (R-MS)
New Senate minority leader: Midge Osterlund (D-PA)
Seats before election: 52 (R), 51 (D), 1 (I)
Seats after election: 58 (R), 45 (D), 1 (I)
Seat change: R ^ 6, D v 6, I - 0
Full List:
Alabama: Young Boozer (R) over incumbent Doug Jones (D)
Alaska: incumbent J. R. Myers (R) over Jacob Seth Kern (D)
Arizona: incumbent Jan Brewer (R) over Gary Swing (D/Green) and Kelli Ward (Bigfoot)
Arkansas: Adrienne Elrod (R) over Dan Whitfield (D); incumbent F. Winford Boozman III (R) retired
California: incumbent Mike Gravel (D) over Sarah Elizabeth Cupp (R) and James “Kamala” Harris (Green)
Colorado: Penfield Tate III (D) over Peggy Littleton (R); incumbent Mark Udall (D) retired
Connecticut: incumbent William Tong (D) over August Wolf (R)
Florida: incumbent Gus Bilirakis (R) over Bolley L. “Bo” Johnson (D)
Georgia: incumbent Herman Cain (R) over Robby Wells (D)
Hawaii: Colleen Hanabusa (D) over Cam Cavasso (R) and Joy Allison (Country); incumbent appointee Irene Hirano Inouye (D) retired
Idaho: incumbent Carlos Bilbao (R) over Walt Minnick (D)
Illinois: incumbent Sheila Simon (D) over Judy Koehler (R)
Indiana: Brian C. Bosma (R) over incumbent Evan Bayh (D)
Iowa: incumbent Robert Lee Vander Plaats (R) over Rob Hogg (D) and Ray Zirkelbach (I)
Kansas: incumbent Bob Dole (R) over Patrick Wiesner (D)
Kentucky: Charles Merwin “Trey” Grayson III (R) over Tom Recktenwald (D); incumbent Daniel Mongiardo (D) retired
Louisiana: Charles E. “Chas” Roemer IV (R) over incumbent Chris John (D)
Maryland: Rand Beers (D) over Kathy Szeliga (R); incumbent Barbara Mikulski (D) retired
Missouri: David A. Catania (R) over Susan Montee (D); incumbent Wayne Cryts (D) retired
Nevada: incumbent Dina Titus (D) over Tyrus O. “Ty” Cobb (R)
New Hampshire: incumbent Ted Gatsas (R) over Carol Shea-Porter (D)
New York: incumbent Allyson Schwartz (D) over Larry Kudlow (R) and Vito Russo (I)
North Carolina: incumbent Rand Paul (R) over Deborah Ross (D)
North Dakota: incumbent Kelly Schmidt (R) over Joel C. Heitkamp (D)
Ohio: incumbent Randy Brock (R) over Joyce Beatty (D)
Oklahoma: incumbent Evelyn Rogers (R) over Mike Workman (D) and Dax Ewbank (Liberty)
Oregon: incumbent Walter Leslie “Les” AuCoin (D) over Faye Stewart (R) and Shanti Lewallen (Working Families)
Pennsylvania: incumbent Bob Casey Jr. (D) over Lou Barletta (Country) and William Scranton III (R)
South Carolina: incumbent Sherry Sealy Martschink (R) over Laurie Funderburk (D)
South Dakota: Gordon K. Howie (R) over Bernie Hunhoff (D); incumbent Teresa McGovern (D) retired
Utah: Shawn Bradley (R) over Jonathan Swinton (D); incumbent Lyle Hillyard (R) retired
Vermont: incumbent William Sorrell (D) over H. Brooke Paige (R) and Cris Ericson (I)
Washington: incumbent Gary Locke (D) over Steve Litzow (R)
Wisconsin: incumbent Bronson La Follette (D) over Dick Linenkugel (R)
– knowledgepolitics.co.usa
United States House of Representatives results, 2016
Date: November 8, 2016
Seats: All 441
Seats needed for majority: 221
New House majority leader: H. Dargan McMaster (R-SC)
New House minority leader: Ed Markey (D-MA) (incumbent Barbara B. Kennelly (D-CT) retired)
Last election: 225 (R), 216 (D)
Seats won: 232 (R), 209 (D)
Seat change: R ^ 7, D v 7
– knowledgepolitics.co.usa
United States Governor election results, 2016
Date: November 8, 2016
Number of state gubernatorial elections held: 12
Seats before: 25 (R), 25 (D), 1 (I), 1 (G)
Seats after: 29 (R), 21 (D), 1 (I), 1 (G)
Seat change: R ^ 4, D v 4, I - 0, G - 0
Full list:
Delaware: Stephanie Hansen (D) over Lacey Lafferty (R); incumbent Jack Carney (D) retired
Indiana: incumbent John R. Gregg (D) over Allen Lucas Messer (R) and Thomas McDermott Jr. (Rent Regulation)
Missouri: Thomas A. “Tom” Schweich (R) over Chris Koster (D); incumbent Perry B. Clark (D) retired
Montana: incumbent Barack “Rocky” McCain (R) over Bill McChesney (D)
New Hampshire: Darryl W. Perry (R) over Andrew Hosmer (D); incumbent Rushern L. Baker III (D) retired
