A Thousand Points of Light: An Alternate History TL
- Thread starter LordRedVine
- Start date
OTL in 1986 Gadafi agent commit terrorist bombing in La Belle discothèque in West Berlin
the Target was selected because frequented by United States soldiers
what follow was "Operation El Dorado Canyon"
COMMUNISTS TAKE NORTH BANGLADESH
-The Times of India, 30 September, 1981
The unrest in Bangladesh has appeared to have escalated into an all-out civil war as Communist guerilla groups have claimed full control of North Bangladesh. The guerillas, lead by Bangladesh Liberation War veteran Moni Singh, has appeared as a well-armed opposition group towards the emergency administration of Abdus Sattar, of which many are claiming is a military junta. Both competing governments are claiming to be the legitimate government of the Bengal state.
Reportedly, members of the socialist Awami League party have defected to the rebels, many of whom have accused the Sattar government of authoritarianism and muscling in on the lives of civilians through use of the military. The Dhaka government has furiously denied any claims of military violence, although many foreign emissaries in the country have fled the country, including those of the British, Dutch and Japanese diplomatic missions.
Firefights between the two sides on the Teesta River have been reported, but could not be confirmed. Members of the Bangladesh Army and Government in Dhaka could not be contacted for further word, however.
The unrest, which began with the Assassination of Ziaur Rahman in May, has led to a peacekeeping effort by the United Nations to be implemented, albeit with apparent little success.
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[Beginning of Tape]
BAKER: Alright, and we’re rolling.
SPEAKES: Do we really need to have this conversation taped?
BAKER: Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for being here for this special briefing over the situation in Libya. President Bush...
BUSH: Thank you, Jim. *Papers rustling* For the past few months, the United States Navy and Air Force have begun an offensive campaign against naval targets belonging to or affiliated with the Libyan state. This operation, code-named ‘POSEIDON,’ has been a military success for the United States. *Papers rustling, being set down* I’ve been reading into my own battles all night and yet I still can’t understand what the hell’s going on. Bill, if you will...
CASEY: We’ve procured intel that General Gaddafi is planning a second offensive on targets associated with the United States military.
UNKNOWN: Oh?
HAIG: ...Well, if this intelligence chatter is true, we believe it in the best interest for the American people and the citizens of the free world that General Gaddafi is removed from power, Mr. President. I believe I can speak for all of us right now.
NUMEROUS PEOPLE: *Audible approval*
KIRKPATRICK: I agree that Mister Gaddafi should be removed from power, Al, but whether the regime change should be through military might or diplomacy is another question.
SPEAKES: So who is this Gaddafi guy? What does he stand for?
KIRKPATRICK: He’s a nut, to put it bluntly.
SPEAKES: But he’s not funded by the Soviets, at least?
BUSH: He is supported by the Soviets, yes. The Soviets give him military support.
WEINBERGER: His beliefs are a hodge-podge of Islam, Arabic Nationalism and Socialism, from what I’ve been told.
KIRKPATRICK: He holds his beliefs strongly, but I don’t think that’s why he wants to stay in power.
HAIG: There is one way to deal with him.
ALL: …
HAIG: Well, from what I’ve heard, this Gaddafi guy only wants to hold onto power for himself. You said it yourself, Jeane, he’s only concerned about his ambition, not any ideology. He’s not like the Communists in Vietnam… there is a way to get him out of the picture.
CASEY: I don’t think it works that way, Secretary Haig…
HAIG: Has the Central Intelligence Agency not been used to infiltrate the governments of dictators much worse than this petty warlord over in Africa?
CASEY: Well…
BUSH: I do understand where Secretary Haig is coming from. Destroy the bastard’s forces, with enough urban assault they’ll withdraw to the deserts. Bring in the special forces or whatever you guys have and bring me his head.
KIRKPATRICK: Mr. President, I do believe that this plan would create a power vacuum in Libya even worse than…
BUSH: Where? In a goddamned African country? Scratch that- A goddamned Middle Eastern country? We can find somebody who will fill in the gaps that General Gaddafi has left.
HAIG: Nice, nice.
WEINBERGER: Do you mind if I…
UNKNOWN: Not at all.
BUSH: Well, Ladies and Gentlemen, the world’s gonna remember us for this.
BAKER: Okay, that’s… two minutes and seven seconds.
UNKNOWN: Hey, give that ba-
[End of Tape]
This recording, as well as numerous other recordings, were shown during the Stafford-Tower Report Hearings in 1982. This recording transcribed a secret meeting in the Oval Office on the 2nd of October, 1981, with President George H. W. Bush, White House Chief of Staff James Baker, Secretary of State Alexander Haig, Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger, United States Representative to the United Nations Jeane Kirkpatrick, White House Press Secretary Larry Speakes and Director of Central Intelligence William J. Casey.
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FATAL CRASH ROCKS NEIGHBOURHOOD
-Detroit Free Press, 5 October, 1981
Tragedy struck the affluent, close-knit community of Farmington Hills yesterday morning when a car crash lead to the deaths of three local teenagers, with a fourth being held in critical condition.
Emergency services were called to the scene, just off the Walter P. Reuther Freeway on Orchard Lake Road, at around 3am to a horrifying scene. The car, a 1970 Ford Falcon, was speeding when the driver lost control and crashed at high-speed, first into a streetlamp and then into a ditch.
Three teenagers from the suburb were found deceased on the scene, Jeff Thomas, Lisa Ciampa and Larry Nassar, a local gymnastics champ who was believed to have been the driver of the vehicle. A fourth victim was found alive at the scene and is currently being held at Beaumont Hospital. All four were seniors at North Farmington High School.
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BBC Nine O'Clock News news bulletin from the 7th of October, 1981, hosted by BBC Foreign Correspondent Katie Aders:
“[Gunfire]
With those shots, life ended for Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, the architect of the peace treaty between his country and Israel and the man considered to be America's closest ally in the Arab world. Yesterday, on a hot, sunny day, Sadat, dressed in the uniform of the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, was reviewing a military parade in Cairo. The parade had been going on for about two hours when the attackers struck. They apparently timed their assault to coincide with an aerial show by a squadron of jet fighters performing maneuvers. As officials in the reviewing stand looked to the skies above, a military vehicle traveling by the reviewing stand suddenly stopped. Four men jumped out and headed towards Sadat, throwing hand grenades and opening up with machine gun fire. Security guards fired back, but it was too late: Sadat had already been hit five times. He was rushed to a military hospital, but even the best Egyptian surgeons were unable to save him. He died on the operating table two hours later, and it was several more hours before the Egyptian Government confirmed his death.
Most of the attackers have killed or captured. A former Egyptian Chief of Staff and head of the Independent Organization for the Liberalization of Egypt and an archenemy of Sadat's Middle East policies claimed responsibility for the attack.
In Beirut, Palestinian guerrillas celebrated Sadat's death by firing their weapons in the air; but other world leaders expressed shock, dismay and sadness. Former President Jimmy Carter called Sadat a bold and courageous man. When word of Sadat's death reached the White House, President Bush expressed his feeling about the Egyptian leader …
[President Bush]: "His courage and skill reaped a harvest of life for his nation and for the world. Anwar Sadat was admired and loved by the people of America. His death today, an act of infamy, cowardly infamy, fills us with horror.
"America has lost a close friend, the world has lost a great statesman, and mankind has lost a champion of peace."
Sadat was something of a maverick in the sphere of world diplomacy. He stunned both Arabs and Israelis by his determined pursuit of a peace treaty between Egypt and Israel. The groundwork for that treaty was laid in early September of 1978 at Camp David, Maryland.
With Sadat gone, speculation is brewing over whether U.S.-Egyptian relations will change. Sadat was a key in the Middle East negotiations. Early indications, however, state that the new Egyptian president, Hosni Mubarak, will follow in the shadow of Sadat, but without his power and charisma.
Kate Adie, BBC News.”
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DE NIRO TASTES SWEET TASTE OF (SAUCE SUCCESS)
-The Los Angeles Times, 10 October, 1981
The unmistakable scent of tomatoes loomed in the air on the corner of Fairfax and 3rd yesterday as retired (as per his words) actor Robert De Niro unleashed his new project: selling sauces.
The “De Niro Tomatino Sauce,” as it was advertised on both doors of the 1977 Toyota Hilux, sold out almost immediately from the back of a red pickup truck. In an impromptu interview as he was handing out jars of red condiments to the Sunday shoppers, words such as “Fra Diavolo,” “Amatriciana” and “Marinara” emblazoned on the labels, he stated: “it was a few months ago when I began cooking. I don’t know why, I guess I just got bored. I began making traditional Italian foods, try to reconnect myself with my heritage, inviting friends over for dinner. [...] Though, without a doubt, the best reception I got, period, was from my sauces.”
“I remember them basically bursting my door down for more of the red stuff,” the salesman said with a smile. “Eventually, I decided: ‘what the hell?’ And here I am now.”
De Niro told our reporter that he had submitted a license application for his product to the Food and Drug Administration, and that half of all proceeds of his “organic, home-style sauces” would be delivered to charities in the Los Angeles region.
“I’m not just in it for the money,” he said, closing up shop as the sun set over the Farmers' Market. “I’m doing this because I want to put good back into the world.”
-The Times of India, 30 September, 1981
The unrest in Bangladesh has appeared to have escalated into an all-out civil war as Communist guerilla groups have claimed full control of North Bangladesh. The guerillas, lead by Bangladesh Liberation War veteran Moni Singh, has appeared as a well-armed opposition group towards the emergency administration of Abdus Sattar, of which many are claiming is a military junta. Both competing governments are claiming to be the legitimate government of the Bengal state.
Reportedly, members of the socialist Awami League party have defected to the rebels, many of whom have accused the Sattar government of authoritarianism and muscling in on the lives of civilians through use of the military. The Dhaka government has furiously denied any claims of military violence, although many foreign emissaries in the country have fled the country, including those of the British, Dutch and Japanese diplomatic missions.
Firefights between the two sides on the Teesta River have been reported, but could not be confirmed. Members of the Bangladesh Army and Government in Dhaka could not be contacted for further word, however.
The unrest, which began with the Assassination of Ziaur Rahman in May, has led to a peacekeeping effort by the United Nations to be implemented, albeit with apparent little success.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Beginning of Tape]
BAKER: Alright, and we’re rolling.
SPEAKES: Do we really need to have this conversation taped?
BAKER: Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for being here for this special briefing over the situation in Libya. President Bush...
BUSH: Thank you, Jim. *Papers rustling* For the past few months, the United States Navy and Air Force have begun an offensive campaign against naval targets belonging to or affiliated with the Libyan state. This operation, code-named ‘POSEIDON,’ has been a military success for the United States. *Papers rustling, being set down* I’ve been reading into my own battles all night and yet I still can’t understand what the hell’s going on. Bill, if you will...
CASEY: We’ve procured intel that General Gaddafi is planning a second offensive on targets associated with the United States military.
