Blue Skies in Camelot: An Alternate 60's and Beyond

I dread what the chapter named for "Candle in the Wind" is gonna be about.
It’s actually extremely likely, if not certain, that the song would have been butterflied away and would not exist ITTL, since according to Elton John it was about Marilyn Monroe and her death at a young age. Since the POD is her surviving, the song probably wouldn’t exist. Another reason the song is likely butterflied away is due to Janis Joplin surviving, Bernie Turpin (who co-wrote the song) never hears the phrase “Candle in the Wind” at her funeral/tribute for the first time.

So sadly the song wouldn’t exist ITTL. If it did ‘exist’ ITTL, it’d be different than the OTL version, and probably wouldn’t include the words “Candle in the Wind”. At most you might have a similar themed song by Elton John about some other tragic celebrity who died ITTL, like maybe Barbara Streisand.
 
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Good chapter, @President_Lincoln, and waiting for more...

RIP Mal Evans, Keith Moon, and Keith Richards; you keep some alive, others die in their place, it seems...

Like that Nimoy got the Oscar, the Elvis/Springsteen team-up, and Elvis helping Jerry Lee Lewis here, along with the new Philip Dick novel...

At least Staubach is having more success here so far; he had the bad luck to go up against Terry Bradshaw both times, but Archie Manning is a good substitute, methinks...

Looking forward to Act III!!!
 
It’s actually extremely likely, if not certain, that the song would have been butterflied away and would not exist ITTL, since according to Elton John it was about Marilyn Monroe and her death at a young age. Since the POD is her surviving, the song probably wouldn’t exist. Another reason the song is likely butterflied away is due to Janis Joplin surviving, Bernie Turpin (who co-wrote the song) never hears the phrase “Candle in the Wind” at her funeral/tribute for the first time.

So sadly the song wouldn’t exist ITTL. If it did ‘exist’ ITTL, it’d be different than the OTL version, and probably wouldn’t include the words “Candle in the Wind”. At most you might have a similar themed song by Elton John about some other tragic celebrity who died ITTL, like maybe Barbara Streisand.
Maybe Bernie Turpin would hear it at Streisand's funeral
 
Maybe Bernie Turpin would hear it at Streisand's funeral
Maybe, but that would really be stretching plausibility.

Plus, would Bernie Turpin even go to her funeral in order to hear it? That’s without taking into account that the ‘candle in the wind’ phrase was used to describe Janis Joplin herself and her tragic death by drugs at a young age.

There are so many factors at play that you really can’t just throw in another celebrity like Barbara Streisand and just replace the moment Turpin heard the phrase like it’s easy.
 
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What happened with Fritz the Cat ITTL? Is it the same? or does it get butterflied or changed?

Fritz the Cat is released under largely the same circumstances as IOTL. Though much of TTL's counter-culture has been less violent and more hopeful toward the success of peaceful protest and the like, the influences for Fritz are still largely in place, thus I see it likely that it is still made more or less the same.

Here's something I think might happen sometime soon...
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The hearing was a formality at this point, but Max Cleland was almost done with his glass of water anyway. It seemed like every single Senator wanted to put his foot forwards and wax eloquent for a few minutes about how much he loved the military, when they were all already voting to confirm Cleland as the first-ever Secretary of Veterans' Affairs anyway. Guess some of the bums have re-election campaigns to worry about.

The guy who spoke next, an unassuming little man with a still-boyish face and a trace of gray in his hair, though--he wasn't one Cleland would expect to have trouble getting re-elected. Ever. After all, when you had all the medals for valor the US Army could award, and a few more besides, it didn't matter what the Sam Hill your policies were because just showing up in uniform to get another medal from the Governor of Texas (who had a re-election of his own to worry about) was enough to make every red-blooded American this side of the Canadian border vote for you on general principle.

Then again, Cleland wasn't Senator Murphy, so what the Hell did he know?

"Captain Cleland, thank you for your service," Senator Audie Murphy (D-TX) began. "I know most of this chamber's already voting for you so I'll try not to waste your time, but I've got one very important question for you. Recently, the American Psychiatric Association published a new edition of their diagnostic guide, defining the conditions previously referred to as 'shell shock' or 'battle stress' as a mental disorder called Trauma-Associated Psychiatric Syndrome, or TAPS. The United States Air Force estimates that this condition affects millions of veterans of World War 2, the Korean War, and the Cambodia Intervention. I myself suffer from this condition, which led me to a painkiller addiction that I only kicked in the '60s by locking myself in a hotel room and going cold turkey, the most Hellish experience of my post-war career. TAPS causes a great deal of mental trauma to our fighting men even decades after they leave the battlefield, and we still know very little about how it can be treated and how it affects the mind. What measures will your Department use to combat this scourge and help our veterans maintain stable, healthy civilian lives?"

