Kentucky Fried Politics: A Colonel Sanders Timeline

Chapter 101: January 2011 – August 2011
Chapter 101: January 2011 – August 2011

“Don’t go along to get along; avoid the chloroform of conformity!”

– Henry Howell (OTL)



…President Wellstone had wanted to continue his predecessor’s push for police reform at the state level. While the federal government no longer issued contracts to private prisons, state governments were not barred from following suit. Calls from those in his cabinet and WH inner circle who were to the farthest to the left wanted to nationalize America’s prison system, along with doing the same for rail and even interstate travel. Such ideas, however, were put on hold in the wake of the 2010 midterm losses. Wellstone’s new plan – pass as much as possible through the hostile majority-Republican chambers and with the Democrats win back the Senate and House in 2012. Thus, the “great progressive push” was put on hold for the time being…

– Roberta Gillespie’s Watershed: An Assessment of The Wellstone White House, Princeton University Press, 2016



US TREASURY DEPARTMENT WARNS: INFLATION IS A “RISING CONCERN”

The Wall Street Journal, 1/5/2011



Mother was happy that she no longer had to drive the car every day. The long bus rides in and out allowed her to spend time with us. I remember how scared she was – how all the grownups were – when everyone began talking about “SARS” and soon began wearing masks. Suddenly, Mother feared the bus terminal, and the cramped quarters of the city bus. Soon by brother Uri and I were introduced to what it is like to be chaperoned around, but with your parent behind the wheel instead of sitting between you and your bratty sibling. Instead of getting whiplash from turning her head back and forth, Mother would hurt her throat telling us to stop bickering, because she had to watch the road. Trips with Mother stopped being as fun as they once were. By the time she finally felt that the buses were safe enough to take again, I was 16, my brother was 14, and two more siblings, David and Noa, were in the picture.

Mother sat with them on the bus ride home like how once did with Uri and I; with no other seats nearby being vacant, I stood. When Mother asked David about school, complained about his latest math class, whining “Why do we have to learn how to read an old-fashioned clock, with a big and little hand? When will I ever not have a phone with me?”

“He has a point, Mother,” I say, noting the digital display on my minicomp.

Mother just smiled slightly at his innocence and reminisced about her own time in school, back in the early 1990s, right before I showed up. “I remember being shown how to turn on the computer being installed – just one computer for the whole class. I thought it was the most bizarre thing in the world. And it was so much bigger than what the children have today. Do you remember when we were in Blumshtot visiting your Uncle Yosef? We went to that one shop – Tamar, you remember, they had a similar model there.”

“I remember I wasn’t impressed by its large size and bulbous shape.”

Pow!

Mother’s eyes widened and looked like she was about to shriek. When someone on the other side of the bus bellowed, “Fender bender! Fender bender, everyone.” Mother breathed a sigh of relief, like an awful weight was being raised off her chest. “For a moment there, I thought…”
“Thought what, Mommy?” asked Noa with those baby-doe-like eyes of hers.

“Oh, nothing, sweetie,” went Mother’s white lie. “Nothing.”

As we approach our stop, my mind wanders to my primary school years. I remember looking at a photograph of Colonel Sanders on my teacher’s desk and wondering, “Wait, why is The Colonel’s face everywhere?” I asked my mother about it later that day, and she told about how important he was at a crucial moment in our nation’s history. She told me that, the day when it was announced that The Great Chef had died, everyone was sad, especially her teachers and her own parents, who remembered the Before-Times, the pre-treaty days, even more vividly than did Mother. “Some people even looked scared,” Mother said. I was more confused than anything else; I already knew that the man behind the face on so many fast-food product packages had played an important role in recent history, but I couldn’t understand the details, not yet anyway.

[snip]

Father’s carpool soon dropped him off, and Mother soon said to him the same tired line she had said hundreds of times before. “Be ready to help me in the kitchen. If I’m not the only one eating, why should I be the only one cooking?” She soon added an addendum: “You remember my friend, Suhana, down the block? Her husband often doesn’t help with the meal prep – that’s why he’s made their couch area into his own second bedroom.”

Father silently brushed off the remark and said, “You didn’t forget the extra spot on the end did you?”

“Of course not. But remind me – you said you’re brother’s dropping by on his own, or are you picking him up?”

“He’s taking a cab from the airport. He said he can’t hit on women while in our quote-unquote ‘lame-mobile.’”

“How charming.”

“Do you think the meat should be prepped now or in a few minutes?”

“Eh. Give it half an hour.”

“Won’t that be cutting it close?”

“Trust me, it’ll be ready by the time he arrives.”

As Mother predicted, given his history with schedules, Uncle Yosef arrived 41 minutes later than expected. Good timing goes a long way. We sat down and Father asked his younger brother how university had been treating him.

“Yes,” I chimed in, “I’m actually really interested in what you have to say about that, Uncle Yosef.” I then proceeded to express a spiel about “the unadulterated majesty and history” I believed would await me in Tel Aviv.

Father’s brother sighed, and replied, “If you have to go to extra school,” his term for university, given that going to college, to him, meant spending more time in school when you don’t have to, “Go to one in America.”

“Why’s that,” I asked him.

“They have all the good stuff over there. One of my classmates in my one history class went there last summer, and he said he went dozens upon dozens of malls, water parks, stadiums, bar-" catching a glance from Mother, “-llrooms, and uh, lots and lots of other cool places.”

“We have cool places here,” I defended the only country I wished to know. “We have malls, and parks and stadiums here.”

My uncle simply shook his head and said, “They’re not the same as the ones found in The Colonel’s Country.”

– Tamar Kohen’s A Mix of Flavors, 2021 autobiography



If inflation continued to chip away at the value of the American dollar, it was possible that the US government would fall into the red, thus violating the Balanced Budget Amendment. Wellstone sought to curtail deficit concerns by investing even further into the economy, by billions if not trillions of dollars, but to do so would require approval from the US Senate Budget Chair, who now was a conservative Republican who had mixed – and thus unpredictable – views on austerity measures.

“We need to be investing in deficit spending in order to generate economic growth. Borrowing rates are low right now, and there’s clearly a need for an economic infusion now,” the President lamented to his inner circle.

“The problem, though,” noted US Secretary to the Treasury David Carson, “Is that deficit spending needs to come out of the red by the end of the first fiscal year. It’s note enough time for it to be as impactful as we want it to be. And the inflation rate certainly isn't helping.”

“Damn the BBA,” Wellstone said bitterly. “I never had to deal with something like that thing when I was governor.”

– Roberta Gillespie’s Watershed: An Assessment of The Wellstone White House, Princeton University Press, 2016



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[pic: imgur.com/mPfrInx.png ]
– investopedia.co.usa



…Inflation concerns soon clashed with budgetary concerns. The White House had until February 14 to submit the budget proposal for the 2012 fiscal year, and his administration was certain that House Speaker McMaster would direct the 112th congress to challenge it...