UNKNOWN: Oh?
HAIG: ...Well, if this intelligence chatter is true, we believe it in the best interest for the American people and the citizens of the free world that General Gaddafi is removed from power, Mr. President. I believe I can speak for all of us right now.
NUMEROUS PEOPLE: *Audible approval*
KIRKPATRICK: I agree that Mister Gaddafi should be removed from power, Al, but whether the regime change should be through military might or diplomacy is another question.
SPEAKES: So who is this Gaddafi guy? What does he stand for?
KIRKPATRICK: He’s a nut, to put it bluntly.
SPEAKES: But he’s not funded by the Soviets, at least?
BUSH: He is supported by the Soviets, yes. The Soviets give him military support.
WEINBERGER: His beliefs are a hodge-podge of Islam, Arabic Nationalism and Socialism, from what I’ve been told.
KIRKPATRICK: He holds his beliefs strongly, but I don’t think that’s why he wants to stay in power.
HAIG: There is one way to deal with him.
ALL: …
HAIG: Well, from what I’ve heard, this Gaddafi guy only wants to hold onto power for himself. You said it yourself, Jeane, he’s only concerned about his ambition, not any ideology. He’s not like the Communists in Vietnam… there is a way to get him out of the picture.
CASEY: I don’t think it works that way, Secretary Haig…
HAIG: Has the Central Intelligence Agency not been used to infiltrate the governments of dictators much worse than this petty warlord over in Africa?
CASEY: Well…
BUSH: I do understand where Secretary Haig is coming from. Destroy the bastard’s forces, with enough urban assault they’ll withdraw to the deserts. Bring in the special forces or whatever you guys have and bring me his head.
KIRKPATRICK: Mr. President, I do believe that this plan would create a power vacuum in Libya even worse than…
BUSH: Where? In a goddamned African country? Scratch that- A goddamned Middle Eastern country? We can find somebody who will fill in the gaps that General Gaddafi has left.
HAIG: Nice, nice.
WEINBERGER: Do you mind if I…
UNKNOWN: Not at all.
BUSH: Well, Ladies and Gentlemen, the world’s gonna remember us for this.
BAKER: Okay, that’s… two minutes and seven seconds.
UNKNOWN: Hey, give that ba-
[End of Tape]
This recording, as well as numerous other recordings, were shown during the Stafford-Tower Report Hearings in 1982. This recording transcribed a secret meeting in the Oval Office on the 2nd of October, 1981, with President George H. W. Bush, White House Chief of Staff James Baker, Secretary of State Alexander Haig, Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger, United States Representative to the United Nations Jeane Kirkpatrick, White House Press Secretary Larry Speakes and Director of Central Intelligence William J. Casey.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FATAL CRASH ROCKS NEIGHBOURHOOD
-Detroit Free Press, 5 October, 1981
Tragedy struck the affluent, close-knit community of Farmington Hills yesterday morning when a car crash lead to the deaths of three local teenagers, with a fourth being held in critical condition.
Emergency services were called to the scene, just off the Walter P. Reuther Freeway on Orchard Lake Road, at around 3am to a horrifying scene. The car, a 1970 Ford Falcon, was speeding when the driver lost control and crashed at high-speed, first into a streetlamp and then into a ditch.
Three teenagers from the suburb were found deceased on the scene, Jeff Thomas, Lisa Ciampa and Larry Nassar, a local gymnastics champ who was believed to have been the driver of the vehicle. A fourth victim was found alive at the scene and is currently being held at Beaumont Hospital. All four were seniors at North Farmington High School.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BBC Nine O'Clock News news bulletin from the 7th of October, 1981, hosted by BBC Foreign Correspondent Katie Aders:
“[Gunfire]
With those shots, life ended for Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, the architect of the peace treaty between his country and Israel and the man considered to be America's closest ally in the Arab world. Yesterday, on a hot, sunny day, Sadat, dressed in the uniform of the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, was reviewing a military parade in Cairo. The parade had been going on for about two hours when the attackers struck. They apparently timed their assault to coincide with an aerial show by a squadron of jet fighters performing maneuvers. As officials in the reviewing stand looked to the skies above, a military vehicle traveling by the reviewing stand suddenly stopped. Four men jumped out and headed towards Sadat, throwing hand grenades and opening up with machine gun fire. Security guards fired back, but it was too late: Sadat had already been hit five times. He was rushed to a military hospital, but even the best Egyptian surgeons were unable to save him. He died on the operating table two hours later, and it was several more hours before the Egyptian Government confirmed his death.
Most of the attackers have killed or captured. A former Egyptian Chief of Staff and head of the Independent Organization for the Liberalization of Egypt and an archenemy of Sadat's Middle East policies claimed responsibility for the attack.
In Beirut, Palestinian guerrillas celebrated Sadat's death by firing their weapons in the air; but other world leaders expressed shock, dismay and sadness. Former President Jimmy Carter called Sadat a bold and courageous man. When word of Sadat's death reached the White House, President Bush expressed his feeling about the Egyptian leader …
[President Bush]: "His courage and skill reaped a harvest of life for his nation and for the world. Anwar Sadat was admired and loved by the people of America. His death today, an act of infamy, cowardly infamy, fills us with horror.
"America has lost a close friend, the world has lost a great statesman, and mankind has lost a champion of peace."
Sadat was something of a maverick in the sphere of world diplomacy. He stunned both Arabs and Israelis by his determined pursuit of a peace treaty between Egypt and Israel. The groundwork for that treaty was laid in early September of 1978 at Camp David, Maryland.
With Sadat gone, speculation is brewing over whether U.S.-Egyptian relations will change. Sadat was a key in the Middle East negotiations. Early indications, however, state that the new Egyptian president, Hosni Mubarak, will follow in the shadow of Sadat, but without his power and charisma.
Kate Adie, BBC News.”
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DE NIRO TASTES SWEET TASTE OF (SAUCE SUCCESS)
-The Los Angeles Times, 10 October, 1981
The unmistakable scent of tomatoes loomed in the air on the corner of Fairfax and 3rd yesterday as retired (as per his words) actor Robert De Niro unleashed his new project: selling sauces.
The “De Niro Tomatino Sauce,” as it was advertised on both doors of the 1977 Toyota Hilux, sold out almost immediately from the back of a red pickup truck. In an impromptu interview as he was handing out jars of red condiments to the Sunday shoppers, words such as “Fra Diavolo,” “Amatriciana” and “Marinara” emblazoned on the labels, he stated: “it was a few months ago when I began cooking. I don’t know why, I guess I just got bored. I began making traditional Italian foods, try to reconnect myself with my heritage, inviting friends over for dinner. [...] Though, without a doubt, the best reception I got, period, was from my sauces.”
“I remember them basically bursting my door down for more of the red stuff,” the salesman said with a smile. “Eventually, I decided: ‘what the hell?’ And here I am now.”
De Niro told our reporter that he had submitted a license application for his product to the Food and Drug Administration, and that half of all proceeds of his “organic, home-style sauces” would be delivered to charities in the Los Angeles region.
“I’m not just in it for the money,” he said, closing up shop as the sun set over the Farmers' Market. “I’m doing this because I want to put good back into the world.”
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Sorry for the extended delay, folks. I've been busy with schoolwork and a computer in dire need of being fixed. Hopefully I'll have the time to get back to a good schedule
Good update; a shame Sadat's death couldn't be avoided (it occurred the day before I was born in 1981; I think I already mentioned that). OTOH, glad you got rid of a certain Larry Nassar...
1981 will go down as the year of the assassinations, IMO...
Yeah, intervening in Libya, what could possibly go wrong? (Well, everything, for starters...)
De Niro's Sauce? Sounds interesting ITTL...
BTW, @LordRedVine, glad you're back...
1981 will go down as the year of the assassinations, IMO...
Yeah, intervening in Libya, what could possibly go wrong? (Well, everything, for starters...)
De Niro's Sauce? Sounds interesting ITTL...
BTW, @LordRedVine, glad you're back...
What @Unknown said. Great update, shame about Sadat, and glad you got rid of Larry.
Preparation...
“I’ve just got instructions from the Department of Defense… you’d better forward this to the boys at Bragg…”
-Excerpt from a telephone conversation between Deputy Secretary of Defense Frank Carlucci and General John R. Guthrie, 11 October, 1981
“[...]
Yes, I know they’re a bunch of bad apples.
[...]
I know he’s a nutter - a real commie. Why don’t we try to stop them, George?
[...]
Right… well, if we’re talking realistically, if you do that - we’ll help shut them down and get rid of your problem.
[...]
Splendid.”
-Excerpt from a telephone conversation between British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and President George H. W. Bush, 11 October, 1981
“MUBARAK CONFIRMED AS PRIME MINISTER”
-al-Ahram, 13 October, 1981
“BUSH, THATCHER, MITTERRAND, SPADOLINI TO MEET IN CAMP DAVID FOR ‘SECRET MEETING’”
-CNN news ticker, 14 October, 1981
“REPORT ON DEATH OF PRESIDENT REAGAN RELEASED TO THE PUBLIC”
-The Washington Post, 16 October, 1981
“We, the signatories of the Federal Commission on the Inquest of the Assassination of President Ronald Wilson Reagan, find that the assassination of the President, as well as the wounding of White House Press Secretary James Scott Brady and Officer Thomas K. Delahanty, was committed by a single individual, John Warnock Hinckley, Junior, with the .22 caliber revolver discovered on the assassin’s person at the time of arrest. We find no evidence that John Warnock Hinckley, Junior was involved with any person, persons or group in a conspiracy to assassinate the President, although the possibility of such involvement cannot be conclusively ruled out at this moment.”
-Text of the Burger Report
“JefferyHBoss@nextmail.com: I’m sorry, no evidence for Bush orchestrating the killing?
-Excerpt from a thread on Usenet newsgroup “alt.conspiracy.reagan,” accessed 4 January, 1999
“JELLO BIAFRA: THE MAN, THE MADNESS, THE MUSIC”
-NME, 17 October, 1981
“‘TOP SECRET’ MILITARY BILL PASSES CONGRESS 59-39-2”
-Roll Call, 18 October, 1981
“Yes, questions.
-Secretary Speakes, what is the military bill that has been set towards the Senate?
*sigh* Listen, I cannot confirm any information about the act toward the public…
[various angry shouts]
...under the decree of the Department of Defense.
-[Inaudible jeering continues]
I don’t run this place, okay! I don’t make the rules here…”
-Segment from a White House Press Briefing hosted by White House Press Secretary Larry Speakes, broadcast nationally on C-SPAN, 19 October, 1981
“‘I DON’T RUN THIS PLACE!’: SPEAKES’ SHOCKING ADMISSION ON ANARCHIC ADMINISTRATION”
-The New York Post, 20 October, 1981
“I personally blame the ‘Speakesgate’ fiasco, as some called it, on the liberal media. They willingly took a quote of mine out of context and made it appear as if I was referring to the new Bush administration. In reality; our administration was strong in the face of the murder of President Reagan, despite many of us coming into conflict politically with President Bush.