North Carolina: incumbent Helen Elizabeth “Beth” Garrett (D) over Clyde Robert Brawley (R)
North Dakota: Jasper Schneider (R) over Ryan Taylor (D); incumbent Heidi Heitkamp (D) retired
Puerto Rico: Raul Labrador (R) over David Bernier (D) and Manuel Cidre (I); incumbent Hector Luis Acevedo (D) retired
Utah: incumbent Robert Wood Young (R) over James “Jimmy The Greek” Dabakis (D)
Vermont: incumbent Jeffrey “Jeff” Weaver (D) over Bruce Lisman (R) and Bill “Spaceman” Lee (Liberty Union)
Washington: Krist Novoselic (D) over Susan Hutchison (R); incumbent Lisa J. Simpson (D) retired
West Virginia: incumbent Charlotte Pritt (D) over Erikka Lynn Storch (R)
– knowledgepolitics.co.usa
INCOMING FRESHMAN U.S. CONGRESPERSONS HAVE BIG PLANS FOR “RESHAPING” AMERICA
…Colorado’s Mary Lou Makepeace (R) will be the US’s oldest-ever freshman Representative, entering office in January at the age of 76. …Robert Portman is returning to congress after losing re-election in 2014; he won his first term back in 2004, best incumbent Bob Taft in the GOP primary due to Taft facing years of financial scandals. …Voters in Oregon elected new Representatives: Gail R. Shibley (D), an openly BLUTAG progressive lawmaker; Rod Monroe (D), having staged an impressive political comeback; Steve Novick (D), a “New Jersey ex-pat” strongly backing RCV reform; and Vicki Walker (D), who won in an even greater landslide than expected. …In Indiana, the state’s next youngest Representative, Eddie Melton (D, age 35) is succeeding the oldest lawmaker in the House. Joe Newman (D, b. 1913), who turns 104 on January 13, 2017, was a champion of schools for the mentally ill who “directly assisted with the initial launch of…Social Security” and lived through the Great Depression; he leaves office after serving for 15 terms/30 years, having maintained a record of opposing “special interests,” defending Medicare and then UHC, and fighting to eliminate poverty for the wealthiest nation on Earth. …outgoing Mayor and former Public Safety Advocate Scott Lindsay (R) of Seattle wants to see higher-quality recreadrug addiction facilities nationwide…
– The Washington Post, 11/15/2016
FRITZ’S FOODS: Mondale Family Publishes Family Recipes
The man loves to cook. It all started on fishing trips where his buddies taught him how to pan-fry his catch. He progressed onward and upward to such heights as Turkey Dressing and Pumpkin Bread for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Fritz says that for him cooking is a way to relax. The Mondale's winter holidays are traditional family affairs
The former President still, as always, makes the Turkey Dressing for these holiday get-together. It's an old-fashioned dressing of traditional style, and with some
familial renown, mind you. His secret to stuffing greatness is dry, day old, hot dog buns. The buns are very important. Fritz says regular bread simply won't do.
Fritz's Turkey Dressing
1 1/2 doz. day old hot dog or hamburger buns
1 cup (two sticks) butter
3 medium onions, chopped
3 cups celery with tops, chopped
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 to 3 tbsp. leaf sage, crumbled
2 chicken bouillon cubes
2 cups boiling water
2 eggs
The buns should be quite dry. Leave them out overnight or dry them in a very slow oven at about 250 degrees. Crumble the buns into a large bowl, there should be about twelve cups. Melt the butter in a large skillet and add the onions and the celery. Saute slowly until tender, about fifteen minutes. Add to the crumbled buns, along with the salt, pepper and sage. Add the bouillon cubes to the boiling water and stir until dissolved. Beat the eggs lightly in a small bowl and stir into the dressing. Add enough of the chicken broth to make a moist mixture. Stuff the turkey cavity lightly with the dressing. Spoon any extra dressing into a buttered casserole. Spoon a little extra chicken broth over the top and bake uncovered or covered with the turkey during the last half hour of roasting.