– Roberta Gillespie’s Watershed: An Assessment of The Wellstone White House, Princeton University Press, 2016



“Inflation can be eased by pausing the printing of money and, if necessary, scaling back the power of central banks,” Commerce Secretary Gloria Tristani observed. “That can be framed as a form a deregulation. Do you think McMaster will bite that?”

“Maybe,” suggested Chief Economic Policy Advisor Margaret Flowers, who then pondered aloud to herself “If to reign in rising inflation is ‘disinflation,’ not ‘deflation,’ then it’s slowing it down, not reversing it. How can we make that sound more Republican-y?”

Secretary Carson offered one more solution in this brainstorming session in the White House cabinet room. “Central banks could attempt to keep inflation ‘on target,’ as in not too fast but not reversing, by selling bonds in the open market, thus reducing the money supply.”

“Would that work?” OMB Director Robert Z. Lawrence asked inquisitively.

“We don’t want deflation because if money is rising in value, prices drop, and people begin postponing investments – why buy something now when the price will be lower a week from now or month from now?” Curson answered. “That kind of activity, a loss in consumer spending, would slow down the economy, a most definitely lead to recession! No, to combat deflation, I think we have to adopt lower interest rates, and possibly even implement negative interest on deposits until it is warded off.”

The other economic advisors nodded in deliberation.

Advisor Paul Krugman broke the nodding with a less conventional solution to making the ends of the federal budget meet. “How about a billion-dollar coin?”

Everyone in the room looked over to him.

Krugman continued, “Yes – we make a special, one-time-only coin to get rid of the debt. The Treasury Department mints it and sends it to the Federal Reserve, thus paying off the debt. It’d be an unorthodox method, but I’m not the first person to suggest it. In fact, Senator Bo Gritz first mentioned it, or at least popularized it, back in the 1980s. He also suggested the notion while a state senator in the 1990s, and in 2005, in his first year in the Senate.”

“So it’s actually a Goetzite Republican idea?” asked a curious Tristani.

“We can certainly spin it that way.”

“But is it legal?” Tristani’s curiosity continued.

“As far as I can tell, yes, yes it is.”

“I don’t think it’s a good idea even if it would work,” opined Director Lawrence. “It’s such a cop-out. It would weaken the institution of the American checks and balances system, and could be seen as the executive branch stepping over the legislative branch. It could even damage our reputation abroad.”

Krugman countered, “So minting the coin would be undignified, but so what? At the same time, it would be economically harmless – and would both avoid catastrophic economic developments and help head off government by blackmail.” [1]

“But on the other hand, it is possible that using a coin would lead to an inflation crisis,” suggested Secretary Curson.

“How so?” Asked Krugman.

Commercial bank reserves would increase as The Treasury spent the proceeds from the coin’s purchase by the Federal Reserves. If banks loan out these reserves, the money supply increases and if the money supply increases too rapidly, the economy could overheat, adding to inflation and increasing expectations of future inflation. In order to avoid this, the Federal Reserve would have to prohibit banks from lending out excess reserves via paying interest on their reserves at the Fed so that the return commercial banks receive on them is greater than what they could receive from alternative uses.”

“Then what would be the problem?”

“As always, the problem is the BBA,” Lawrence spoke. “Because of the Balance Budget requirement, the Treasury can’t use borrowing to buy the coin back from the Federal Reserves and return it to the Mint to be melted in time to meet the deadline. It would create an even bigger budget crisis for us!” [2]

Eyes again turned to Krugman.

“In another country, or after the BBA gets repealed – God willing – the trillion-dollar coin gimmick would work. But here, and now, we have to go for a much simpler approach,” Curson proclaimed with certainty in his voice.

Krugman sighed disappointedly. “Ockham’s razor,” he begrudgingly agreed.

With social programs on the line, the administration siphoning away more funding from the military budgets, while the President stripped away a segment from his own salary and traveling expenses fund to make up the remaining difference.

– Billie Lofi’s The Wellstone Way: The Life of a Passionate Progressive, University of Minnesota Press, first edition, 2017



…In January 2011, peace talks between the US Secretary of State Harvey Gantt, the government of Sudan, and the region of Darfur broke down in the wake of the Jebel Marra Massacre, in which roughly 400 Darfurians were slaughtered by members of the Sudanese Armed Forces in what appeared to be a clear and obvious following of order from higher-up – of an organized and coordinated attack. The heinous act of Sudanese soldiers being ordered to fire upon nonviolent Sudanese citizens sparked outrage among the leaders of Darfur, who subsequently assembled in the regional capital of el-Fasher to declare Darfur to be an independent nation called, quite simply, Darfur. With tension rising and both sides refusing to reconvene peace talks, Gantt reluctantly returned to the District of Columbia…

– David Tal’s US Strategic Arms Policy After the Cold War: Globalization & Technological Modernization, Routledge, 2020



…Amid budgetary squabbles and foreign policy snafus, another subject, one closer to Wellstone personally, became a major concern for the administration as well. The House GOP’s proposed Education Reform Bill, introduced in early 2011, aimed to deregulate and defund the US education system established under Bellamy and tweaked under Jackson and Wellstone. The President earnestly met with moderate Republicans to try and convince four of them to not vote “yea” on the bill. With four defections looking unlikely, Wellstone next planned a “public exposure” campaign, making speeches and and having surrogates appear on TV to denounce the bill. If the court of public opinion did not pressure the Senate into striking down the bill, then Wellstone would have to veto it upon it reaching his desk; he was confident that Republicans would fail to override the veto due to the narrowness of their majorities in both chambers…

– Billie Lofi’s The Wellstone Way: The Life of a Passionate Progressive, University of Minnesota Press, first edition, 2017



“One central cost of high taxation is inefficiency – as well as more human suffrage, as honest citizens work even harder for less money kept in their pockets. The Republican Party must adhere to its values and challenge oppressive taxation proposals. To do otherwise would be a grave disservice to the American people.”

– US House Speaker H. Dargan McMaster (R-SC), 1/30/2011



As President Katumbi worked diligently to repair the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Jackson became more vocally supportive of the latter’s administration, urging African-American CEOs to invest in the DRC’s infrastructure and improving farms. With Katumbi’s middle-lane reforms yielding overall positive results, the former President VidCalled his successor in early 2011 to congratulate him for his contributions to ending the warfare plaguing that African nation during the 2000s decade.

Jackson reported remarked, “I’m sorry I doubted you at the time.”

Wellstone allegedly replied more jovially, by responding “I’m sorry I disappointed your doubt!”

– researcher Brenda J. Hargis’ Emboldening: The Jesse Jackson Presidency, Sunrise Publications, 2017



AMERICA ALL AROUND

Album type: studio

Performers: Toby Keith

Producer: Toby Keith

Record label: Show Dog-Universal Music

Released: February 2, 2011

Genre: country

REVIEW AVERAGE: 3.8-out-of-5

REVIEWS:

[snip]

REVIEW 41:

It looks like the general consensus here is that this album is just a platform for Keith to espouse his political views, but I don’t see it. Sure, there’s American flags all over the cover, he sings about how great America is in every song, and he praises the military, but where’s the political stuff? Anyway, regardless of their intent or whatever, you have to admit they’re really catchy! 5-out-of-5.