It was simply false, such a non-issue. It was a terminological inexactitude, as Al Haig would put it. Yet, especially after Libya, the media wanted a way to vent their anger against our American government by any means necessary, even through news-spinning that hinged on libel.”
-Quotation from Mississippi Boy: Life in the White House 1981-1988 by Former White House Press Secretary Larry Speakes
“FIREFIGHTS ON THE JAMUNA RIVER, PRESIDENT SATTAR DENIES 'A COUP'”
-The Times of India, 20 October, 1981
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October (U2 Album)
October is the second album from Irish band U2, released on the 23 October, 1981. It was produced by Steve Lillywhite, recorded at Compass Point Studios in the Bahamas, and later, Windmill Lane Studios in Dublin, Ireland, and released on Island Records. The album was planned to have been inspired by band members’ Bono, the Edge and Larry Mullen, Jr.’s experiences in a Christian group called “the Shalom Fellowship,” but the record ended up pertaining more overt political messages and references [citation needed] than their previous albums; based primarily on the Troubles and the Shankill Riots. In a 2006 interview, the Edge later quipped: “our second album… it began as an album about God and ended as an album about Belfast.”
The album was beset by a troubled production phase; with numerous delays, the theft of a lyric book earlier during the Boy Tour (which was later returned) and the band experiencing a crisis of faith. Lillywhite, reprising his role as the producer of U2’s debut album Boy, called the sessions “chaotic and mad.” [citation needed]
Track Listing:
(Track Number, Title, Length. All tracks written by U2.)
SIDE ONE
The album begins with “Gloria,” a record described as “Invisible Girls-esque” [by whom?], showing off the religious symbolism with its Latin chorus of ‘Gloria in te Domine / Gloria exultate” (Glory to you, Lord / Glory, exalt [him]). The next track, “I Fall Down,” expands U2’s musical palate, pairing a more mainstream rock-style that would eventually dominate their career with cryptic lyrics. “The River lagan.” is one of U2’s overtly political songs, with references to Bobby Sands and the Shankill Riots. The following song, “Tomorrow,” is a somber ode written by Bono about his deceased mother, featuring Uilleann and the Edge on piano. “I Threw A Brick Through A Window” continues with cryptic lyrics over instrumentals that highlight drummer Larry Mullen, Jr. The final track on the first side, “Fire,” was one of the biggest hits off the album, reaching #30 on the British Singles Chart and #1 on the Irish Singles Chart.
The title track, “October,” reflected the inner turmoil the band faced at the time, with issues of faith, music and the political atmosphere at the time. The next song, “J. Swallo,” is an ominous track about a man being sent to a “village on fire,” rumored (although often denied [citation neeeded] to be a reference to the Shankill Riots). “Stranger In A Strange Land” features the Edge incorporating piano, like many of the tracks on the album. “Is That All?,” borrows the riff from "Cry", an older song the band has used as an introduction to "The Electric Co." live. The final track, and the longest on the album, “The Rest of Us,” features a much higher production value than most of the album, with a guitar solo and deeply-layered vocal tracks based off of gospel tracks that the band had listened to while recording (Steve Lillywhite noted that “it cost basically all the recording budget.” [citation needed]). The lyrics detail a man traversing a destroyed area of Belfast, and his faith, soul-searching and desperation, bringing the album to a close.
Personnel:
Bono – lead vocals
The Edge – guitar, piano, backing vocals
Adam Clayton – bass guitar
Larry Mullen Jr. – drums
Singles:
(Single, Date, Chart, Position)
October was certified Platinum in the United Kingdom by the British Phonographic Industry and in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA.)
(Accessed from Nupedia, The Online Encyclopedia, 2018)
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“On the 23rd of October, 1981, a surgeon in Cairo by the name of Dr. Ayman Mohammed Rabie al-Zawahiri was rounded up along with hundreds, possibly thousands, as part of the roundup of dissidents following the assassination of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat. Zawahiri spent three years in prison, where he was tortured. The torture broke Zawahiri, transforming him into an embittered fanatic, determined to inflict deadly harm on Egypt's secular authorities and its Western friends.
It was this hatred and violence that brewed inside Zawahiri that later drew him to the growing Mujahideen movement in Soviet Afghanistan.”
-Excerpt from ‘91: The Year That Changed The World, recipient of the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, 2001
“TROOP MOVEMENTS TO THE MEDITERRANEAN”
-Stars and Stripes, 25 October, 1981
“SOVIET SUB CAUGHT BY SWEDISH SHIPS”
-The New York Post, 27 October, 1981
“Ah, the joy of humble beginnings…
Metallica, one of the biggest selling acts in American history, were born on October 28, 1981 when drummer Lars Ulrich and guitarist/singer James Hetfield got together via Ulrich’s Los Angeles ad in a small-fry zine named The Recycler. Soon, the two had recruited Hetfield’s friend and housemate Ron McGovney to play bass, Dave Mustaine to play lead guitar, and taken the name ‘Metallica’ after a suggestion from Bay Area metal scene friend Ron Quintana. Their ascent was to be relatively quick, driven by sheer work-rate, effort and a rare musical chemistry. After hitting the opener’s circuit in L.A. (where they supported the likes of Saxon) they recorded their first ever demo, No Life ‘Til Leather. The tape-trading circuit went crazy for it, and after repeatedly well-received shows in the Bay Area, Metallica found themselves relocating there after convincing bassist Cliff Burton to leave his band Trauma and replace McGovney.
And the band, minus some lineup changes, still continues strong.”
-Excerpt from “Metallica.com - History Lesson, Part One,” accessed 19 October, 2014
“Jim, this is gonna make my legacy. And you can take that to the banks.”
-Overheard Statement by President George H. W. Bush to White House Chief of Staff James H. Baker, 29 October, 1981
-Excerpt from a telephone conversation between Deputy Secretary of Defense Frank Carlucci and General John R. Guthrie, 11 October, 1981
“[...]
Yes, I know they’re a bunch of bad apples.
[...]
I know he’s a nutter - a real commie. Why don’t we try to stop them, George?
[...]
Right… well, if we’re talking realistically, if you do that - we’ll help shut them down and get rid of your problem.
[...]
Splendid.”
-Excerpt from a telephone conversation between British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and President George H. W. Bush, 11 October, 1981
“MUBARAK CONFIRMED AS PRIME MINISTER”
-al-Ahram, 13 October, 1981
“BUSH, THATCHER, MITTERRAND, SPADOLINI TO MEET IN CAMP DAVID FOR ‘SECRET MEETING’”
-CNN news ticker, 14 October, 1981
“REPORT ON DEATH OF PRESIDENT REAGAN RELEASED TO THE PUBLIC”
-The Washington Post, 16 October, 1981
“We, the signatories of the Federal Commission on the Inquest of the Assassination of President Ronald Wilson Reagan, find that the assassination of the President, as well as the wounding of White House Press Secretary James Scott Brady and Officer Thomas K. Delahanty, was committed by a single individual, John Warnock Hinckley, Junior, with the .22 caliber revolver discovered on the assassin’s person at the time of arrest. We find no evidence that John Warnock Hinckley, Junior was involved with any person, persons or group in a conspiracy to assassinate the President, although the possibility of such involvement cannot be conclusively ruled out at this moment.”
-Text of the Burger Report
“JefferyHBoss@nextmail.com: I’m sorry, no evidence for Bush orchestrating the killing?
- Bush advised Reagan to meet with labor union members on March 30th. Bush just-so happened to cancel his plans to attend a meeting in Texas.
- Bush, prior to him being appointed Vice-President, was head of the CIA, and reportedly used his ties to the CIA even when he was out of power. I’m sure fellow users can tell where this is going...
- Bush was unhappy with his role in the White House, seeing himself as a moderate in a cabinet full of neo-conservative elites.
- Bush’s family was well-associated with the Hinkley’s [sic], with both families being prominent Texan dynasties, and Neil Bush, the Vice-President’s son, even having plans for dinner with Scott Hinkey [sic], the assassin’s older brother. Bush would have likely known about John’s mental instability.
-Excerpt from a thread on Usenet newsgroup “alt.conspiracy.reagan,” accessed 4 January, 1999
“JELLO BIAFRA: THE MAN, THE MADNESS, THE MUSIC”
-NME, 17 October, 1981
“‘TOP SECRET’ MILITARY BILL PASSES CONGRESS 59-39-2”
-Roll Call, 18 October, 1981
“Yes, questions.
-Secretary Speakes, what is the military bill that has been set towards the Senate?
*sigh* Listen, I cannot confirm any information about the act toward the public…
[various angry shouts]
...under the decree of the Department of Defense.
-[Inaudible jeering continues]
I don’t run this place, okay! I don’t make the rules here…”
-Segment from a White House Press Briefing hosted by White House Press Secretary Larry Speakes, broadcast nationally on C-SPAN, 19 October, 1981
“‘I DON’T RUN THIS PLACE!’: SPEAKES’ SHOCKING ADMISSION ON ANARCHIC ADMINISTRATION”
-The New York Post, 20 October, 1981
“I personally blame the ‘Speakesgate’ fiasco, as some called it, on the liberal media. They willingly took a quote of mine out of context and made it appear as if I was referring to the new Bush administration. In reality; our administration was strong in the face of the murder of President Reagan, despite many of us coming into conflict politically with President Bush.
It was simply false, such a non-issue. It was a terminological inexactitude, as Al Haig would put it. Yet, especially after Libya, the media wanted a way to vent their anger against our American government by any means necessary, even through news-spinning that hinged on libel.”
-Quotation from Mississippi Boy: Life in the White House 1981-1988 by Former White House Press Secretary Larry Speakes
“FIREFIGHTS ON THE JAMUNA RIVER, PRESIDENT SATTAR DENIES 'A COUP'”
-The Times of India, 20 October, 1981
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October (U2 Album)
October is the second album from Irish band U2, released on the 23 October, 1981. It was produced by Steve Lillywhite, recorded at Compass Point Studios in the Bahamas, and later, Windmill Lane Studios in Dublin, Ireland, and released on Island Records. The album was planned to have been inspired by band members’ Bono, the Edge and Larry Mullen, Jr.’s experiences in a Christian group called “the Shalom Fellowship,” but the record ended up pertaining more overt political messages and references [citation needed] than their previous albums; based primarily on the Troubles and the Shankill Riots. In a 2006 interview, the Edge later quipped: “our second album… it began as an album about God and ended as an album about Belfast.”
The album was beset by a troubled production phase; with numerous delays, the theft of a lyric book earlier during the Boy Tour (which was later returned) and the band experiencing a crisis of faith. Lillywhite, reprising his role as the producer of U2’s debut album Boy, called the sessions “chaotic and mad.” [citation needed]
Track Listing:
(Track Number, Title, Length. All tracks written by U2.)