He put down his papers, and the intensity of his gaze almost made Cleland look away. Shit. He wasn't ready for a hardball question this late in the hearing, God damn it!

Hokey campaign slogan ("I'll fight for you like I fought the Nazis!") or not, the junior Senator wasn't playing games, and Cleland scrambled to respond. "Uh, Senator, first of all, thank you for your service," Murphy nodded with a touch of impatience at Cleland's delay, "and, uh, I assure you, Senator, as a veteran myself this newly-defined problem is one I intend to attack aggressively as Secretary. I plan to direct a starter fund of ten billion dollars for the coming year alone," a significant chunk of Cleland's budget, at that, "specifically to research into shell-shock, or Taps or whatever they're calling it now. And as we get a better idea of how to treat it, such treatment will of course be covered by the hospital care services that President Udall wants us to set up. I believe very firmly, Senator, that if a man risks his life for his country, his country owes him a Hell of a lot back for it, and I will move Heaven and earth to ensure that our veterans have the very best medical and mental health care on the planet."

Murphy nodded with satisfaction and leaned back in his chair, but Cleland knew he had one more thing to say. "And, uh, Senator, I just wanted to say--thank you, for sharing your experience. There's a lot of good men who've gone through similar things, and hearing you talk about it...it means a lot."

"Do well by us, Captain," the Senator replied. "That's all I ask."
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Thought this might be neat. :D

This is fantastic! :D Thank you so much for contributing it, @Worffan101! :) This is a welcome addition to the TL, and definitely a portent for things to come.

I also like the idea of renaming PTSD "TAPS" ITTL. Is that something you're alright with me stealing?
 
This is fantastic! :D Thank you so much for contributing it, @Worffan101! :) This is a welcome addition to the TL, and definitely a portent for things to come.

I also like the idea of renaming PTSD "TAPS" ITTL. Is that something you're alright with me stealing?
Thank you! And yes, go ahead! I figured that given Murphy's OTL activism that he'd spend a lot of time advocating for mental health issues.

Which, honestly...America's most famous war hero (he's a Senator and has a buttload of medals, he's going to be much higher profile than OTL) talking openly about his battles with PTSD and mental health issues in general? That's probably going to lead to a lot more attention coming to mental health issues much earlier, in a good way. :)
 
Hopefully he'd avoid that but honestly it's up to the OP, @President_Lincoln since it's his TL. :)
Yeah, that was super unfortunate how it happened. One of his fellow soldiers had dropped a grenade, and the pin came off when it hit the ground, and Cleland thought it was his, and bent down to pick it up.

Got both his legs and one of his arms blown off from that one. The guy who dropped the grenade was injured, too, reportedly was sobbing in horror "that was my grenade!" at seeing Cleland.
 
@Worffan101 did you imagine Cleland with his lost limbs as OTL or do you think he was spared at least some of that fate?

Cleland still wins the Bronze and Silver stars for valorous action in combat during the Cambodian Intervention, but he manages to avoid the tragic grenade incident of OTL. :) A decorated veteran, I still believe Cleland will be a strong choice by President Udall to be the first Secretary of Veterans' Affairs. :D
 
Whats the current status of Oswald and Bremer as of 1977, also what happened to Yoko Ono since she never met John Lennon, Mr. President?

What the current state of Japan and the Koreas? Have any significant butterflies affected them as of right now? Mr. President?
 
Oswald Retcon and More
If you decide to incorporate the ideas I have presented so far, you'll let me know right?

Absolutely! I apologize for my lack of replies/posts lately across the board. :( Between finals setting in, making plans with my family for Thanksgiving, and catching a really nasty cold which has lingered and left me mostly inert for the past several weeks, I have been much less productive than I would like. I am deeply sorry.

I am happy to say that I have at least 1-2 updates written which I hope will constitute the beginning of Act III of Blue Skies and plan on getting them posted in the near future. :) Do not worry. The timeline lives!

Hi Mr President been a while. I have a question for you. Has the Great Recession hit any other countries or just the US?