– albumreviews.co.usa, a public music review site, 2011 post



…On February 12, two days before the deadline, Wellstone submitted the federal budget proposal for the 2012 fiscal year. The administration requested $3.8trillion for expenditures, only for McMaster to offer up a $2.1trillion “counterplan,” which would have stripped several social services and other programs of their meat and effectiveness. Democrats continued the back-and-forth for the next several months…

– Roberta Gillespie’s Watershed: An Assessment of The Wellstone White House, Princeton University Press, 2016



…Amid the feuding over the federal finances, the Federal Reserve Chair Thomas Rukavina seemed stress. As a result, soon after the 2012 budget proposal was submitted, Rukavina celebrated with the same substance with which he would suppress disappointment and stress – the drink. And a few days later, on the 15th, Rukavina was arrested for drunk driving. The incident was an embarrassment for the administration, and Rukavina knew. As a result, he informed Wellstone, who was both the President and a good friend of his, that he would step down from his Chair… [3]

– Billie Lofi’s The Wellstone Way: The Life of a Passionate Progressive, University of Minnesota Press, first edition, 2017




GOVERNOR BROWN SIGNS CBD OIL BILL INTO LAW

…Senate bill 1116b legalizes CBD oil for persons with severe epilepsy… The Governor decides to sign the bill into law concludes months of lengthy and emotional hearings held on the floor of both chambers of the state legislature…

The Idaho Statesman, 2/19/2011



“Standardized tests evolved historically as one way to ensure more equal opportunity in education. They are supposed to be an instrument of fairness because they are graded objectively and allow any person, regardless of background, to demonstrate their skill. When used correctly, standardized tests are critical for diagnosing inequality and for identifying where we need improvement. They enable us to measure achievement across groups of students so that we can help ensure that states and districts are held accountable for improving the achievement of all students regardless of race, income, gender, limited English proficiency and disability.

However, they are not a panacea.
The policies that were in place under Presidents Dinger, Denton, and even Walter Mondale have tragically proven that using a single standardized test as the sole determinant for graduation, promotion, tracking and ability grouping is not fair and has not fostered greater equality or opportunity for students. First and foremost, I firmly believe that it is grossly unfair to not graduate, or to hold back a student based on a standardized test if that student has not had the opportunity to learn the material covered on the test. When we impose high stakes tests on an educational system where there are, as Jonathan Kozol says, savage inequalities, and then we do nothing to address the underlying causes of those inequalities, we set up children to fail.

We must never stop demanding that children do their best. We must never stop holding schools accountable. Measures of student performance can include standardized tests, but only when coupled with other measures of achievement, more substantive education reforms and a much fuller, sustained investment in schools.


For a party that prides itself in upholding individuality and being the current holder of the mantle of states’ rights, their insistence of forcing students of diverse skill take the same test would be funny for its irony if its past results had not been so tragic. Studies indicate that public testing encourages teachers and administrators to focus their instruction on test content, test format and test preparation instead of on the importance and real-world applicability of the lesson in the first place. Teachers tend to overemphasize basic skills, and as a result underemphasize problem-solving and complex critical thinking skills that simply cannot be assessed well on standardized tests. Furthermore, these kinds of tests neglect subjects and content areas that are not covered, such as science, social studies and the arts. I call upon all sensible Republicans in the House to make the sensible decision and reject the bill for the sake of our children and their futures.”

– President Wellstone, 2/21/2011 speech [4]



EMANUEL JACQUES

…rising from humble origins as the son of poor Portuguese immigrants in Toronto to become the CEO of the EJ Shoe Company, Mr. Jacques is a billionaire philanthropist who aims to help “thousands of immigrants” rise out of poverty through his various charitable organizations…

– forbes.co.usa/profiles, posted 2/23/2011



In 2011, leaders at McDonald’s and KFC took note of a franchise that was on the rise nationally. Most members of the Board of Directors at Finger Lickin’ Good, Inc. were uneasy. “Culver’s is a privately owned casual fast food restaurant chain originating in the Midwest,” Director William Kirk Hannon explained.

“It’s a chain founded by a married couple, a husband and wife team, George and Ruth Culver of Sauk City, Wisconsin,” his assistant added.

Hannon nodded, “Yeah. Real ‘sweet and successes power couple’ angle goin’ for ’em. Now they’ve been around since 1984, but they didn’t begin to really franchise until the end of the 1990s, with their first outlet outside of the Midwest opening in Texas in 1999. Slowly but surely, though, their franchise is developing, ladies and gentlemen. And very recently, their popularity is exploding.”

“But why?” Asked one Board member.

“We’re not too sure. Maybe it’s because American taste buds are picking up on something we and the folks at R&D aren’t. Maybe Midwestern cuisine is just in vogue thanks to President Wellstone being from Minnesota. Maybe the brand itself is doing something right.”

“Ontech polls rate their outlets high in customer satisfaction,” noted the aforementioned assistant.

“Right, but what’s it got going for it?” Another board member derided as she picked up a Culver’s menu with the caution and care of one pulling a tangled hair clump from a bathtub drain. “Look at this: ‘butter burgers.’ What in blue blazes is that?!”

Hannon answered, “As it turns out, it’s actually a classic Wisconsinite staple, one that Culver’s is bringing to national attention. Some call it a beautiful, mouthwatering burger dripping with cheese that is smothering soft, tender, buttery beef patties. And what it lacks in nutritional value it makes up for with deliciousness.” Hannon eyed one board member reflex by licking a corner of his mouth. He continued, “Also, its signature and most famous dish is the least healthy thing on the menu. It’s also known for frozen custard, cheese curds, and offerings of chicken sandwiches and fish sandwiches. The rest of the menu is basically just much healthier burgers, sandwiches, and offerings of soups and salads, and even some baked goods like cookies and muffins.”

“An ‘overall’ thing,” said the assistant, “a wide selection.”

Hannon also mentioned that their number of locations had doubled in the past five years to nearly 400 across half the country [5]. He concluded, “Gentlemen, I do believe this is a competitor we best keep an eye on. The next time they bring out a popular product, we have to bring out one of our own.”

All directors on the Board nodded in unison.

– Marlona Ruggles Ice’s A Kentucky-Fried Phoenix: The Post-Colonel History of Most Famous Birds In The World, Hawkins E-Publications, 2020



…Another casualty of the partisan arguing over the budget was a bill co-sponsored by both Republicans and Democrats that would implement an across-the-board Federal Aid Dividend clear across the board. Though the suggestion was popular among the co-sponsors and among many Americans polled, the proposed law received significant pushback from Rep-majority House, and ultimately was rejected. Tellingly, though, 21 Democrats voted against it in the House, and five voted against it in the Senate…

– Roberta Gillespie’s Watershed: An Assessment of The Wellstone White House, Princeton University Press, 2016



PALIN DRONES: The Story Behind The Fisherman Now Changing The Skies

…Todd Palin (b. 1964) graduated from the University of Alaska, Anchorage in 1987 before becoming an oil field production worker and commercial fisherman (salmon). At the start of the 1990s, he began entrepreneurial pursuits concerning oil-related technological developments before branching out into drone technology, after reading about early drone prototypes being tried out by the US Army during the Second Korean War. Palin finally founded Palin Drones, Inc. in 2009, and in the past two years, his company has exploded in size and scale…

Time Magazine, early March 2011 issue



“We should at least demand that we get an independent, thorough study of the impact of high stakes tests on children and on education if Republicans are adamant and sincere about reforming the education system.”