Fritz's Pumpkin Bread
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp. soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cloves
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
3/4 tsp. salt
1 2/3 cups flour, sifted
2 eggs
1/2 cup oil
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1/2 cup chopped dates
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Sift together the sugar, soda baking powder, spices, salt, and pre-sifted flour. Add the eggs, oil, pumpkin, and water and mix with a beater. Stir in the nuts and dates. Pour into two greased nine-by five inch pans and bake for about one hour and thirty minutes. Start testing after one hour. Loaves may be frozen up to two months.
– betterliving.co.usa, 11/18/2016 article [12]
MARY KAY BERGMAN REVEALS WHO ELSE CAMEOS IN UPCOMING DISNEY FLICK!
…Disney’s “Stoneflight” hits theaters June 30, 2017…
– The Hollywood Reporter, 11/21/2016
MEET THE LINCOLN LOG REPUBLICANS HEADING TO CONGRESS
…Representative-Elect Paul Babeu (R-MA), age 47, was elected to North Adams, MA City Council at the age of 18, then served as Berkshire County MA commissioner from 1992 to 1996, when he resigned to successfully run for a state senate seat in that year’s “red wave” of GOP victories. After roughly a decade in the state senate, he served as the Mayor of North Adams from 2006 to 2014. Babeu supports the movement to use the NIA to hold a national vote on implementing RCV in all 50 states for use in US Presidential elections… …Christopher R. Barron (R-ME), age 43, is the conservative political lobbyist who cofounded “GOProud” in 2009; he supports using congressional districts for the allocating of Electoral College votes in US Presidential elections…
– The Huffington Post, 11/29/2016
“Americans are very easygoing people. If the added attention and great visibility that I have been able to generate can help open doors and expose more Chinese to American values and the American way of life, that is great.”
[13]
– US Senator Gary Locke (D-WA) at the US-China Forum on Arts and Culture, Asia Society Center, Potomac, 12/7/2016
LANDSLIDE CRUSHES BALLS!
…PM Ed Balls, in office since 10 October 2015, was defeated in a landslide election tonight, with the Labour party losing majority and the Tories returning to majority control. This means that our next Prime Minister will be our former Prime Minister, Tory leader Alastair Goodlad. Goodlad led his party to victory over Balls as well as over Wera Hobhouse (leader of the Liberal Democrats), Blair Jenkins (leader of the Scottish People’s party), and Caroline Lucas (leader of the Green party), with all four of those parties losing seats…
– The Guardian, 12/12/2016
…In international news, the incumbent President of United Turkestan has lost re-election amid underwater approval ratings. Roza Otunbayeva of the Social Democratic party, who entered office in 2011, lost her bid for a third three-year term to Muhammad Salih of Uzbekistan of the Prosperity party over growing disapproval of her subjectively high taxation policies. Salih, upon entering office on the fifth of January 2017, will be the nation’s first president from the region of Uzbekistan since would-be dictator President Islam Karimov served from 2006 until his assassination in 2008. However, in stark contrast to Karimov, and according to all major international election fraud watchdog groups who observed the election process, Salih ran a legitimate campaign and, for safe measure repeatedly, distanced himself from Karimov by condemning the former leader’s oppressive government multiple times while on the campaign trail…
– BBC World News, 14/12/2016 broadcast
MIKE STEPOVICH, FORMER ALASKA GOVERNOR, DIES AT 98
…the moderate Republican was the GOP’s 1972 nominee for Vice President of the United States… …Stepovich passed away less than a month after his 98th birthday from natural causes
[14]…
– The New York Times, 12/15/2016
GRAMMER WELCOMES PRESIDENT OF THE PHILIPPINES TO THE US
…Dr. Luis A. G. Tagle (b. 1957), the President of the Philippines since 2015, will be taken on a tour of several agricultural and industrial centers across the United States…
– The Washington Post, 12/18/2016
…The Sanders family reunion of Christmas 2016 was one of our more memorable get-togethers because on Christmas Eve, Cousin Darrell from the Winger side of the family finally proposed to his girlfriend-turned-fiancé, making Christmas more jubilant and exciting than usual for the adults. …Naturally, Josephine Wurster, the “head” of the family, was overjoyed with the union…
– Tabitha Louisa Sanders’ Growing Up Under Chicken, Sunrise Publishers, 2021
The Family Tree of Harland David Sanders
COL. HARLAND DAVID SANDERS (1890-1990), m. Josephine King (1909-1947, div.), then Claudia Price (1948-his death)
> Margaret Josephine Sanders (1910-2001), m. James Trigg Adams (1930-1975, div.)