SIDE ONE
- “Gloria,” 4:14
- “I Fall Down,” 3:39
- “The River lagan.,” 3:21
- “Tomorrow,” 4:39
- “I Threw A Brick Through A Window,” 4:54
- “Fire,” 3:48
- “October,” 2:21
- “J. Swallo,” 2:18
- “Stranger In A Strange Land,” 3:56
- “Is That All?,” 2:59
- “The Rest of Us,” 6:51
The album begins with “Gloria,” a record described as “Invisible Girls-esque” [by whom?], showing off the religious symbolism with its Latin chorus of ‘Gloria in te Domine / Gloria exultate” (Glory to you, Lord / Glory, exalt [him]). The next track, “I Fall Down,” expands U2’s musical palate, pairing a more mainstream rock-style that would eventually dominate their career with cryptic lyrics. “The River lagan.” is one of U2’s overtly political songs, with references to Bobby Sands and the Shankill Riots. The following song, “Tomorrow,” is a somber ode written by Bono about his deceased mother, featuring Uilleann and the Edge on piano. “I Threw A Brick Through A Window” continues with cryptic lyrics over instrumentals that highlight drummer Larry Mullen, Jr. The final track on the first side, “Fire,” was one of the biggest hits off the album, reaching #30 on the British Singles Chart and #1 on the Irish Singles Chart.
The title track, “October,” reflected the inner turmoil the band faced at the time, with issues of faith, music and the political atmosphere at the time. The next song, “J. Swallo,” is an ominous track about a man being sent to a “village on fire,” rumored (although often denied [citation neeeded] to be a reference to the Shankill Riots). “Stranger In A Strange Land” features the Edge incorporating piano, like many of the tracks on the album. “Is That All?,” borrows the riff from "Cry", an older song the band has used as an introduction to "The Electric Co." live. The final track, and the longest on the album, “The Rest of Us,” features a much higher production value than most of the album, with a guitar solo and deeply-layered vocal tracks based off of gospel tracks that the band had listened to while recording (Steve Lillywhite noted that “it cost basically all the recording budget.” [citation needed]). The lyrics detail a man traversing a destroyed area of Belfast, and his faith, soul-searching and desperation, bringing the album to a close.
Personnel:
Bono – lead vocals
The Edge – guitar, piano, backing vocals
Adam Clayton – bass guitar
Larry Mullen Jr. – drums
Singles:
(Single, Date, Chart, Position)
- “Fire,” 1981, Irish Singles Chart, #1; British Singles Chart, #30
- “Gloria,” Irish Singles Chart, #10; New Zealand Singles Chart, #12; British Singles Chart, #55
October was certified Platinum in the United Kingdom by the British Phonographic Industry and in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA.)
(Accessed from Nupedia, The Online Encyclopedia, 2018)
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“On the 23rd of October, 1981, a surgeon in Cairo by the name of Dr. Ayman Mohammed Rabie al-Zawahiri was rounded up along with hundreds, possibly thousands, as part of the roundup of dissidents following the assassination of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat. Zawahiri spent three years in prison, where he was tortured. The torture broke Zawahiri, transforming him into an embittered fanatic, determined to inflict deadly harm on Egypt's secular authorities and its Western friends.
It was this hatred and violence that brewed inside Zawahiri that later drew him to the growing Mujahideen movement in Soviet Afghanistan.”
-Excerpt from ‘91: The Year That Changed The World, recipient of the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, 2001
“TROOP MOVEMENTS TO THE MEDITERRANEAN”
-Stars and Stripes, 25 October, 1981
“SOVIET SUB CAUGHT BY SWEDISH SHIPS”
-The New York Post, 27 October, 1981
“Ah, the joy of humble beginnings…
Metallica, one of the biggest selling acts in American history, were born on October 28, 1981 when drummer Lars Ulrich and guitarist/singer James Hetfield got together via Ulrich’s Los Angeles ad in a small-fry zine named The Recycler. Soon, the two had recruited Hetfield’s friend and housemate Ron McGovney to play bass, Dave Mustaine to play lead guitar, and taken the name ‘Metallica’ after a suggestion from Bay Area metal scene friend Ron Quintana. Their ascent was to be relatively quick, driven by sheer work-rate, effort and a rare musical chemistry. After hitting the opener’s circuit in L.A. (where they supported the likes of Saxon) they recorded their first ever demo, No Life ‘Til Leather. The tape-trading circuit went crazy for it, and after repeatedly well-received shows in the Bay Area, Metallica found themselves relocating there after convincing bassist Cliff Burton to leave his band Trauma and replace McGovney.
And the band, minus some lineup changes, still continues strong.”
-Excerpt from “Metallica.com - History Lesson, Part One,” accessed 19 October, 2014
“Jim, this is gonna make my legacy. And you can take that to the banks.”
-Overheard Statement by President George H. W. Bush to White House Chief of Staff James H. Baker, 29 October, 1981
Last edited:
...Landing
Gulf of Sidra, just off Sirte, Libya
6:00 a.m. (Local Time)
The morning of 30 October broke over the beaches of the Libyan coastline. Sgt. Jose Lopez could still see smoke pluming out from the wrecked defenses miles away. Even without the light of the sun, he could see that their cover of early morning was just overkill as he looked out his canopy towards the dozens of silhouetted F-111s flying beside him.
The peace was broken by the fuzzy-voiced commands emanating from his radio.
“Camelot, this is Bridge. Begin firing in two minutes, over.”
Lopez gripped the throttle, glancing over towards the weapons panel, the switches and blinking lights particularly catching his eye.
“Hey, D”
The sound of his friend’s voice on his radio flared up.
“Yeah, Mike?”
“You think these Libyans like the taste of barbecue?”
Jose chuckled at his comrade’s dark quip.
“Yep, I hear you. Loud and clear.”
“What are you planning on doing, you know, after we land and all?”
“Not really sure. Probably just hang about in the mess hall.”
Jose could clearly see the beaches seemingly inches away, the waves breaking onto the yellow sand that undoubtedly stretched for thousands of miles.
“You think we’re gonna turn this place into a giant sheet of glass?”
“Heh. Maybe.”
The commander of the Bats butted in on the two’s conversation.
“Squad, be authorized we begin deployment in one minute. Over and out.”
Mike’s unmistakable Oklahoman drawl mocking his higher-up came almost immediately after it.
“Chkkk! Breaker, breaker, this is Macho Man coming back for the big Whiskey Tango Wilco. The Eagle has landed. What's your 20? Over!”
“Asshole,” Diaz thought to himself. He looked up over at the stars that were still somewhat visible in the orange sky from the high altitudes the 9th Squadron was at. He felt oddly calm, at peace just looking up at the sky.
And with that calm disposition he launched the payload of Mavericks onto the ground below. He looked to both his left and right, seeing a deluge of multitudes of tiny black drops blasting off towards the ground. Their gracefulness as they plummeted headfirst added to the oddly calm, almost dream-like aura that hung in the air. One second he was joking with friends, the next he was possibly killing somebody, or at least an accomplice to it.
Diaz tried his best not to think about it; that’s what most men, Air Force, Marines, try to do. He had never been in an actual combat situation, not one like this. Plenty of war games and simulations, but not the real thing. He thought he’d feel somewhat anxious… hesitant, even, to flick the switches; but he felt… nothing.
Although, that could have been the cause of his lack of sleep.
Diaz could sense the heat against his face as he saw the ground erupt, red fireballs detonated as the rain of missiles hit their targets, lighting up the early morning sky. Not for long, as the Aardvarks’ speeds made the masses of explosions behind them disappear beneath their collective rugs. The Air Force undertook its first direct combat since ‘Nam.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
27°49'55" N 10°30'50" E
Near the Libyan-Algerian Border
5:05 a.m. (Local Time)
Nine members of the 101st Airborne Division, 327th Infantry Regiment were packed in a stuffy UH-60 as their groups of black helicopters moved over the Saharan Desert towards Libya. The two French army divisions, apparently of which there were in every Black Hawk, were consistently referred to as “security.” “To guard them against Berber militias,” they reasoned in heavily-accented, somewhat broken English.
“Bullshit,” Jim Donald thought to himself as he looked away from the dashboard of the chopper towards over the stunning vistas of arid wastelands. This would be their first use in actual combat. “If they were just security they wouldn’t need MP5s.”
Well, one of them, the one with sunglasses, was clutching one. The less talkative guy was acting as their door gunner, so it seemed, right behind one of the massive chainguns on each of the exposed sides. He didn’t mind they were getting reinforcements, not at all, it was just that the army or whoever the hell was in charge of the foreign relations was trying to complicate matters with a whole reel of red tape.
His attention was diverted by the movement ahead of him, beside the ridges they were traversing over air.
“Oh… shit… How the hell did they get out on time?”
Peering out from the rocky hills was a Mil Mi-2 facing them. No, two of them! Somehow the hotshots over at the Air Department hadn’t bombed the absolute, everlasting shit out of every military base in the country like they were supposed to, and a group of the ‘Libs,’ as many of the jarheads had begun calling them, had grabbed ahold of some choppers.
“Teal Station, this is Blue 19... We've spotted two bandits down below... We're gonna go down and check it out.”
“Damn… right… Well done, bulldogs. Want some Sidewinders right along those bogeys as soon as possible. So… ripple the shit out of them, over.”
Donald chuckled.
“Hearin’ you loud and clear, Teal. Over.”
Sure, they obviously had the advantage over the tiny, older Soviet Hoplites, even at two-to-one. Jim saw the pilot, whom he hadn’t actually got his name, toggle to his missiles and fired at the group.
But nothing happened.
“Shit, shit, shit! Trust the new fucking software!”
Donald’s cool head turned redder than a beetroot within seconds. Somewhere in the masses of new, never-before-seen computing power in the chopper, something went wrong and the Sidewinder missiles that the chopper had been fitted with did nothing but generate a small puff of smoke.
The sound of bullets ricocheting off of the helicopter’s bulletproof canopy sprung everybody in the chopper that wasn’t already by the pilot’s yelling to life. They were now firing at them, and their Plan A for defense were sitting motionless, like useless turds, in their bays.
Then Donald had an idea.
“You,” he gestured over to the mute Frenchman, “can you understand me?”
The gunner nodded, not a wink of emotion on his pale face.
“Everyone hold on…”
And with that, the pilot threw the throttle to the right. The Blackhawk jerked accordingly, with such force that it nearly threw everybody out onto the dry cliffs about a mile below them. Jim got a front-row seat to what followed:
He heard it before he saw it; anybody would have in that small, enclosed space, and everybody did. The M61 Vulcan’s utter loudness was what got to Jim the most; the harsh, metallic noise of the barrel rattling obscuring what sounded like thousands of bullets being fired per second. Most of those multitudes of bullets landed on their target; the helicopters. The first one exploded, its fuel tank ruptured by the steel rain as it scattered all over the Libyan-Algerian Border. The second, somewhat thrown back by its comrade’s detonation, broke off its rotor and spun out of sight, soon to follow the same fate.