– Vice President Ross, in private talks with House Democrats, 3/2/2011 (multiple sources) [6]



GLOBAL EFFORTS TO CURB PLASTICS POLLUTION COULD MAKE WAY FOR HEMP PRODUCTS

…biodegradable hemp plastics are on the rise, with various materials being made available ontech and five US states (Massachusetts, California, Oregon, Vermont, and, most recently, Michigan) passing state legislation to offer tax incentives to companies that produce “pro-Earth” (as in biodegradable and renewable) hemp products…

The New York Times, 3/4/2011



SENATOR BRAUN TO RETIRE AFTER WAVE POWER PROJECT (FINALLY) BEGINS OPERATIONS

…the Pacific Phoenix energy company has at long last begun the operation phase of Project Heronemus – the construction and use of massive water turbines to harness the energy of ocean currents off the coast of northern California. Construction began in 2009, four years after Senator Harry W. Braun (D-AZ) led the passing of a bill in 2005 to grant tax breaks to companies that produced wave energy projects – not just concepts or proposals, but actually constructed ones.

Water turbines are even more difficult to construct than wind turbines, due to additional difficulties regarding materials scale and logistics. As a result, only five water turbines are being built for Project Heronemus. Nevertheless, Senator Braun believes that this project will be enough to provide electricity for half of California, all of Las Vegas, and the entirety of Arizona. Critics believe he is too optimistic, though, as each turbine takes three years to install, which requires buoy systems and special wiring to transmit the energy to the mainland, in a manner similar to the technet wires that run along the sea floor [7]. Pacific Phoenix’s west-coast turbine project is called Project Heronemus after William Heronemus (1920-2010), the engineering pioneer often considered to be “the father of modern windpower.”

Braun’s retirement also follows BMW renewing their hydrogen-fueled vehicle R&D projects. Hydrogen fuel cells in experimental cars emit only water vapor, and, if they can be lowered to a more economically feasible price tag, would have the fuel economy equivalent of about twice that of a gas car…

[snip]

…Wind turbines require open oceans and strong winds. The first project of this kind began two years ago [8] off the coast of Block Island, Rhode Island, in the North Atlantic, where there is potentially enough wind energy to power the entire United States. However, because wind turbine engineering requires special equipment to build and install towers (as tall as the Statue of Liberty) and accompanying propellers, the price of these projects depend on how far down is the seabed. Furthermore, the ocean depth drops much closer to the shoreline on the west coast than it does on the east coast, about a hundred miles, which is too deep for fixed-bottom wind turbines; thus, the Heronemus’ use of floating turbines to harvest wave energy, as opposed to the Block Island project’s use of smaller, fixed/grounded turbines to produce wind energy. [9]

Fortunately, with help from MIT and Pacific Phoenix, the process of building giant floating turbines in boatyards, launching them, and towing them out to sea (and back in during storms), is now a reality, if one that is still in its relative infancy...

The Arizona Republic, 3/7/2011



Governor Brown again showcased his leadership skills in March 2011, when a forest fire broke out south of Nampa, near the state’s Utah border. Despite recent snowfall, the forest fire raged across several dozen acres prior to it being put out, and in a most spectacular on manners.

PXbCaLC.png

[pic: imgur.com/PXbCaLC.png ]

“Before I became Governor, you would see only one aircraft at a time dropping fire-retardant chemicals on out-of-control deadly forest fires that kill people, scorch hundreds of square miles of fine timber beyond recognition, destroy lovely homes and estates, and relegate thousands of our fellow Americans down to becoming homeless refugees,” Brown said at a press meeting soon after the state forest department announced that the forest fire had been extinguished after ravaging the landscape for less than 100 intense hours. “I came up with what has turned out to be a very effective solution – round up military reserve aircraft and mechanically good but out-of-service military tankers and older bombers and even suitable commercial aircraft and rig either internal (bombers) and/or temporary removable external fire-retardant tanks and then bomb the living hell out of the forest fires around the clock in hundred or even thousand-plane loose (for safety) formations day and night around the clock. The military pilots love to fly and we could justify the tremendous fuel consumption, aircraft maintenance and personnel costs as ‘training’ expenditures from the budgets of various relevant departments.” Brown also noted, “I’ve been told that some of our brave men and women took up my recommendation, that all the pilots and air crews should view the 1949 movie "Twelve O'clock High" within 24 hours of scheduled takeoff.”

One reporter interrupted him to ask, “Since forest fires usually break out between June, July and August, is it possible that this happening so early in the year is a result of GCD?”

The Governor answered, “Nah, nah, it’s too soon to start makin’ assumptions like that. Let’s let the fire department find out if this was climate-related, or the result of some city punks camping and not taking care of their campfire the right way. Have patience. And don’t worry, you’ll get someone to point your finger at one way or another.”

Brown ended the press meeting by remarking, “I knew that the fires wouldn't stand a chance and even the most hard core Sierra Club tree-hugger would be overjoyed to welcome thousands of tons of chemical dumped from on high by American air-power on his beloved ecosystems rather than suffer the alternative colossal conflagration and intense inferno.” [10]

Brown was praised for putting out the forest fire by national news, with the waves of converted water bombers becoming an iconic emblem of his conventional but effective governing. With his theory proven to have worked, many left-leaning talking heads on TV tried and failed to claim that it was a fluke, or even that the fire was not as severe as photographic evidence suggested it was.

The scale of the water-bombing operation was credited to Brown “beefing up” the Idaho National Guard in lieu of supporting state militias, which his aides convinced him could lead to radical violent sects and offshoots. Nevertheless, Brown remained a critic of large centralized governments, and was especially critical of the State Department of Health and Welfare’s child protective services division. Furthermore, Governor Brown pushed for schools to better teach our children the constitution and how it both guarantees personal freedoms and places restrictions onto the federal government, especially via the Tenth Amendment. Such passion for our long-held national values often led to Brown going on rants that led to the left-leaning media outlets branding him with words that had an “anarcho-” in front of them: anarcho-Goetzite, anarcho-populist and anarcho-conservative, etc. This labeled was outright false, as Brown is a lifelong ally of police and the military.

The colorful profanity from the former Navy Seabee only highlights his opposition to the status quo of corrupt do-nothing politicians...