> > Col. Harland Morrison Adams (1932-2014), m. Donna Smith (1954-his death)
> > > Tiffany Donna Adams (b. 1956), m. Winthrop Paul “Win” Rockefeller (1980-his death, 2006)
> > > > Jonathan Harmon Rockefeller (b. 1981), m. Pamela Ashley Brown (2008-present)
> > > > > Beverley David Thomas Rockefeller (b. 2009)
> > > Rhett James Adams (b. 1958), m. Isabella Gutierrez (1978-present)
> > > > Rockerby Buzzsaw Adams (b. 1979), m. Grace Bullock (1996-present)
> > > > > Thatch Yarborough Adams (b. 1997)
> > > > > > Grace Harmony Adams (b. 2015)
> > > > Eleanor Buttercup Adams (b. 1981)
> > Josephine Frances Adams (b. 1936), m. Col. John Joseph Wurster Sr. (1955-his death, 2011)
> > > Cindy Wurster Sjogren (b. 1955)
> > > John Joseph Wurster Jr. (b. 1957), m. Melissa Jackson (1985-present)
> > > > John Joseph Wurster III (b. 1987)
> > > Cynthia Josephine Wurster (b. 1959), m. Hal Heiner (1980-present)
> > > > Claudia Heiner (b. 1981)
> > > > > Sunshine Heiner (b. 2002)
> > > Harland James Wurster (b. 1961), m. Holly Garmen (1979-present)
> > > > Harland James Wurster Jr. (b. 1980)
> > > Christopher Francis Wurster (b. 1971), m. Brittany Murphy (1997-present)
> > > > Apollo Court Wurster-Murphy (b. 1999)
> > > > Artemis Fowl Wurster-Murphy (b. 2001)
> > James Trigg Adams III (b. 1939), m. Geraldine Brown (1963-her death, 2014)
> > > Maryanne Gladys Adams (b. 1964)
> > > William Scranton Adams (b. 1966), m. Sally Darrin
> > > > William Scranton Adams Jr. (b. 1991) m. Arista Newson
> > > > > Katherine Jasmine Adams-Newson (b. 2015)
> > > > Margaret Hillary Adams (b. 1994), m. John McKinney
> > > > Joan Marianne Adams (b. 1996), m. Ernest van der Poole
> Col. Harland David “Harley” Sanders Jr. (1912-2007), m. Evelyn Smith (1935-1949, div.), then Venus Ramey (1952-his death)
> > Harland David “Lando” Sanders III (b. 1939), m. Candy Smith
> > > Col. Harland David (“Lando Jr.,” later “Davey”) Sanders IV (b. 1959), m. Stella Haynes
> > > > Marlene Maureen Sanders (b. 1984), m. Joseph Patrick “Joe” Kennedy III (2006-present)
> > > > > Harland Sanders Kennedy (b. 2008)
> > > > > Mildred Marie Kennedy (b. 2011)
> > > > Harland David “Vinnie” Sanders V (b. 1985), m. Maria Gomez (2014-present)
> > > > > Harland David “Lando III” Sanders VI (b. 2014)
> > > Anna Mae Francis Sanders (b. 1961)
> > > Tabitha Louisa Sanders (b. 1964), m. Peter Huntsman (1989-present)
> > > > John Paul Huntsman (b. 1990), m. Sheila Smalls (2007-present)
> > > > > Jonathan Huntsman II (b. 2008)
> > > > > Jefferson Huntsman (b. 2011)
> > > > > Allen Davidson Huntsman (b. 2013)
> > April Sanders (b. 1940), m. Jefferson Davis Johnson (1967-2011, div.)
> > > May Donna Johnson (b. 1968), m. John Albert Chandler (2002-present)
> > > > June Frances Chandler (b. 1971), m. Nicholas Cage (1993-1997, div.), then Christopher Charles Cuomo (2001-present)
> > > > > Lois Lane Cage (b. 1994), m. Thomas Miller (2015-present)
> > > > > > John Wayne Miller (b. 2016)
> > > > > July Matilda “Julie” Cuomo (b. 2003)
> > > > > Lawrence Wetherby Cuomo (b. 2005)
> > > > John Albert Chandler Jr. (b. 1973), m. Holly Thompson (b. 1998)
> > > > > John Albert Chandler III (b. 1999)
> > Clarice Augustine Sanders (b. 1942), m. Marvin Winger (1967-his death, 2002)
> > > Chelsea Rachel Winger (b. 1968), m. Marcus LeMarr Allen (1992-2010, div.)