The group breathed a collective sigh, which turned into applause.
Just a moment later, though, Jim looked back to see the surviving Mi-1. It was significantly lowered by the showering of bullets, unable to climb with a damaged stabilizer, and smoke was steadily pouring out of it, but still alive. And following them.
“Jesus Christ, do these people ever give up?”
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tripoli, Libya
6:55 a.m.
Abu Shafshufa was not very well-known as a man with a calm disposition; and the morning of October 30th was no exception; General Gaddafi had been very rudely interrupted from his rest.
Being invaded by the Americans had not been part of the plan for the day, but that had happened. “Bombed the coast back into the Stone Age,” as one of his Generals put it. It would be humiliating to surrender on the first day of action, and to have to do so because their only real ally; the Soviets, would fuss over declaring a “war by proxy,” only added to the misery of his position.
Now he was in a dark bunker on the outskirts of Tripoli, surrounded by the bigwigs keeping him in power. Gaddafi never realised the Americans would actually be so stupid as to kill possibly thousands of civilians just to get back at the loss of two men. But here he was, surrounded by the slow-minded idiots who kept him in power trying to get the dictator to understand the severity of the situation. His humiliation was only increased – from fuming to volcanic – when he was informed of a note sent by the United States.
Ali Treki, his foreign relations minister, was desperately fumbling through the letter forwarded to them by the United States Department of Defense, attempting to translate it for the Arabic-speaking group that was quickly turning the room into a Turkish market.
“The United States and allied forces have agreed that your aggression and posturing against peaceful has turned into a complete fiasco.”
Gaddafi didn’t dignify it with a response. Nobody in the room did.
“As a result, we see no other option than to defend our interests in the Mediterranean with military force.”
“Well, why can’t we send the air force?” He yelled back.
“The air force has been destroyed,” said one of the many generals in the back, his medals taking up most of his chest.
“What about the army?”
“Communications have also been destroyed. We can’t get through to anyone outside of the capital, sir.”
Gaddafi grew silent.
“Sir…”
He saw the path of destruction the forces of America had committed first-hand; their high-tech vultures torpedoing through the air with a horrifying scream; leaving a trail of smoke in their path. His convoy were lucky enough to get out of the city.
“Sir…”
Gaddafi was no saint, not by any means. He had tried to make a society fit his ideals, and willingly and knowingly had thousands of people killed to sustain the Third International Theory; through terrorist attacks, his secret service and mass-executions. And he was now beginning to somewhat realize the repercussions of his actions.
“Sir, If you’d please just give me an order…”
Finally, the man spoke.
“Gentlemen, I wish to be alone.”
The bigwigs very quickly filed out of the room, fearful of any consequences from the tired and stressed Brotherly Leader. The darkened room, illuminated by a single light dangling over the cold metal table the Colonel was seated at, fell as silent as the desert. It was possibly a full minute before the silence was broken.
“Colonel!”
It was one of his numerous pissant advisers, who had just stormed in, wheezing and breathing heavily.
“Well? What is it?!”
The advisor held a panicked and confused expression on his face, and he could do nothing but speak incoherent gobbledygook in between large gulps of air. The general certainly did not have time for this nonsense.
“Well? What are you blabbering on about?”
Finally, the young man came to his senses and could speak clearly.
“Th-they’re calling for your arrest!”
“Who?”
“The police… they’ve gone mad! They’re calling for your arrest!”
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The United States invasion of Libya was a military operation where a multi-state coalition led by the United States invaded the African nation of Libya on the 30th of October, 1981. Codenamed Operation Sparrow’s Nest, it was triggered by Libyan military aggression to United States naval operations in the area, beginning with the Gulf of Sidra Incident and escalating with Operation Poseidon.
The invasion began on the morning of 30th of October, 1981. The invading force consisted of the U.S. Army's Rapid Deployment Force (the 1st and 2nd Ranger Battalions, 101st and 82nd Airborne Division paratroopers); U.S. Marines; U.S. Army Delta Force; U.S. Navy SEALs, and ancillary support forces totaling 10,500 U.S.troops, together with British, French, German and Italian forces, which landed the following day, and a Marine helicopter and amphibious landing on the naval town of Sirte. Nineteen days later, on the 18th of November, the war was declared over after the capital of Tripoli fell to anti-Gaddafi rebels, overthrowing the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, although a foreign, US-led peacekeeping operation continued until 1994.
The government of Muammar Gaddafi was deposed and replaced by a government appointed by the United Nations Security Council later in 1982.
The invasion was criticized by several countries including Canada, Australia and New Zealand. British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher privately disapproved of the mission and the lack of notice she received, but publicly supported the intervention and sent troops anyway. The United Nations General Assembly, on the 19th of June, 1982, with a vote of 106 to 11, condemned it as "a flagrant violation of international law". Disapproval in the United States against the war was high, seeing high-profile people such as Jesse Jackson, Lloyd Bentsen, Ramsey Clark and Jello Biafra publicly come against it, and threats for impeachment against President Bush gained some traction in the United States Congress. Later criticism arrived from the large amount of civilian casualties, of which the exact number is not known to this day.
(Accessed from Nupedia, the Online Encyclopedia, 2018)
6:00 a.m. (Local Time)
The morning of 30 October broke over the beaches of the Libyan coastline. Sgt. Jose Lopez could still see smoke pluming out from the wrecked defenses miles away. Even without the light of the sun, he could see that their cover of early morning was just overkill as he looked out his canopy towards the dozens of silhouetted F-111s flying beside him.
The peace was broken by the fuzzy-voiced commands emanating from his radio.
“Camelot, this is Bridge. Begin firing in two minutes, over.”
Lopez gripped the throttle, glancing over towards the weapons panel, the switches and blinking lights particularly catching his eye.
“Hey, D”
The sound of his friend’s voice on his radio flared up.
“Yeah, Mike?”
“You think these Libyans like the taste of barbecue?”
Jose chuckled at his comrade’s dark quip.
“Yep, I hear you. Loud and clear.”
“What are you planning on doing, you know, after we land and all?”
“Not really sure. Probably just hang about in the mess hall.”
Jose could clearly see the beaches seemingly inches away, the waves breaking onto the yellow sand that undoubtedly stretched for thousands of miles.
“You think we’re gonna turn this place into a giant sheet of glass?”
“Heh. Maybe.”
The commander of the Bats butted in on the two’s conversation.
“Squad, be authorized we begin deployment in one minute. Over and out.”
Mike’s unmistakable Oklahoman drawl mocking his higher-up came almost immediately after it.
“Chkkk! Breaker, breaker, this is Macho Man coming back for the big Whiskey Tango Wilco. The Eagle has landed. What's your 20? Over!”
“Asshole,” Diaz thought to himself. He looked up over at the stars that were still somewhat visible in the orange sky from the high altitudes the 9th Squadron was at. He felt oddly calm, at peace just looking up at the sky.
And with that calm disposition he launched the payload of Mavericks onto the ground below. He looked to both his left and right, seeing a deluge of multitudes of tiny black drops blasting off towards the ground. Their gracefulness as they plummeted headfirst added to the oddly calm, almost dream-like aura that hung in the air. One second he was joking with friends, the next he was possibly killing somebody, or at least an accomplice to it.
Diaz tried his best not to think about it; that’s what most men, Air Force, Marines, try to do. He had never been in an actual combat situation, not one like this. Plenty of war games and simulations, but not the real thing. He thought he’d feel somewhat anxious… hesitant, even, to flick the switches; but he felt… nothing.
Although, that could have been the cause of his lack of sleep.
Diaz could sense the heat against his face as he saw the ground erupt, red fireballs detonated as the rain of missiles hit their targets, lighting up the early morning sky. Not for long, as the Aardvarks’ speeds made the masses of explosions behind them disappear beneath their collective rugs. The Air Force undertook its first direct combat since ‘Nam.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
27°49'55" N 10°30'50" E
Near the Libyan-Algerian Border
5:05 a.m. (Local Time)
Nine members of the 101st Airborne Division, 327th Infantry Regiment were packed in a stuffy UH-60 as their groups of black helicopters moved over the Saharan Desert towards Libya. The two French army divisions, apparently of which there were in every Black Hawk, were consistently referred to as “security.” “To guard them against Berber militias,” they reasoned in heavily-accented, somewhat broken English.
“Bullshit,” Jim Donald thought to himself as he looked away from the dashboard of the chopper towards over the stunning vistas of arid wastelands. This would be their first use in actual combat. “If they were just security they wouldn’t need MP5s.”
Well, one of them, the one with sunglasses, was clutching one. The less talkative guy was acting as their door gunner, so it seemed, right behind one of the massive chainguns on each of the exposed sides. He didn’t mind they were getting reinforcements, not at all, it was just that the army or whoever the hell was in charge of the foreign relations was trying to complicate matters with a whole reel of red tape.
His attention was diverted by the movement ahead of him, beside the ridges they were traversing over air.
“Oh… shit… How the hell did they get out on time?”
Peering out from the rocky hills was a Mil Mi-2 facing them. No, two of them! Somehow the hotshots over at the Air Department hadn’t bombed the absolute, everlasting shit out of every military base in the country like they were supposed to, and a group of the ‘Libs,’ as many of the jarheads had begun calling them, had grabbed ahold of some choppers.
“Teal Station, this is Blue 19... We've spotted two bandits down below... We're gonna go down and check it out.”
“Damn… right… Well done, bulldogs. Want some Sidewinders right along those bogeys as soon as possible. So… ripple the shit out of them, over.”
Donald chuckled.
“Hearin’ you loud and clear, Teal. Over.”
Sure, they obviously had the advantage over the tiny, older Soviet Hoplites, even at two-to-one. Jim saw the pilot, whom he hadn’t actually got his name, toggle to his missiles and fired at the group.
But nothing happened.
“Shit, shit, shit! Trust the new fucking software!”
Donald’s cool head turned redder than a beetroot within seconds. Somewhere in the masses of new, never-before-seen computing power in the chopper, something went wrong and the Sidewinder missiles that the chopper had been fitted with did nothing but generate a small puff of smoke.
The sound of bullets ricocheting off of the helicopter’s bulletproof canopy sprung everybody in the chopper that wasn’t already by the pilot’s yelling to life. They were now firing at them, and their Plan A for defense were sitting motionless, like useless turds, in their bays.
Then Donald had an idea.
“You,” he gestured over to the mute Frenchman, “can you understand me?”
The gunner nodded, not a wink of emotion on his pale face.