– Bill O’Reilly’s Ascension from the Asphalt: The Harley Brown Story, Borders Books, 2011



…President Sergei Gaidukevich of Belarus maintained a solid relation with Russian President Oleg Malyshkin. Both supported veterans and the military, and were beloved by their respective nations’ labor unions. In December 2010, Belarus signed a bilateral agreement with Russia that aimed to improve the transfer and transportation of oil and natural gas into Russia via long and extensive pipelines. Months later, Malyshkin was at a rally in Minsk, endorsing Gaidukevich over his primary challenger, the charismatic Aleksandar Milinkievich…

– Alexander Korzhakov’s After The Pact: Post-Cold War Russia And The Twenty-First Century, St. Petersburg Press, 2020



My brother Joe [b. 1951] recalled that a wealthy family offered to buy for our grandmother some stock in a start-up hamburger restaurant in gratitude for her sewing their daughter’s wedding dress. ‘My grandmother told them to just keep their money because it didn’t sound like something to spend good money on,’ Joe said. ‘She felt that good money should be spent on shelter and food and not to take a risk. Cash was king and accepting that gift seemed foolish to her. The stock turned out to be in McDonald’s.’ That’s why I find it quite ironic that I’m now joining the McDonald’s Board of Directors.”

– former Governor Wellington Marion Webb (D-CO), KXKL Radio Denver, local talk/news program, 3/31/2011 broadcast [11]



…Senate Republicans countered Democratic efforts to cut the military’s budget farther by proposing legislation to reverse federal funding for social programs in order to “manage the national debt.” However, with Republicans having a majority too small to override a Presidential veto, many House Republicans prematurely went onto media outlets such as THN and The Overmyer Network to complain that the President was “going to act irresponsibly” in the months ahead. Essentially they were trying to set up a self-fulfilling prophecy by voting on legislation that they knew would die on the President’s desk…

– Roberta Gillespie’s Watershed: An Assessment of The Wellstone White House, Princeton University Press, 2016



U.S. PRESIDENTIAL APPROVAL RATING:

APPROVE: 55%

DISAPPROVE: 36%

UNDECIDED: 9%

– Gallup national poll, 4/4/2011



“New York City needed a whole bunch of amenities for these Olympics. They needed an aquatics center in Brooklyn, and the construction of a West Side stadium to redevelop the far west side of Manhattan. You know, I tried to get my stadium – Trump Stadium – to be used, but you know what they said? They said it was not big enough for hosting duties for the Olympics. The IOC, Mayor Hamberg, they didn’t know what they were talking about. Because, come on, not big enough?! Seriously?! Believe me, I was very offended by that – Trump Stadium is one of the best stadiums in the world if not the best! And I wanted to prove them wrong and show them what they were missing out on, so that’s when I decided to have a lot of the third Americana Overdrive shot at Trump Stadium. Make it a showcase of what they passed up!”

– Donald Trump, 2016 interview



VP BOB ROSS DONATES SALARY TO NATIONAL LUNG CANCER CHARITY DRIVE

…himself a survivor of lymphoma, Ross has been working tirelessly to protect America’s highly-popular Universal Healthcare system from its opponents in Congress…

The Juneau Empire, Alaska newspaper, 4/12/2011



…On April 14, Wellstone issued an executive order prohibiting discrimination against transgender people employed by the federal government and its contractors. Several Cabinet Departments issued similar letters recognizing and protecting BLUTAGO-Americans soon afterward…

– Billie Lofi’s The Wellstone Way: The Life of a Passionate Progressive, University of Minnesota Press, first edition, 2017



…Lebanon experienced a brief succession crisis in April 2011 when the “incorruptible” anti-corruption President, Nassib Lahoud (b. 1944) unexpected passed away roughly a year before leaving office. While the position was officially vacant until Parliament could elect a new President to serve until the next regularly scheduled election, Prime Minister Elias Murr presented himself as the unofficial President during the interim in a clear attempt to position himself as the person parliament should elect. Opposition leader, former Prime Minister and longtime Member of Parliament Selim Hoss vocally denounced this “usurpation,” and soon became a figure that anti-Murr MPs rallied behind ahead of the vote.

However, due to internal divisions between the Murr, Hoss, and former Lahoud factions of parliament, no quorum could be reached. As a result, the position of President remained vacant until after the next parliamentary general elections were held. These were originally scheduled for December, and Murr refused to move up the date…

– David Tal’s US Strategic Arms Policy After the Cold War: Globalization & Technological Modernization, Routledge, 2020



April 22, 2011: On this day in history, the B-47 Terror Hoax of London began; it would last for 60 hours.

[see further details below]

On April 22, 2011, a small group of religious Uzbek radicals from the nation of United Turkestan informed London’s police. The radicals accused Prime Minister Heseltine and the British government in general of promoting anti-Muslim espionage worldwide, and falsely claimed that the assassination of the U.T.’s President in 2008 was part of a UK-led conspiracy despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. The group of fanatics claimed to have discovered and collected carrying cases containing the capsules of nuclear material that were lost in 1956, when a Boeing B-47 Stratojet disappeared over the Mediterranean Sea on 10 March 1956and never recovered [12]. The terrorists claimed that if their demands (that several high-profile political officials be arrested for various crimes, plus 20million pounds) were not met, they would “level London.”

The conflict was resolved fairly quickly due to the fanatics’ poor hideout location; British counter-terrorist agents were able to detect a faint train whistle near the end of their second phone call to the London police. Viewing train schedules and train models led to agents discovering their location in Brixton, and the terrorists were soon surrounded by snipers. After several hours of recon, London’s police officials and experts called in determined that the terrorists were bluffing due to the lack of any signals of radioactive material in the area. The location was stormed, and the threat was determined to indeed a bluff, as the nuclear material shown in the VidCalls were, in fact, replicas.

The possible seriousness of the situation, however, was not picked up by media outlets due to the high-security, high-classified nature of the incident. Instead, police told media outlets that “unbalanced individuals attempted self-harm and were apprehended after a brief standoff that was thankfully nonfatal but nevertheless unfortunately violent.” The details of the incident were not disclosed to the public until 2019.

– onthisdayinhistory.co.uk



LEOTARD’S “INWARD” POLICY LOCKS HORNS WITH GROWING GIANT MOROCCO

…market watchers have a fair share of reservations over French President Francois Leotard’s approach to foreign policy… As Morocco produces over 70% of Western Europe’s imports [13], Leotard’s conservative and “inward-thinking” commerce and trade positions could hurt France’s economy if Morocco-based products begin drying up in a market atmosphere that is now becoming, at least at the top, less welcoming to exports…

The Daily Telegraph, UK newpaper, 4/28/2011



1 May 2011: On this day in history, Disneyland Hong Kong opened; it was the sixth Disney Theme Park to open overall, after Disneyland (California, US), Disney World (Florida, US), Tokyo Disneyland (Japan), Euro-Disneyland (Barcelona, Spain), and Disneyland Sidney (Australia). [14]

– onthisdayinhistory.co.uk




SAN FRANCISCO BANS FACIAL RECOGNITION TECHNOLOGY

The Los Angeles Times, 5/5/2011



…In the most prominent showing of bipartisanship this year, Congress has passed a bill offering tax breaks to medical personnel who relocate to remote clinics in low-population rural areas. The effort to pass the bill, which does not affect UHC, was co-led by Vice President Bob Ross… President Wellstone is expected to sign the bill into law next week…