> > > > Tiberius Noonian Allen (b. 1993), m. Leslie Wall (m. 2013)
> > > > > LeMarr Colonel Allen (b. 2014)
> > > James Jones Winger (b. 1970), m. Martha Frank (m. 2011)
> > > > Harland Price Winger (b. 2012)
> > > Darrell Harvey Winger (b. 1977)
> Mildred Marie Sanders (1919-2010), m. John F. Ruggles Jr. (1937-1983, div.)
> > Marlona Ruggles Ice (b. 1938), m. Daniel Ice (1962-present)
> > > Harland Ice (b. 1964), m. Teresa Mayfield (1989-1995, div.)
> > > > Josephine Daytona Mayfield Ice (b. 1991)
> > > Samantha Matilda Ice (b. 1966), m. August Laffoon (1992-present)
> > > > David Denney Laffoon (b. 1993), m. Katherine Hardin (2015-present)
> > > > Sally Beatrice Laffoon (b. 1995)
> > > > Michelle Eliza Laffoon (b. 1998)
> > John F. Ruggles III (1942-2015), m. Vivian Rickman Whalen (1972-his death)
> > > Elizabeth Ruggles Murl (b. 1974), m. John Pitchford (1995-present)
> > > > Caetlyn Sistrunk Christian Pitchford Paz (b. 1997)
> > > > Katherine Grace Pitchford (b. 2000)
– lineage.co.usa, c. December 2016 [15]
“
When the Pinnacle was launched in 2008 during the christening ceremony the bottle of champagne that they christen a ship with during the launching bounced off of her side. The snipe had been in numerous smaller collisions such as going too fast in port and getting caught in a gust and scraping on another ship. What happened between Corsica and Sardinia was nasty due to it happening on January 13th, 2017. It was a Friday the 13th.”
[16]
– Marjorie Hollis, former passenger of the Pinnacle, BBC segment, 1/13/2022 anniversary report
…The strait of Bonifacio lies between the Mediterranean islands of Corsica and Sardinia. At 11km, or 6.835 miles in width, it was large enough for even the world’s largest shipping vessels to not have to pass through one at a time. And yet, just after 1:20 P.M. of January 13, 2017, two cruise ships from rival cruise line companies – the Carnival
Pinnacle mega-ship, and a slightly smaller cruise ship, Spain’s Pullmantur Cruises
Sirena – each attempted to do a “sail-by salute” (a ceremonial activity in which a boat sails very close to a shoreline to honk its horn in a tradition pleasing to cruise-takers) off the coast of Santa Teresa Gallura, Sardinia, at the same time. The Pinnacle was sailing from east, and the Sirena was sailing west.
Wanting to get in front of the Sirena for a “clear” salute, the Captain instructs the helmsman to get 457 meters, or 1,500 feet, close to the shoreline. Concurrently, the Sirena’s Captain, not wanting to be outdone by a rival company out of fear that he could be reprimanded for costing the passengers a traditional salute, orders his ship’s helmsman to get in front of the Pinnacle…
…The Captain of the Pinnacle had previously worked on a fishing trawler for a company based in Somalia before joining the ship’s crew in 2010, and then quickly rose in rank, while its helmsman had initially worked in the engine room of a smaller vessel just five years earlier...
– Georgina Giannacoli’s Playing Cruise Chicken, Borders Books, 2020
FIRST OFFICER: “They’re trying to get in front of us. Slow our speed!”
CAPTAIN: “No, increase speed.”
SECOND OFFICER: “Captain, we could just do a drive-by at Porto Cervo; it’s the next coastal city we’re sailing past anyway!”
CAPTAIN: “And deny this snapshot moment to the ticket-paying people onboard? Think of the complaints, man!”
HELMSMAN: “Uh, aren’t ships supposed to pass each other on the right?”
SECOND OFFICER: “We’re coming in too fast and we’re getting too close to the coastline!”
NAVIGATOR: “Captain, we’re getting dangerously close to the shallow water line.”
FIRST OFFICER: “Slow our speed!”
CAPTAIN: “They’re really refusing to get out of our way. This is a game of chicken to them, isn’t it?”
SECOND OFFICER: “No Captain, they can’t get out of the way just like we can’t.”
CAPTAIN: “Yes we can! Alright, we’ll let them pass. Turn to 335! A Sharp turn to the left!”
HELMSMAN: “Left?”
CAPTAIN: “Right.”
HELMSMAN: “Right, okay.”
FIRST OFFICER: “No!”
[grinding sound]
HELMSMAN: “Wait, our right or their right?”
FIRST OFFICER: “We’re about to hit them!”
SECOND OFFICER: "Brace for impact!"
CAPTAIN: “Starboard, you fool!”
HELMSMAN: “Starboard?”
[inaudible dialogue, shouting]
[Crashing sound]
HELMSMAN: “Whoops.”