“Everyone hold on…”
And with that, the pilot threw the throttle to the right. The Blackhawk jerked accordingly, with such force that it nearly threw everybody out onto the dry cliffs about a mile below them. Jim got a front-row seat to what followed:
He heard it before he saw it; anybody would have in that small, enclosed space, and everybody did. The M61 Vulcan’s utter loudness was what got to Jim the most; the harsh, metallic noise of the barrel rattling obscuring what sounded like thousands of bullets being fired per second. Most of those multitudes of bullets landed on their target; the helicopters. The first one exploded, its fuel tank ruptured by the steel rain as it scattered all over the Libyan-Algerian Border. The second, somewhat thrown back by its comrade’s detonation, broke off its rotor and spun out of sight, soon to follow the same fate.
The group breathed a collective sigh, which turned into applause.
Just a moment later, though, Jim looked back to see the surviving Mi-1. It was significantly lowered by the showering of bullets, unable to climb with a damaged stabilizer, and smoke was steadily pouring out of it, but still alive. And following them.
“Jesus Christ, do these people ever give up?”
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tripoli, Libya
6:55 a.m.
Abu Shafshufa was not very well-known as a man with a calm disposition; and the morning of October 30th was no exception; General Gaddafi had been very rudely interrupted from his rest.
Being invaded by the Americans had not been part of the plan for the day, but that had happened. “Bombed the coast back into the Stone Age,” as one of his Generals put it. It would be humiliating to surrender on the first day of action, and to have to do so because their only real ally; the Soviets, would fuss over declaring a “war by proxy,” only added to the misery of his position.
Now he was in a dark bunker on the outskirts of Tripoli, surrounded by the bigwigs keeping him in power. Gaddafi never realised the Americans would actually be so stupid as to kill possibly thousands of civilians just to get back at the loss of two men. But here he was, surrounded by the slow-minded idiots who kept him in power trying to get the dictator to understand the severity of the situation. His humiliation was only increased – from fuming to volcanic – when he was informed of a note sent by the United States.
Ali Treki, his foreign relations minister, was desperately fumbling through the letter forwarded to them by the United States Department of Defense, attempting to translate it for the Arabic-speaking group that was quickly turning the room into a Turkish market.
“The United States and allied forces have agreed that your aggression and posturing against peaceful has turned into a complete fiasco.”
Gaddafi didn’t dignify it with a response. Nobody in the room did.
“As a result, we see no other option than to defend our interests in the Mediterranean with military force.”
“Well, why can’t we send the air force?” He yelled back.
“The air force has been destroyed,” said one of the many generals in the back, his medals taking up most of his chest.
“What about the army?”
“Communications have also been destroyed. We can’t get through to anyone outside of the capital, sir.”
Gaddafi grew silent.
“Sir…”
He saw the path of destruction the forces of America had committed first-hand; their high-tech vultures torpedoing through the air with a horrifying scream; leaving a trail of smoke in their path. His convoy were lucky enough to get out of the city.
“Sir…”
Gaddafi was no saint, not by any means. He had tried to make a society fit his ideals, and willingly and knowingly had thousands of people killed to sustain the Third International Theory; through terrorist attacks, his secret service and mass-executions. And he was now beginning to somewhat realize the repercussions of his actions.
“Sir, If you’d please just give me an order…”
Finally, the man spoke.
“Gentlemen, I wish to be alone.”
The bigwigs very quickly filed out of the room, fearful of any consequences from the tired and stressed Brotherly Leader. The darkened room, illuminated by a single light dangling over the cold metal table the Colonel was seated at, fell as silent as the desert. It was possibly a full minute before the silence was broken.
“Colonel!”
It was one of his numerous pissant advisers, who had just stormed in, wheezing and breathing heavily.
“Well? What is it?!”
The advisor held a panicked and confused expression on his face, and he could do nothing but speak incoherent gobbledygook in between large gulps of air. The general certainly did not have time for this nonsense.
“Well? What are you blabbering on about?”
Finally, the young man came to his senses and could speak clearly.
“Th-they’re calling for your arrest!”
“Who?”
“The police… they’ve gone mad! They’re calling for your arrest!”
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The United States invasion of Libya was a military operation where a multi-state coalition led by the United States invaded the African nation of Libya on the 30th of October, 1981. Codenamed Operation Sparrow’s Nest, it was triggered by Libyan military aggression to United States naval operations in the area, beginning with the Gulf of Sidra Incident and escalating with Operation Poseidon.
The invasion began on the morning of 30th of October, 1981. The invading force consisted of the U.S. Army's Rapid Deployment Force (the 1st and 2nd Ranger Battalions, 101st and 82nd Airborne Division paratroopers); U.S. Marines; U.S. Army Delta Force; U.S. Navy SEALs, and ancillary support forces totaling 10,500 U.S.troops, together with British, French, German and Italian forces, which landed the following day, and a Marine helicopter and amphibious landing on the naval town of Sirte. Nineteen days later, on the 18th of November, the war was declared over after the capital of Tripoli fell to anti-Gaddafi rebels, overthrowing the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, although a foreign, US-led peacekeeping operation continued until 1994.
The government of Muammar Gaddafi was deposed and replaced by a government appointed by the United Nations Security Council later in 1982.
The invasion was criticized by several countries including Canada, Australia and New Zealand. British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher privately disapproved of the mission and the lack of notice she received, but publicly supported the intervention and sent troops anyway. The United Nations General Assembly, on the 19th of June, 1982, with a vote of 106 to 11, condemned it as "a flagrant violation of international law". Disapproval in the United States against the war was high, seeing high-profile people such as Jesse Jackson, Lloyd Bentsen, Ramsey Clark and Jello Biafra publicly come against it, and threats for impeachment against President Bush gained some traction in the United States Congress. Later criticism arrived from the large amount of civilian casualties, of which the exact number is not known to this day.
(Accessed from Nupedia, the Online Encyclopedia, 2018)
Last edited:
So the conflict has erupted in a huge way indeed and no one seems to be all that happy about it. From how the police have turned against Gadaffi, it looks as if Bush is going to try and keep the infrastructure along with the occupation force so that hopefully means that there won't be a clustersnork like there was in Iraq.
I would think Daddy Bush would have more dignity and intelligence than try regime change. What is different ITTL?
A interesting time line. I looking forward to seeing where you go from here.
I hope you cover the impact of the shooting on Hollywood in some more details. I would suspect that we see a negative reaction toward action films. So we would not see films like First Blood. So no Rambo series. Not sure what the effect on Stallone career. No Rambo 2 means no Missing in Action film series. So Chuck Norris going to have problems.
So are we going to see more serious Dramas or will Science Fiction and Superhero film be even more popular than they were in the OTL?
I hope you cover the impact of the shooting on Hollywood in some more details. I would suspect that we see a negative reaction toward action films. So we would not see films like First Blood. So no Rambo series. Not sure what the effect on Stallone career. No Rambo 2 means no Missing in Action film series. So Chuck Norris going to have problems.
So are we going to see more serious Dramas or will Science Fiction and Superhero film be even more popular than they were in the OTL?
Keep in mind that Bush is a moderate surrounded by highly conservative (dare call them neoconservatives) cabinet members. Al Haig is still Secretary of State, and he literally advocated for NATO to demonstrate their nuclear powers if they felt threatened, and Bush did invade Panama IOTL, after all.
Invading Panama was to get rid of a former ally in the American sphere of influence who had abused his aid to deal drugs. That can be justified because of the Monroe Doctrine.
ITTL, he's invading a North African country that decided over a decade prior it did not want American influence.
Reaction
“ANNOUNCER: We interrupt our regular scheduled programming to bring you this special NBC News Report - Libya Invasion Morning Report.
BROKAW: Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, I’m Tom Brokaw, NBC News in New York and here’s the latest situation as we now know it on the North African nation of Libya. As you know, it has been the site of American military counter-strikes against Libyan naval forces and defenses and, just this morning, at around 1:30 a.m., was invaded by a ‘multi-national force,’ as it has been described, the large bulk of that force being over ten thousand American troops: that includes marines, and apparently airborne troops as well, and about 350 troops from the United Kingdom, France, West Germany and Italy.
The forces were sent there by President Bush from numerous bases around the Mediterranean, including military installations in Spain, in Sicily and Cyprus. Libya is a North African nation on the Mediterranean coast that has been in the control of a socialist dictatorship under military leader Muammar Gaddafi ever since 1969, where he deposed the king in a military coup.
At this time, we do not know if there are any casualties on either side; there have been reports of casualties, however, both from the Pentagon and from Cuba; the Cuban government is now saying that a team of Cuban surveyors working on the refurbishment of an airport were attacked by, and I quote: “yankee invaders,” and apparently several of the Cubans and Libyan construction workers at the scene were killed.
Just earlier, at around 6:30 a.m. Eastern Time, President Bush came into the briefing room of the White House to announce the US action against Libya, and he also explained the reasons for it. Let’s listen to some of what he had to say:
BUSH: We have taken this decisive action for three specific reasons. The first, and most overriding reason is to protect our interests, and the interests of the free world, in the Mediterranean region. Secondly, to snuff out further chaos in the region, and third, to assist in the restoration of conditions of liberty, law and order, and of proper government institution to the Libyan state, where a group of violent Leftist thugs under the iron fist of Premier Gaddafi support violence and terror by groups such as the Irish Republican Army, the Red Brigades in Italy, who just two years ago murdered the Italian Prime Minister, and the Palestinian Liberation Organization.
BROKAW: We are going to John Palmer, our Washington Correspondent, live from the White House for some more information on the ongoing Libya situation.”
-NBC News Special Report: Libya Invasion Morning Report, broadcast 30 October, 1981
"Saddam Hussein, although supported by the US in his war against Iran, was outraged that a fellow Pan-Arabist comrade, one strongly influenced by the ideals of Arab Socialism and Ba'athism, was invaded by the United States and western world. Although he continued receiving United States aid in his war against the Iranian government, Saddam vented his furor in private, and many members of his cabinet and family began looking into retribution."
-Excerpt from ‘91: The Year That Changed The World, recipient of the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, 2001
“An anti-war protest outside the White House begun this morning… when it started it had approximately 60 men, women and children in attendance, criticizing the United States’ military excursion in Libya. Six hours later… the number of those participating outside the gates of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue is closer to 10,000. Other protests have been reported in the cities of New York, Chicago and San Francisco.”
-CBS Evening News, 31 October, 1981
“THE ONLY BUSH I TRUST IS MY OWN!”
-Sign held by a drunken Jello Biafra at a San Francisco peace protest, 31 October, 1981
“SHOULD BORK BE OUR GOVERNOR?
He was once a hard-line socialist, before, in his words, he “grew a brain.” He was once Solicitor General, and it turned out he was a crook, firing Archibald Cox after Elliot Richardson and William Ruckelshaus refused to. His views on anti-trust laws in his seminal 1978 thesis The Antitrust Paradox was reportedly even supported and shared by the late President Reagan. But does any of that experience qualify him to govern the great state of Pennsylvania?