– NBC News, 5/8/2011 broadcast



SENATE PASSES EDUCATION REFORM BILL; WELLSTONE EXPECTED TO VETO IT DOWN

The Washington Post, 5/9/2011



…May 11, 2011 saw a minor incident grow into international criticism when Israeli police shot an injured two Palestinian citizens working in Jerusalem after a Muslim radical goaded an Israeli schoolteacher into starting a verbal kerfuffle that caught the idea of police. The Muslim radical reportedly got other nearby Muslims to contribute to the heated argument, but most Jewish and Muslim people in the area refused. Nevertheless, the incident’s lack of coverage by local media led to Indian and Chinese government outlets accusing Israel of launching a cover up. Three days after the incident, India’s Ambassador to the UN claimed that “The Middle East is a fauxtopia,” which led to condemnation by several countries in defend of Israel. Furthermore, Israel’s Prime Minister at the time suggested that India’s “attacks” on Israel were economically motivated due to Israel becoming a major player in the industry of customer service at the time…

– David Tal’s US Strategic Arms Policy After the Cold War: Globalization & Technological Modernization, Routledge, 2020



WELLSTONE VETOES “BACKWARDS-THINKING” EDUCATION REFORM BILL

The Washington Post, 5/14/2011



BELARUS PRESIDENT RE-ELECTED

…incumbent President Sergei Gaidukevich of the Liberal Democratic party won a second five-year term tonight, defeating his more conservative challenger, Aleksandar Milinkievich of the Unity Party, by a margin of roughly 4%...

The Guardian, UK newspaper, 15/5/2011



US TORNADOES BY DEATH COUNT:

1: Tri-State (Illinois, Indiana and Missouri) (March 18, 1925) – 695 deaths

2: Natchez, Mississippi (May 6, 1840) – 317 deaths

3: St. Louis (MO) and East St. Louis (IL) (May 27, 1896) – 255 deaths

4: Tupelo, Mississippi (April 5, 1936) – 216 deaths

5: Gainesville, Georgia (April 6, 1936) – 203 deaths

6: Woodward, Oklahoma (April 9, 1947) – 181 deaths

7: Amite (LA) and Purvis (MS) (April 24, 1908) – 143 deaths

8: New Richmond, Wisconsin (June 12, 1899) – 117 deaths

9: Flint, Michigan (June 8, 1953) – 116 deaths

10: Joplin, Missouri (May 22, 2011) – 114 deaths

– Sources: Storm Prediction Center: The 25 Deadliest U.S. Tornadoes, SPC Annual U.S. Killer Tornado Statistics, Tornado Project, 2012



…One positive aspect of recent months seemed to be his handling of foreign policy. Secretary of State Harvey Gantt was still trying to get the government of Sudan and representatives of Darfur to form a long enough ceasefire for negotiations to make some inroads, but other than that, the US was seemingly at peace with its fellow nations of the world.

[snip]

The President accepted the latest prescription medication with a sigh of complacency. “I wish I didn’t need these.”

“Has any patient ever not thought that at some point?” his doctor said kindly.

“You tell me, you’re the doctor here.”

With a stretch, Wellstone looked at the little bottle of pain relievers meant to combat the recent rise in inflammation and headache. “It’s not just the MS, though,” he said, “It’s the stress from dealing with Dargan and all the Republicans purposely creating gridlock and shooting down every good idea I’ve got. At least the Supreme Court’s on our side. They’ve approved every executive order I’ve passed.”

“Why aren’t you using substitutes?” Asked the doctor. “State for every time Dargan opposes military budget cuts. Labor for every time Republicans try to reverse pro-labor policies. You know?”

“I do know. I know that the last time I tried it, Dargan accused me of cowardice for not approaching directly. So this time, I’m meeting with everybody.”

The doctor finally asked. “Do you really have to do all of that?”

“If I’m the best one for the job, then I guess so, yes…”

– Billie Lofi’s The Wellstone Way: The Life of a Passionate Progressive, University of Minnesota Press, first edition, 2017



U.S. PRESIDENTIAL APPROVAL RATING:

APPROVE: 53%

DISAPPROVE: 35%

UNDECIDED: 12%

– Gallup national poll, 5/30/2011



…With the general election being two months away, early polling suggests that the race for control of parliament remains a toss-up…

– BBC, 1/6/2011 broadcast



“Yes, I’m meeting with the governors of the Carolinas and the Virginias this week to discuss stronger health education programs. Secretary Huerta is doing something similar with other governors right now. We have to meet with them and work with governors because of how difficult congress has been with us. Under the leadership of Dargan and Webb, the House and Senate have been very uncooperative with this administration. And, as Governor Woods put it the other day, ‘When the federal government fails, the governors must pick up the mantle of democracy and pragmatic action.’ So until the Republicans remember that this isn’t some game, and that the people elected them into a majority because the people want them to work, we have to go around them.”

– US Secretary of Education Jim Hunt (D-NC) to a reporter for RNS (Real News Service), 6/2/2011



“It’s back! KFC’s classic Zinger chicken sandwich is back! The delicious chicken breast fillet burger topped with hash brown, cheese, and salsa is now available at all participating KFC outlets in the US and Canada. KFC – It’s finger-lickin’ good!”

0jN6Z3d.png

[pic: imgur.com/0jN6Z3d.png ]

– KFC commercial, launching the re-introduction of the Zinger sandwich to US outlets due to their popularity in Latin America, first aired 6/6/2011



DEFENSE SECRETARY JONES TO RESIGN!

The District of Columbia – Retired US Marine Corps General James Logan Jones Jr. has announced that he is stepping down from his position heading the US Defense Department, reportedly amid internal disagreements with President Wellstone over foreign policy issues, a source close to Jones tells us. According to a second reputable source, Jones and the President have had a falling out over how to best address the crisis unfolding in the Sudanese region of Darfur, in eastern Africa, with Jones reportedly wanting to “put America’s foot down” and Wellstone wanting to attempt a ceasefire and negotiations first…

The Washington Post, 6/8/2011



…President Wellstone worked with Democrats in both chambers to keep federal pension plans from being tapped into in order to avoid a deficit in the 2012 budget. He made note of the fact that Republican Senator Jan Brewer of Arizona was a vocal supporter of increasing barriers between employees and their pensions, allegedly for the sake of “protection from fraud.” Rumors that Republicans wanted to impose limitations and caps on lump-sum payouts and monthly annuity payments for federal employees as well as pension contributions caused great concern among these workers, and these concerns only fueled anti-McMaster content ontech…

– Roberta Gillespie’s Watershed: An Assessment of The Wellstone White House, Princeton University Press, 2016



THE EDGE

Premiered: June 18, 2011

Genre(s): action/adventure/apocalyptic/sci-fi/disaster/survival

Directed by: Roland Emmerich

[snip]

Synopsis:

Another end-of-the-world thriller by the Master of Disaster himself. In the not-too-distant future, Earth begins to slow down faster than it is supposed to, creating global catastrophes and leading to mass evacuations to bases on Mars and The Moon, while the main characters, a rag-tag team of engineers and industrial designers, work with world leaders and scientists to create and develop moveable, livable housing units to be placed along “The Edge,” the only place on Earth that will be hospitable when the planet’s rotation eventually stops, causing one side of the Earth to be constantly exposed to night, and the other side exposed to sunlight.