– audio recording from security device onboard The Pinnacle, installed on the main deck in 2015 after an undisclosed incident, recorded 1/13/2017 (released 7/5/2020)
…Although they collided into each other at a slow speed, the impact significantly damaged both vessels. Almost immediately, the ships’ engine rooms reported that gigantic proportions of water were pouring into the lower decks from the impact zones (for each vessel, it was the starboard side of the bow that had practically scraped its way into that of the other vessel), and were soon followed by reports of engine failure.
Less than sixty seconds after a “double-header” collision in shallow rock-filled waters, damage to the lower decks causes incoming seawater to paralyze the engines, shutting down all power in both ships, including lights, water pumps and rudder control. The Pinnacle was taking on water in three compartments, the Sirena in four. They were sinking.
Both captains tacitly gave out the orders to abandon ship.
What happened in the minutes and hours that followed are filled with contradictory reports, which will be studied this book. The general themes of this infamous day, however, were panic, fear, chaos, and blame. Half the crew of the Pinnacle wanted to coordinate with the crew of the Sirena, while the Captain and others blamed the Sirena for the collision and refused to work with them during the crisis…
– Georgina Giannacoli’s Playing Cruise Chicken, Borders Books, 2020
CRUISE SHIPS CRASH OFF SARDINIAN SHORE
…already, one of the ships is tilting slightly as it sinks to the bottom of the coastal waters. …Neither ship is small enough or far enough out to sea to sink below the water level…
– usarightnow.co.usa, 1/13/2017 “breaking news” e-alert
…with the Harbor Master of Santa Teresa Gallura stepping in to oversee the hectic and uncoordinated evacuation procedures on both vessels, nearly all of the passengers and crew departed the ships before both began to list. The Pinnacle would become stuck in the seabed at an almost perfect 45% angle, while the listing of the Sirena, which was 60% underwater, was to a notably less severe angle. Out of 3,300 Pinnacle passengers and 2,100 Sirena passengers, 12 died, all by drowning, and 71 suffered non-fatal injuries.
The Pinnacle-Sirena Collision was the largest cruise ship disaster since the Titanic. By the dawn of January 14, the crisis itself was over, but the investigations into the actions of the crew before, during and after the collision and evacuations were only beginning…
– Georgina Giannacoli’s Playing Cruise Chicken, Borders Books, 2020
“By making the present bright, we make the vision of the future an even brighter reality. …With a clear mandate from the people of America, it appears that our work in Washington, D.C. is only half-way done!”
– US President Kelsey Grammer, 1/20/2017 inauguration
THE KELSEY GRAMMER ADMINISTRATION AT {THE START} OF {2017}
Vice President: former Governor
Harley Davidson Brown (R-ID)
CABINET
Secretary of State: campaign advisor and former Dean of Stanford University’s Institute for International Studies
Richard L. Morningstar (R-NY)
Secretary of the Treasury: former US Senator
William Floyd “Bill” Weld (R-MA)
Deputy Secretary of the Treasury: former Democratic Party of Maryland Treasurer
Osman “Oz” Bengur (D-MD)
Secretary of Defense: USAA Chairman, US Air Force Colonel (ret.), retired NASA astronaut and former US Air Force test pilot
Eileen Collins (I-TX)
Deputy Secretary of Defense: Lawyer and general counsel for the US Veterans’ Affairs Department
Ivan Kenneth Fong (I-PO)
Attorney General: former state Attorney General, former District Attorney and former Assistant District Attorney
Susana Martinez (R-NM)
Deputy Attorney General: lawyer and state attorney general
Boyd Rutherford (R-MD)
Postmaster General: former US Attorney General, former US Senator, former Administrator of the National Roadways Safety Administration, former US Transportation Secretary, former EPA Administrator and former US Labor Secretary
Ralph Nader (I-CT)
Secretary of the Interior: former Governor
Gary Johnson (R-NM)
Secretary of Agriculture: former Deputy Secretary of Agriculture and former US Representative
Martha Bueno (R-FL)
Secretary of Commerce: US Senator and former Governor
Hillary Rodham-Clinton (R-TN)
Deputy Secretary of Commerce: state Attorney General and former state Inspector General Timothy L.
DeFoor (R-PA)
Secretary of Labor: former US Representative
Steven Craig Gunderson (R-WI)
Secretary of Education: former Dean of Texas A&M and former state Secretary of Education
Margo Spellings (R-TX)
Secretary of Health and Humane Services: former US Representative
Michelle Eunjoo Park Steel (R-CA)
Secretary of Transportation: US Representative
Tim Scott (R-SC)
Secretary of Veterans’ Affairs: Dean of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine Dr.