There’s no question that Bork can attract a crowd. His Reagan-esque campaign boomed out of his calls for an election after former Governor Thornburgh resigned after allegations of bribery and corruption (published in this very paper) and since then, he has never looked back, with his special brand of pugnacious conservatism extremely popular in the state sent reeling from the assassination of President Reagan and his current approval ratings neck-and-neck with that of his Democratic challenger, the former Auditor General Bob Casey.
Many papers and journalists all around America have decried Bork’s campaign, mostly pointing out his controversial (albeit reluctant) role in the “Saturday Night Massacre.” Indeed, Casey has spent the last two months running on an anti-Bork platform, and little else. Many a Pittsburgher has seen the constant attack ads on television portraying Bork as an axe murderer, as have we. Such portrayal mildly bemuses the Judge; “I get a little tired of it being portrayed as the only thing I ever did,” Judge Bork once said to journalists for the Post-Gazette about the role he held during a critical moment in the Watergate scandals.
However, to choose the high ground, a place this publication always prefers to be, let us judge Robert Bork on is virtues. As stated earlier, his works as a scholar on antitrust arguing that consumers benefit from corporate mergers and that antitrust law should focus on consumer welfare rather than on ensuring competition, has been believed to have shifted many members (and prospective members) of the Supreme Court’s approach to antitrust law. His role in the firing of Archibald Cox, although wrong, was done reluctantly, and an action he did only out of trust and a wish for unity with the President.
It is important for the next Governor to not only have administrative experience, but to also have the mature judgment and discretion to administer those responsibilities in a fashion that will serve the citizens of the Keystone State, from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia. Robert Bork, love him or hate him, has repeatedly demonstrated that he does have those qualities. After all, he is as deserving as anyone of forgiveness for his past transgressions.
Which is why, with only two days until the election and counting, this publication, the journalists, editors, but above all; the people of Pittsburgh - after a tenacious turnover of all of his traits and talents - have decided that Robert Bork should be our Governor.”
-Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Front Page Editorial, 1 November, 1981
“DARRELL WALTRIP BEATS HARRY GANT BY .91 SECONDS, GAINS 10TH WIN AT THE AMERICAN 500”
-NASCAR on CBS, 1 November, 1981
“INDEPENDENCE!: 349 YEARS OF IMPERIAL RULE TO AN END”
-Outlet, 1 November 1981
“MARINES LAND IN SIRTE, REBEL LIBYAN FORCES TAKE TOBRUK”
-CNN news ticker, 2 November, 1981
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
United States gubernatorial elections were held on November 3, 1981 in the states of New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Virginia, and in the territory of the Northern Mariana Islands. All seats were open, and all seats resulted in zero net change for both parties.
Of special note in the election cycle was the Pennsylvania special gubernatorial election, 1981, which was open after the resignation of sitting Governor Dick Thornburgh in light of the Abscam Scandal. It was held between between Republican former Attorney-General Robert Bork and Democratic former Auditor General Bob Casey. The campaign was given somewhat large attention by media, especially about the controversial campaign of Bork, who had previously been a key figure in the Saturday Night Massacre.
Despite a fierce campaign against him, Bork closely managed to defeat Casey in a close election, attributed to Bork’s very narrow victory in Allegheny County. The election would kickstart Bork’s political career, and have his voice heard and well-known in congress as a Reaganite Conservative.
(Accessed from Nupedia, the Online Encyclopedia, 2018)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“GOV. THORNBURGH FOUND “NOT GUILTY” ON ALL BUT TWO CHARGES, GIVEN TWO YEARS’ SENTENCE IN BIZARRE COURT CASE”
-New York Post, 5 November, 1981
“Well Shane, why do you think he got such little time?
-Pardon?
Why do you think he got such little time, you know, in th-
-Uh… I’m not sure. I mean, I’m pretty sure he was really popular… with, you know, the people, and they were unwilling to sentence him for much longer.
Yeah… because it said the jury deliberated for, what? 6 hours?
-Yeah, 6 hours...
So it very obviously wasn’t concise, there was plenty of dissent.
-Heh. Dissent. Love that word.
Yeah, don’t we all?”
-Excerpt from FaceSmash Politics (Episode: “Episode Six: SCANDAL!!!”), released September 30, 2017
“SOVIET SUB RETURNED AFTER RUNNING AGROUND IN SWEDISH WATERS”
-The Washington Post, 5 November, 1981
“Fucking pinko bastards! This is why we don’t trust the fucking squareheads!”
-Overheard statement by Secretary of State Alexander Haig, 6 November, 1981
“REBEL/US RAIDS ON TRIPOLIS, BENGHAZI, TOBRUK, MISRATA, SABHA”
-CNN, 7 November, 1981
“EYSKENS OUSTED, CHRISTIAN DEMOCRATS FORM WEAK COALITION”
-Het Laatste Nieuws, 8 November, 1981
“None of us really understands what's going on with all these numbers”
-Director of the Office of Management and Budget David Stockman (R-MI-4), quoted in The Atlantic, 10 November, 1981
“...Yes, Dave. I read your article in The Atlantic.
-What did you think?
Well, to be completely honest, I think you’re right. I don’t like to speak ill of the dead, nor of their beliefs and wishes… [beat] but I agree with a majority your opinions in that j’accuse you gave.
-Y-yeah, we’re simply deferring massive taxes unfairly and we could be putting huge debt burdens on future generations.
Right. Right you are.”
-Conversation between President George Bush and Director of the Office of Management and Budget David Stockman, 11 November, 1981
“COLUMBIA RETURNS TO SPACE”
-The New York Times, 12 November, 1981
“GADDAFI CALLS FOR RESISTANCE, MÉDECINS SANS FRONTIÈRES EXPRESS CONCERNS OVER CIVILIAN CASUALTIES, REPORTED HIGH, US AIR FORCE DENIES”
-Le Monde, 13 November, 1981
“We are just getting in reports that Northern Irish MP Robert Bradford has been shot while at a political event in Belfast…”
-BBC Radio 4, 14 November, 1981
“These goddamned filthy papists are literally murdering the people of Ulster! If we do not act now with the means necessary the taigs will surely murder us all.”
-Overheard statement by Member of the European Parliament Ian Paisley to a masked Third Force member, 15 November, 1981
“This is surely a year of terror… a year of assassinations and lead.”
-Quotation from Pope Gregory XVII, 15 November, 1981
“In the name of Allah, the beneficent, the merciful…
Citizens, surely this will be the last opportunity for me to address you. The cowboy Air Force has bombed the majority of the radio towers. For twelve years, or was it longer, I can’t remember… I did all I could to give people houses, hospitals, schools, and when they were hungry, I gave them food. I even made Benghazi into farmland from the desert.
I did all I could to help people understand the concept of real democracy, where people’s committees ran our country. But that was never enough, as some told me, even people who had 10 room homes, new suits and furniture, were never satisfied, as selfish as they were they wanted more.
They told Americans and other visitors, that they needed “democracy” and “freedom,” never realizing it was a cut-throat system where “the biggest dog eats the rest,” but they were enchanted with those words, never realizing that in America, there was no free medicine, no free hospitals, no free housing, no free education and no free food, except when people had to beg or go to long lines to get soup.
No matter what I did, it was never enough for some, but for others, they knew I was the son of Gamal Abdel Nasser, the only true Arab and Muslim leader we’ve had since Salah-al-Deen, when he claimed the Suez Canal for his people, as I claimed Libya, for my people, it was his footsteps I tried to follow, to keep my people free from colonial domination – from thieves who would steal from us.
[sigh]
My words do not have bitterness but disappointment. Given these facts, the only thing left for me is to say to workers: I am not going to resign.
Placed in a historic transition, I will pay for loyalty to the people with my life. And I say to them that I am certain that the seed which we have planted in the good conscience of thousands and thousands of Libyans will not be shriveled forever.
Workers of my country: I want to thank you for the loyalty that you always had, the confidence that you deposited in a man who was only an interpreter of great yearnings for justice, who gave his word that he would respect the law of nature and the law of Allah, and did just that. So, there is no alternative for me, I must make my stand, and if Allah wishes, I shall die by following His path, the path that has made our country rich with farmland, with food and health, and even allowed us to help our African and Arab brothers and sisters.
The people must defend themselves, but they must not sacrifice themselves. The people must not let themselves be destroyed or riddled with bullets, but they cannot be humiliated either.
Workers of my country, I have faith in the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya and its destiny. Other men will overcome this dark and bitter moment when treason under the two-faced djinn that is Comrade El-Hariri seeks to prevail. Go forward knowing that, sooner rather than later, the great palm-lined avenues of Tripoli will open again where free men will walk to build a better society.
Long live the Great Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya! Long live the Arabic and African people! Long live the workers of Libya!
These are my last words, and I am certain that my sacrifice will not be in vain, I am certain that, at the very least, it will be a moral lesson that will punish felony, cowardice, and treason.”
-Muammar Gaddafi’s final address to the Libyan people, broadcast 16th November, 1981
BROKAW: Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, I’m Tom Brokaw, NBC News in New York and here’s the latest situation as we now know it on the North African nation of Libya. As you know, it has been the site of American military counter-strikes against Libyan naval forces and defenses and, just this morning, at around 1:30 a.m., was invaded by a ‘multi-national force,’ as it has been described, the large bulk of that force being over ten thousand American troops: that includes marines, and apparently airborne troops as well, and about 350 troops from the United Kingdom, France, West Germany and Italy.
The forces were sent there by President Bush from numerous bases around the Mediterranean, including military installations in Spain, in Sicily and Cyprus. Libya is a North African nation on the Mediterranean coast that has been in the control of a socialist dictatorship under military leader Muammar Gaddafi ever since 1969, where he deposed the king in a military coup.
At this time, we do not know if there are any casualties on either side; there have been reports of casualties, however, both from the Pentagon and from Cuba; the Cuban government is now saying that a team of Cuban surveyors working on the refurbishment of an airport were attacked by, and I quote: “yankee invaders,” and apparently several of the Cubans and Libyan construction workers at the scene were killed.
Just earlier, at around 6:30 a.m. Eastern Time, President Bush came into the briefing room of the White House to announce the US action against Libya, and he also explained the reasons for it. Let’s listen to some of what he had to say:
BUSH: We have taken this decisive action for three specific reasons. The first, and most overriding reason is to protect our interests, and the interests of the free world, in the Mediterranean region. Secondly, to snuff out further chaos in the region, and third, to assist in the restoration of conditions of liberty, law and order, and of proper government institution to the Libyan state, where a group of violent Leftist thugs under the iron fist of Premier Gaddafi support violence and terror by groups such as the Irish Republican Army, the Red Brigades in Italy, who just two years ago murdered the Italian Prime Minister, and the Palestinian Liberation Organization.
BROKAW: We are going to John Palmer, our Washington Correspondent, live from the White House for some more information on the ongoing Libya situation.”