Reception:

The film performed better than expected at the box office, nearly doubling the money spent on it, and in a case unusual for an Emmerich film, critics viewed it slightly more favorably than audiences. Roger Ebert noted “the premise only covers the first half of this nearly-three-hour-long movie in a type multi-viewpoint manner; the rest actually shows character development as we see how the survivors stuck on The Edge react to perpetual twilight conditions as everything freezes over on one side and everything burns on the other side.” Critics also considered the film’s ending – with survivors making contact with the lunar bases in a way that keeps the door open for a sequel – to be surprising poignant, “combining a warning of environmental awareness with a glimmer of optimism and hope in human ingenuity,” as Variety put it. Conversely, some viewers used to Emmerich’s glitzy action films were underwhelmed by the drama and character development showcased in the second half of the film.

– mediarchives.co.usa



CO-ANCHOR 1: “More horrifying pictures coming out of Colorado today that highlight the extent of federal government waste occurring under Jackson-Wellstone administration. Look at this. That is Vice President Ross spending his workday lollygagging about in a glen with disease-riddled vermin. Horrible, absolutely atrocious.

l0STMST.png

[pic: imgur.com/l0STMST.png ]

Ross is known for wasting time, energy and money on personal tastes, on hobbies like carpentering and camping, hosting auctions at poorly-organized charities to showcase is alleged artistic skills, and hosting tours and nature hikes for students instead of teaching them important things like fiscal responsibility and the greatness of America. And now this – cavorting about in a glorified petting zoo, and on a workday, no less!”

CO-ANCHOR 2: “I agree! This abuse and misuse of time perfectly symbolizes the do-nothing approach of the President and his lackeys. In my opinion, they must be voted out if not impeached before they do more harm to even more of our national institutions!”

CO-ANCHOR 1: “Yes! Now, we all know that this is clearly the irresponsible spending of taxpayer money, but in accordance with the FCC’s possibly-unconstitutional Fairness Doctrine, we once again present to you the “Alternate Viewpoint” segment of our program, where we allow some bleeding-heart to try and defend the actions of those who are ruining the country. If you want to change the channel or mute the screen or take a snack break or bathroom break, now’s the time to do so. You have 2 full minutes, 120 seconds, we won’t blame or judge you. And now, Alternate Viewpoint.”

– The Herring Network, 6/30/2011 broadcast



“Let’s break down your marriages real quick. You first husband a one James Dougherty, which was from 1942 to 1946. Your second husband was Joe DiMaggio, from 1954 to 1955 and again from 1963 to 1967. Between those years you were wed to the writer Arthur Miller, from 1956 to 1961.”

“Yes, good times. Problematic, hectic, sad in some place, but overall good. At least, that’s how I remember it.”

“Then you were married to the African-American singer Roy Hamilton.”

“During what turned out to be the last few weeks of his life.”

“A terrible tragedy.”

“I stopped acting for nearly a year.”

“But you got back into it, and you married Dean Jagger soon afterw – ”

Yes, yes, and then there was Nick Ray, who also died, then Elia Kazan, then John Huston until his death, too. That was when all those Black Widow jokes began in earnest, the paparazzi bastards. After Huston, it was Montaud, and now – and for forever – it’s Harry, Harry Belafonte.”

“But are there any other men you almost married that most don’t know about?”

“Well, I think everybody fantasizes about marrying their boyfriend, or girlfriend if that’s the case, just to see if they like what they’re imagining. And while working on sets, if one of the actors removed their shirt, I’d, h, well let’s say I’d think about marrying him. Overall, I must have had crushes on, or had lusted over, maybe, at least – well, dozens at least. And, I’ll admit, there’s a little list in my head of who I would have wanted to at the very least do dinner with. Charles Bickford, for instance. Charles Laughton and Clifford Odets, may they rest in peace. Zero Mostel was another, but he was happily married for years. Eli Wallach, Charles Boyer, and Jean Renoir even. All very charming men. But I’m not thinking of ‘doing dinner’ with anyone but my husband and my husband only from now on. Harry’s the one for me.”

– Marilyn Monroe interview, thehollywoodreporter.cco.usa, posted 7/1/2011



MUSICIAN TOBY KEITH LAUNCHED WHITE HOUSE BID

…country music singer-songwriter Toby Keith has thrown his cowboy hat into the Presidential ring. After weeks of criticizing the Wellstone administration for its foreign and domestic policies, Keith is officially breaking from the Democratic Party, has switched his voter registration to the Republican Party, and is officially running for the 2012 GOP nomination for President. Keith, who, in his announcement speech, expressed disappointment in “the shriveled-up Sensible Centrist wing” of the Democratic Party, made the announcement outside the Wilkerson Arena Sports Stadium, where he had concluded a tour promoting his latest album. Keith also announced “I’ll be taking a break from professional music making. If the people want me to, it’ll be a hiatus or four, or maybe even eight years.” To prove that he is a serious candidate, Keith purchased the netsite domain name Keith2012.co.usa; said site went up within hours of his presidential campaign launch, complete with several policy tabs and a donations page...

The Oklahoma Daily, 7/5/2011



U.S. PRESIDENTIAL APPROVAL RATING:

APPROVE: 52%

DISAPPROVE: 34%

UNDECIDED: 14%

– Gallup national poll, 7/11/2011



…In international news, the President of South Africa is making progress in renegotiating their government’s contract with the Italian cultivation company Unigra amid rising claims of locals being cheated and abused, with claims that the company failed to create local jobs and have damaged local areas and communities, creating bad publicity for Unigra…

– BBC World News, 15/7/2011 broadcast



SOURCE: HOUSE DEMOCRATS SHELVE PROPOSED CREATOR PROTECTION BILL “FOR NOW”

…Copyright is work of the arts, patents are for inventions, and a trademark is for a brand... According to the close source, House Democrats had been working on the bill since just before the midterms, and had modeled it after a similar bill that was passed in New York last year. “The leading members of the House Democrats are hoping it will become a plank of the national party’s platform at the 2012 DNC,” says the reputable source…

The Los Angeles Times, 7/16/2011



…When we finally establish permanent lunar bases on Mars and The Moon, we must remember to teach the children who grow up at those bases – who end up being conceived, born, raised, and educated at those bases – that Earth is the Mother World for humanity, that it is their true origin, their true home planet. It will make it so much easier for the people on Earth, and for businesses. With the proper mindset, that they live in a galactic community, they will comply with orders from Earth to send back to us any valuable metal and other precious elements mined on their “home” solar system bodies. And it will nip calls for “home”-rule for bases right in the bud to boot!...