Julie Story Byerley (I-NC)
Secretary of Energy and Technology: outgoing US Ambassador to United Korea, historian and former Oberlin College professor
Sheila Miyoshi Jager (I-OH)
Secretary of Community Development: physician and former Marstronaut
Patricia Consolatrix Hilliard “Doc” Robertson (R-PA)
CABINET-LEVEL POSITIONS
Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA): Deputy CIA Director and former CIA operations officer
Evan McMullin (R-UT)
Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI): outgoing CIA Director and US Marine Corps Commander (ret.)
Winsome Sears (R-VA)
US Trade Representative: US Representative
Allen Fung (R-RI)
Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA): former Governor
Dave Ramsey (R-TN)
Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): Administrator of the California Environmental Protection Agency
Terry Tamminen (D-CA)
Administrator of the Overwhelming Disaster Emergency Response Coordination Agency (ODERCA): former Gov.
Martha Rainville (R-MS)
THE PRESIDENT’S EXECUTIVE OFFICE
White House Chief of Staff: Deputy WH Chief of Staff and former gubernatorial Deputy Chief of Staff
Patricia Clarey (R-CA)
Deputy White House Chief of Staff: Counselor to The President and former campaign Chief of Staff
Paul Wachter (I-PO)
Counselor to the President: former US Representative and attorney
Nancy Lord (R-SC)
Chief Domestic Policy Advisor: healthcare advocate and former nurse
Renee Amoore (R-NY)
Chief Economic Policy Advisor: venture capitalist and former securities analyst
Mary Meeker (I-IN)
Chief Foreign Policy Advisor: Kansas-born Iranian-American energy lecturer
Rob Sobhani (R-MD)
Chief National Security Advisor: Seattle Chief of Police, former Los Angeles Chief of Police, and former Boston Police Commissioner
William J. Bratton (D-WA)
Director of the Office of Management and Budget: Harvard University economics professor
Kenneth Rogoff (I-CT)
Director of the Domestic Policy Council: former US Deputy HHS Secretary and former Virginia Secretary of Health and Human Resources
Claude Allen (R-PA)
Other Counselors, Advisors, and Key Personnel: speechwriter
Peter Grigsby and
John Decker; finance professor
Murray Sabrin (R-NJ); political advisor, newspaper columnist/publisher, and former US Senator
Ron Paul (R-TX); attorney
Jason Ravnsborg (R-SD); economist
Frederic Mishkin; staffers
Mona Mohammadi,
Karen Baker,
Daniel Zingale, and
Gary Delsohn
White House Communications Director: campaign communications director
Amy Michaels (I-PO)
Deputy White House Communications Director: campaign communications deputy director
Roberta Sussman (I-PO)
White House Appointments Secretary: campaign appointments secretary and hemophilia awareness advocate
Ryan Wayne White (R-IN)
White House Press Secretary: campaign Chief of Protocol
Charlotte Schultz (I-CA)
OTHER MEMBERS
Solicitor General (representative of the Federal Government before the Supreme Court): attorney and constitutional law professor
Pasquale Cipollone (R-KY)
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff: former US Secretary of the Army and former Governor
Hudson Holliday (R-MS)
US Navy Admiral and Commander of the US Pacific Fleet
Derwood Clayiborne “D.C.” Curtis (I-IL)
Secretary of the Army: Governor
David Woods (R-AL)
Secretary of the Navy: US Navy Admiral
James George Stavridis (I-PO)
Federal Reserve Chairman: outgoing Solicitor General and former US Representative
Tom Campbell (R-CA)
Director of NASA: Deputy NASA Director
Jeffrey Bezos (I-AZ)
NOTABLE AMBASSADORS
To the United Nations: outgoing US Ambassador to Russia, former Los Angeles Chief of Police and libertarian political activist
Norma Jean Almodovar (L-CA)
To Argentina: former Treasurer of the US
Bay Buchanan (R-VA)
To Australia: former US Representative and former Crabb, TX Mayor
Brian Christopher Zimmerman (R-TX)
To Brazil: former RNC Chair
Ralph Reed (R-GA)
To Canada: former Chair of the US President’s Auto Industry Task Force
Harry J. Wilson (R-NY)
To China: former Federal Reserve Chair, former US Representative, and former Chair of the US International Trade Commission
John Kasich (R-OH)
To Cuba: outgoing US Ambassador to the UN, former US Ambassador to Belgium and US Navy Commander (ret.)