-NBC News Special Report: Libya Invasion Morning Report, broadcast 30 October, 1981
"Saddam Hussein, although supported by the US in his war against Iran, was outraged that a fellow Pan-Arabist comrade, one strongly influenced by the ideals of Arab Socialism and Ba'athism, was invaded by the United States and western world. Although he continued receiving United States aid in his war against the Iranian government, Saddam vented his furor in private, and many members of his cabinet and family began looking into retribution."
-Excerpt from ‘91: The Year That Changed The World, recipient of the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, 2001
“An anti-war protest outside the White House begun this morning… when it started it had approximately 60 men, women and children in attendance, criticizing the United States’ military excursion in Libya. Six hours later… the number of those participating outside the gates of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue is closer to 10,000. Other protests have been reported in the cities of New York, Chicago and San Francisco.”
-CBS Evening News, 31 October, 1981
“THE ONLY BUSH I TRUST IS MY OWN!”
-Sign held by a drunken Jello Biafra at a San Francisco peace protest, 31 October, 1981
“SHOULD BORK BE OUR GOVERNOR?
He was once a hard-line socialist, before, in his words, he “grew a brain.” He was once Solicitor General, and it turned out he was a crook, firing Archibald Cox after Elliot Richardson and William Ruckelshaus refused to. His views on anti-trust laws in his seminal 1978 thesis The Antitrust Paradox was reportedly even supported and shared by the late President Reagan. But does any of that experience qualify him to govern the great state of Pennsylvania?
There’s no question that Bork can attract a crowd. His Reagan-esque campaign boomed out of his calls for an election after former Governor Thornburgh resigned after allegations of bribery and corruption (published in this very paper) and since then, he has never looked back, with his special brand of pugnacious conservatism extremely popular in the state sent reeling from the assassination of President Reagan and his current approval ratings neck-and-neck with that of his Democratic challenger, the former Auditor General Bob Casey.
Many papers and journalists all around America have decried Bork’s campaign, mostly pointing out his controversial (albeit reluctant) role in the “Saturday Night Massacre.” Indeed, Casey has spent the last two months running on an anti-Bork platform, and little else. Many a Pittsburgher has seen the constant attack ads on television portraying Bork as an axe murderer, as have we. Such portrayal mildly bemuses the Judge; “I get a little tired of it being portrayed as the only thing I ever did,” Judge Bork once said to journalists for the Post-Gazette about the role he held during a critical moment in the Watergate scandals.
However, to choose the high ground, a place this publication always prefers to be, let us judge Robert Bork on is virtues. As stated earlier, his works as a scholar on antitrust arguing that consumers benefit from corporate mergers and that antitrust law should focus on consumer welfare rather than on ensuring competition, has been believed to have shifted many members (and prospective members) of the Supreme Court’s approach to antitrust law. His role in the firing of Archibald Cox, although wrong, was done reluctantly, and an action he did only out of trust and a wish for unity with the President.
It is important for the next Governor to not only have administrative experience, but to also have the mature judgment and discretion to administer those responsibilities in a fashion that will serve the citizens of the Keystone State, from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia. Robert Bork, love him or hate him, has repeatedly demonstrated that he does have those qualities. After all, he is as deserving as anyone of forgiveness for his past transgressions.
Which is why, with only two days until the election and counting, this publication, the journalists, editors, but above all; the people of Pittsburgh - after a tenacious turnover of all of his traits and talents - have decided that Robert Bork should be our Governor.”
-Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Front Page Editorial, 1 November, 1981
“DARRELL WALTRIP BEATS HARRY GANT BY .91 SECONDS, GAINS 10TH WIN AT THE AMERICAN 500”
-NASCAR on CBS, 1 November, 1981
“INDEPENDENCE!: 349 YEARS OF IMPERIAL RULE TO AN END”
-Outlet, 1 November 1981
“MARINES LAND IN SIRTE, REBEL LIBYAN FORCES TAKE TOBRUK”
-CNN news ticker, 2 November, 1981
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
United States gubernatorial elections were held on November 3, 1981 in the states of New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Virginia, and in the territory of the Northern Mariana Islands. All seats were open, and all seats resulted in zero net change for both parties.
Of special note in the election cycle was the Pennsylvania special gubernatorial election, 1981, which was open after the resignation of sitting Governor Dick Thornburgh in light of the Abscam Scandal. It was held between between Republican former Attorney-General Robert Bork and Democratic former Auditor General Bob Casey. The campaign was given somewhat large attention by media, especially about the controversial campaign of Bork, who had previously been a key figure in the Saturday Night Massacre.
Despite a fierce campaign against him, Bork closely managed to defeat Casey in a close election, attributed to Bork’s very narrow victory in Allegheny County. The election would kickstart Bork’s political career, and have his voice heard and well-known in congress as a Reaganite Conservative.
(Accessed from Nupedia, the Online Encyclopedia, 2018)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“GOV. THORNBURGH FOUND “NOT GUILTY” ON ALL BUT TWO CHARGES, GIVEN TWO YEARS’ SENTENCE IN BIZARRE COURT CASE”
-New York Post, 5 November, 1981
“Well Shane, why do you think he got such little time?
-Pardon?
Why do you think he got such little time, you know, in th-
-Uh… I’m not sure. I mean, I’m pretty sure he was really popular… with, you know, the people, and they were unwilling to sentence him for much longer.
Yeah… because it said the jury deliberated for, what? 6 hours?
-Yeah, 6 hours...
So it very obviously wasn’t concise, there was plenty of dissent.
-Heh. Dissent. Love that word.
Yeah, don’t we all?”
-Excerpt from FaceSmash Politics (Episode: “Episode Six: SCANDAL!!!”), released September 30, 2017
“SOVIET SUB RETURNED AFTER RUNNING AGROUND IN SWEDISH WATERS”
-The Washington Post, 5 November, 1981
“Fucking pinko bastards! This is why we don’t trust the fucking squareheads!”
-Overheard statement by Secretary of State Alexander Haig, 6 November, 1981
“REBEL/US RAIDS ON TRIPOLIS, BENGHAZI, TOBRUK, MISRATA, SABHA”
-CNN, 7 November, 1981
“EYSKENS OUSTED, CHRISTIAN DEMOCRATS FORM WEAK COALITION”
-Het Laatste Nieuws, 8 November, 1981
“None of us really understands what's going on with all these numbers”
-Director of the Office of Management and Budget David Stockman (R-MI-4), quoted in The Atlantic, 10 November, 1981
“...Yes, Dave. I read your article in The Atlantic.
-What did you think?
Well, to be completely honest, I think you’re right. I don’t like to speak ill of the dead, nor of their beliefs and wishes… [beat] but I agree with a majority your opinions in that j’accuse you gave.
-Y-yeah, we’re simply deferring massive taxes unfairly and we could be putting huge debt burdens on future generations.
Right. Right you are.”
-Conversation between President George Bush and Director of the Office of Management and Budget David Stockman, 11 November, 1981
“COLUMBIA RETURNS TO SPACE”
-The New York Times, 12 November, 1981
“GADDAFI CALLS FOR RESISTANCE, MÉDECINS SANS FRONTIÈRES EXPRESS CONCERNS OVER CIVILIAN CASUALTIES, REPORTED HIGH, US AIR FORCE DENIES”
-Le Monde, 13 November, 1981
“We are just getting in reports that Northern Irish MP Robert Bradford has been shot while at a political event in Belfast…”
-BBC Radio 4, 14 November, 1981
“These goddamned filthy papists are literally murdering the people of Ulster! If we do not act now with the means necessary the taigs will surely murder us all.”
-Overheard statement by Member of the European Parliament Ian Paisley to a masked Third Force member, 15 November, 1981
“This is surely a year of terror… a year of assassinations and lead.”
-Quotation from Pope Gregory XVII, 15 November, 1981
“In the name of Allah, the beneficent, the merciful…
Citizens, surely this will be the last opportunity for me to address you. The cowboy Air Force has bombed the majority of the radio towers. For twelve years, or was it longer, I can’t remember… I did all I could to give people houses, hospitals, schools, and when they were hungry, I gave them food. I even made Benghazi into farmland from the desert.
I did all I could to help people understand the concept of real democracy, where people’s committees ran our country. But that was never enough, as some told me, even people who had 10 room homes, new suits and furniture, were never satisfied, as selfish as they were they wanted more.
They told Americans and other visitors, that they needed “democracy” and “freedom,” never realizing it was a cut-throat system where “the biggest dog eats the rest,” but they were enchanted with those words, never realizing that in America, there was no free medicine, no free hospitals, no free housing, no free education and no free food, except when people had to beg or go to long lines to get soup.
No matter what I did, it was never enough for some, but for others, they knew I was the son of Gamal Abdel Nasser, the only true Arab and Muslim leader we’ve had since Salah-al-Deen, when he claimed the Suez Canal for his people, as I claimed Libya, for my people, it was his footsteps I tried to follow, to keep my people free from colonial domination – from thieves who would steal from us.
[sigh]
My words do not have bitterness but disappointment. Given these facts, the only thing left for me is to say to workers: I am not going to resign.
Placed in a historic transition, I will pay for loyalty to the people with my life. And I say to them that I am certain that the seed which we have planted in the good conscience of thousands and thousands of Libyans will not be shriveled forever.
Workers of my country: I want to thank you for the loyalty that you always had, the confidence that you deposited in a man who was only an interpreter of great yearnings for justice, who gave his word that he would respect the law of nature and the law of Allah, and did just that. So, there is no alternative for me, I must make my stand, and if Allah wishes, I shall die by following His path, the path that has made our country rich with farmland, with food and health, and even allowed us to help our African and Arab brothers and sisters.
The people must defend themselves, but they must not sacrifice themselves. The people must not let themselves be destroyed or riddled with bullets, but they cannot be humiliated either.
Workers of my country, I have faith in the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya and its destiny. Other men will overcome this dark and bitter moment when treason under the two-faced djinn that is Comrade El-Hariri seeks to prevail. Go forward knowing that, sooner rather than later, the great palm-lined avenues of Tripoli will open again where free men will walk to build a better society.
Long live the Great Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya! Long live the Arabic and African people! Long live the workers of Libya!
These are my last words, and I am certain that my sacrifice will not be in vain, I am certain that, at the very least, it will be a moral lesson that will punish felony, cowardice, and treason.”
-Muammar Gaddafi’s final address to the Libyan people, broadcast 16th November, 1981
Last edited:
He won, @historybuff...
Now, if you somehow kill off a certain federal judge/Supreme Court nominee named BK (or humiliate him somehow), I'll like this TL even more...
Now, if you somehow kill off a certain federal judge/Supreme Court nominee named BK (or humiliate him somehow), I'll like this TL even more...
Ugh, hope Gadaffi doesn't become a martyr to some people. Good work so far and it seems as if Bush isn't going to keep up the Reagan era cuts, which will be a big help indeed further down the line. Be interesting to see what Bush's final legacy will be with this and then Libya, compared to OTL.