An excellent question, @Kennedy Forever! The Great Recession has not been limited to the United States, but has hit the entire world rather hard, especially the "west" (think US, Anglo-sphere, Western Europe, etc). Its causes were similar to those of the recessions of OTL's 1970's - the energy crises; stagnation after decades of growth following WWII; rise of foreign competition from Japan, Mexico, etc; and others. As of January 1977, where Blue Skies last left off, the recession is reaching perhaps its fever pitch, and played a major role in President Bush's defeat to Congressman Udall.

Whats the current status of Oswald and Bremer as of 1977, also what happened to Yoko Ono since she never met John Lennon, Mr. President?

What the current state of Japan and the Koreas? Have any significant butterflies affected them as of right now? Mr. President?

Retcon: Regarding Lee Harvey Oswald...

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Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested by Texas Rangers on November 23rd, 1963, after being charged with the attempted assassination of President John F. Kennedy and the successful murder of Texas Governor John Connally. Throughout the course of his highly publicized trial, Oswald continued to profess his innocence and claimed that he was a "patsy", used by "shadowy forces" because he "used to live in the Soviet Union". Despite his ramblings, the jury found Oswald guilty for the attempt on the President's life and the murder of the Governor, slapping him with a death sentence which was later commuted to life in prison. As of 1977, Oswald has served out about 14 years, and continues to profess his supposed innocence to any who will hear him. His own personal thoughts regarding who "really" shot at JFK have provided some fuel to truly fringe conspiracy theorists, but most dismiss him as a sad, lonely, disturbed man trying to make sense of his shattered life. President Kennedy himself famously "forgave" Oswald in an interview with Life shortly after leaving office, saying: "I harbor no lingering ill will towards him... I just thank God for sparing my life." More than anything, Lee Harvey Oswald's name is largely forgotten, save as the answer to a rather difficult question answered by Jeopardy! champion Ken Jennings in the 2000's, or as a recurring figure in "What if..." scenarios on the popular Alternate History discussion board AH.com.

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Unlike Oswald, Arthur Bremer's name has entered the American lexicon ITTL as a synonym for society's failures, man's potential for cruelty and violence, and of course, assassins. After confessing to the murder of President George Romney in March of 1972, Bremer was sentenced to life in prison. Five years later, he continues to serve that sentence, and has had his disturbing diary published, despite public outcry and condemnation from the Bush Administration. Bremer remains the central figure in a myriad of conspiracy theories regarding the Romney Assassination, with his "true" motive being pinpointed as anything from religious hatred of Romney's Mormonism to a bizarre claim that Bremer was contracted to kill the President by the conservative wing of the Republican Party, who believed that Vice President Bush would be more pliable to their right wing policies than the very liberal President. With the advent of the internet in the 1990's, Bremer's writings and persona would attract a cult following on illicit message boards, with many disaffected young men claiming him as a kind of "inspiration" to commit other acts of violence. Though he would never again live as a free man, Bremer's influence over the darker side of American life continues to disturb and sow fear. Truly, one of the villains of American history.

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Having never met John Lennon ITTL, Yoko Ono spent the latter part of the 1960's and the 1970's developing as an artist and trying to escape her own personal Hell that was her second marriage, to American Jazz musician, film producer, and art promoter Anthony Cox. Ono eventually managed to secure a divorce from Cox in 1969, though she lost custody of her daughter with him, Kyoko, in the process, and would not see her again until the 1990's. Dejected, depressed, and concerned that her family would pursue institutionalization for her once again in the fall of 1969, a 36 year old Ono found her life turned around by an unlikely ally - American folk singer and social democratic activist Phil Ochs. Moved by his intense energy, Ono's work also took on something of a political bent, blending her abstract, avant garde style with Marxist critiques of consumer culture and the need for women's liberation. Ochs and Ono would eventually marry in 1973, becoming one of the "royal couples" of American counter-culture.


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While Japan was certainly hit by the Romney oil shock and the Great Recession of the 1970's, the country's industrial output and overall economic output continue to climb. "The great miracle of East Asia", Japan's post-war boom continues, for now. The country has also seen great change in the form of ũman ribu, a women's liberation movement which took inspiration from allied movements in the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, and other nations, and sought to modernize Japanese culture and ensure that women were granted equal rights.

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The Koreas are largely following their OTL path for the time being. Expect subsequent updates on their progress in the near future however, as TTL's more liberal direction begins to influence youth culture and politics, particularly (obviously) in the South.
 
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Didn't Oswald kill Governor Connally (and a sheriff's deputy) ITTL? That's what led to his death sentence ITTL...
 
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