Theodore Roosevelt IV (R-FL)
To Egypt: US Senator
Don Stenberg (R-NE)
To France: former President of the Minaret of Freedom Institute libertarian think tank
Imad-ad-Dean “Dean” Ahmad (R-MD)
To Germany: former Governor
Mary Starrett (R-OR)
To India: former US Ambassador to China and former US Assistant Secretary of State
Winston Lord (R-NY)
To Iran: former US Ambassador to Azerbaijan and husband of Zeyno Baran
Matthew James Bryza (I-PO)
To Italy: former US Senator
Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX)
To Japan: former Governor
Kenneth James Fanning (Liberty-AS)
To Korea: outgoing US Deputy Secretary of Veterans’ Affairs and former US Representative
Rodney Alexander (R-LA)
To Mexico: businessman, inventor, entrepreneur and professional survivalist
John Ellis “Jeb” Bush (R-FL)
To New Zealand: businessman, political activist, former US House nominee and US Army Brigadier General (ret.)
Keith Russell Judd (R-AZ)
To Poland: former FBI Director, former IRS Commissioner and former state Lieutenant Governor
Wilford V. Oveson (R-UT)
To Russia: outgoing US Secretary of Energy and Technology and former businessman
Harold Glenn Hamm (R-OK)
To South Africa: addiction treatment advocate and former Deputy Director for the Office of Nation Recreadrug Policy
Andrea Barthwell (R-IL)
To Spain: former Governor
Kelley Ashby (R-NH)
To Turkey: scholar, Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute think tank, and wife of Matthew James Bryza
Zeyno Baran (I-PO)
To the U.K.: investment bank director, lecturer, and former Deputy Director of Central Intelligence
George John Tenet (R-NY)
To Yugoslavia: outgoing US Ambassador to South Africa
Jenean Michelle Hampton (R-MI)
– KelseyGrammerPresidentialLibraryAndPerformingArtsCenter.org.usa/cabinet_composition/2017
NOTE(S)/SOURCE(S)
[1] OTL Quote!
https://www.brainyquote.com/authors/gary-locke-quotes Also: The selection of Bob Casey as running mate was based on the previous chapter's poll results as of yesterday morning (Friday, roughly 7:00 A.M. EST; Casey had a plurality while Lewinsky was in a close second place)
[2] All non-italicized passages are OTL statements made by Gary Locke and are found here:
https://www.brainyquote.com/authors/gary-locke-quotes
[3] Italicized parts pulled from this OTL article:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-03-19/port-kembla-first-hydrogen-truck-gets-green-light/13263384
[4] Puns taken from here:
https://news.google.com/newspapers?...NAAAAIBAJ&pg=1712,670042&dq=candy-desk+senate
[5] He passed away roughly a decade earlier in OTL.
[6] This is an OTL thing!:
http://thehigherlearning.com/2016/05/23/kfcs-new-nail-polish-is-finger-lickin-good/
[7] This punchline is provided by
@Kennedy Forever
[8] OTL Quote:
https://www.politico.com/story/2008/06/text-of-obamas-fatherhood-speech-011094
[9] This is a variation of a line used by Tim Pawlenty in the first GOP Presidential debate back in 2011 in OTL!
[10] All of the italicized bits in this segment are OTL quotes:
https://www.brainyquote.com/authors/gary-locke-quotes
[11] This is not at all meant to look like a parallel to OTL’s 2016 election, btw; it just unintentionally turned out similarly in regards to popular vote share
[12] The recipes, and the italicized passages above them, were all pulled verbatim from here:
https://www.esquire.com/food-drink/...es-recipe-turkey-dressing-pumpkin-bread-1184/
[13] OTL quote, pulled from here:
https://www.brainyquote.com/authors/gary-locke-quotes
[14] In OTL, he died on 2/14/2014 from a head injury after a fall; something as random as that would definitely be butterflied away, right?
[15] Per
@GrandMaster ’s request “I want to see what Colonel Sanders’ family tree looks like in this timeline”; most names are real, though some dates for OTL births/marriage are only rough estimates given the lack of public information available concerning these private families; most marriages are not shown/visible; not all siblings/children are visible, either.
[16] Passage written by
@ajm8888 ; thanks for the contribution, dude!
The next Chapter’s E.T.A.?: Not sure, but April 10 at the very latest!
Not sure I buy Virginia being Democratic and Pennsylvania Republican in this election.
VA has twice as many Asian-Americans as PA, both in TTL and in OTL; VA's GOP is not as strong as PA's is; VA has reliably voted Democrat for the past several election cycles, but the same can not be said for PA at some levels; PA is a bit more conservative than VA in this TL as well due to butterflies (the POD was 84 years ago at this point; notice the electoral college has not stayed identical to OTL's for decades now).