– John McAfee’s autobiography Outer Space Deserves More Iguanas: My Life Being Me, numerous on-net publication sites, 2022



As the summer of 2011 continued to unfold, the GOP primary field continued beginning to form, with candidates either fully embracing a faction – most notably, the libertarian and populist factions – or attempting to bridge the divide between the factions. Across the party, candidates that had already officially launched their candidacies such as Toby Keith, Gary Johnson, and Harley Brown sought to appeal to blue-collar, working-class voters by focusing on issues that directly affected them – food prices, gas, insurance, and tax rates required to cover the budget and UHC. …Despite Keith’s background as a performer, he made no outlandish campaign promises in an endeavor to be “fun” or seem “cool.” The musician was running a “dead serious” campaign, as his campaign manager told The Post in late July...

– Anne Meagher Northup’s Chicken and Politickin’: the Rise of Colonel Sanders and Rational Conservatism in the Republican Party, 2015



…with Toby Keith putting his music career on hold to run for President, other Republican hopefuls are claiming that radio stations playing his music are putting them at an unfair disadvantage. The incident is reminiscent of when Colonel Sanders ran for Governor in 1955, and Kentucky Democrats requested a court injunction to limit radio broadcasting of KFC commercials. The courts threw out the case, and KFC avoided a repeat of the incident by airing Colonel-free commercials during The Colonel’s Presidential bid and scaling back the use of his likeness during his Presidential years. And now, it seems that history could repeat itself if Mr. Keith’s political opponents take these radio stations to court for violating FCC equal-time rules, which very well could happen…

– NBC News, 7/28/2011 broadcast



MALCOLM X, LIFELONG HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST, DIES AT 86

...after a year of poor health, the controversial Muslim minister, Black Nationalist and social commentator passed away from natural causes, according to an official statement released to the press by his youngest son. …X’s passing comes ten months after Betty Shabazz, his wife of 52 years, died from diabetes-related complications at the age of 76...

The New York Times, 8/2/2011



Ts05gsr.png

[pic: imgur.com/Ts05gsr.png ]
– clickopedia.co.usa



MALCOLM X “ALIVE” CONSPIRACY THEORY RESURFACES AFTER “BODY DOUBLE” SPOTTED IN CANCUN

The Sun, UK tabloid, 12/12/2016



“Malcolm X’s a great guy. I thought it was weird that his funeral was private. Nobody saw a body or anything. I’m happy to see I wasn’t the only one who thought that, so if I’m crazy, at least I’m not crazy and alone. And, you know, I wouldn’t be surprised if he did fake his death, even if it makes no sense. I don’t know why he’d do that, what he’d get out of it, but if he did fake his death, he must have had his reasons.”

– Tupac Shakur, 2021 interview



SOURCE(S)/NOTE(S)
[1] OTL Paul Krugman quote, found on the wiki article for the proposed “trillion-dollar coin”!
[2] Italicized passages are from the wiki article mentioned in source [1]
[3] IOTL, Rukavina really was friends with Paul Wellstone, and was arrested for drunk driving in 2004
[4] Italicized parts are from here: http://www.schoolsmatter.info/2013/12/paul-wellstone-is-more-prescient-than.html
[5] IOTL, Culver’s currently (by which, in this instance, I mean to say “as of 2020”) has 771 spots in 25 states with, 26 more spots under construction.
[6] The italicized segments are from here: http://www.schoolsmatter.info/2013/12/paul-wellstone-is-more-prescient-than.html
[7] How the internet works in OTL! Really!
[8] Several years earlier than in OTL, but farther away from Block Island, meaning the view is not so damaged/interrupted as it is in OTL.
[9] Further details can be found here: https://news.northeastern.edu/2020/...om-of-the-ocean-hes-building-one-that-floats/
[10] The parts that are in italics were pulled from here: http://www.governorharley.com/us.htm
[11] Italicized bits are from his OTL autobiography https://www.google.com/books/edition/Wellington_Webb/nYw_NaCgJuMC?hl=en&gbpv=0, page 35
[12] OTL event!: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1956_B-47_disappearance
[13] For further details, see the following: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trade_in_Morocco#Trade_with_the_EU (basically, as mentioned briefly in previous chapter’s Morocco’s economic strength is fairly similar to IOTL in regards to composition, but is much stronger due to the stabilization of Libya and the pro-free trade policies implemented by UK Prime Minister John Lennon)
[14] As mentioned in previous chapters.

The next chapter’s E.T.A.: Soon!
 
Last edited:
Chapter 102: August 2011 – February 2012
Chapter 102: August 2011 – February 2012

“Believe you can overcome, and half the battle’s already won.”

– Jesse Jackson (ITTL)



HRC DECLINES PRESIDENTIAL BID

…“I was looking forward to running in the primaries next year, but with my daughter’s cancer diagnosis, my priorities have shifted. Her cancer is aggressive, and I want to be there for her, like my husband George and my son Bill. Family has to come first.” Despite her declination, Senator Rodham-Clinton may still accept the VP spot on the 2012 Republican ticket…

– The Kingsport Times-News, Tennessee newspaper, 8/5/2011



…moderate former Governor Bart Gordon of Tennessee has just announced that he will oppose President Wellstone in next year’s Presidential primaries...

– KNN Breaking News, 8/6/2011 broadcast



…Media speculation concerning a more moderate Democrat challenging President Wellstone often looked to individuals such as US Senator Kent Conrad of North Dakota (b. 1948), who was known for his deep understanding of monetary and budget concerns. Other rumored potential challengers were US Senators Lou D’Alessandro of New Hampshire (b. 1938) and Jack Mudd of Montana (b. 1943). John Georges of Louisiana (b. 1960), who had serve for less than half of one term in the US Senate before resigning for a CEO position, was a preferred choice among some wealthy Democratic party donors, but he denied interest. Gatefold Galbraith, the populist Governor of Kentucky, repeatedly expressed interest in the idea, but did not throw his iconic hat into the ring that summer. Instead, the person who did try to unseat the progressive incumbent was Bart Gordon (b. 1949), who had served in the US House from 1985 to 2003 before serving as Governor of Tennessee from 2003 to 2007.

Gordon’s long-shot campaign focused on addressing fiscal issues while still defending certain tax changes made under President Wellstone, arguing that the Commander-in-Chief went “too far” at times, opposed his cuts to military spending, and believed that Wellstone did not support NASA enough. While most leading Democrats did not “legitimize” his campaign by acknowledging its existence at first, others in the party were quick to condemn Gordon not for challenging the President, but for his voting record – during his time in congress, Gordon did not vote in favor of the Universal Healthcare Act of 1990, and had voted against two separate major anti-hate crime bills. [1]

Meanwhile, Republicans were ebullient at Gordon’s announcement. Many in the party hope that this would make the incumbent more vulnerable, distract him from challenging their attack on him during the primary season, and in the end improve the GOP’s chances of winning back the White House. Gordon having the ability to appeal to Republican voters in his many past runs for public office only contributed to the GOP’s rising feelings of optimism...

– Richard Ben Cramer’s What It Takes: Roads to The White House, Sunrise Publications, 2011 edition



ELECTION RESULTS: LABOUR RETURNS TO POWER WITH SMALL MAJORITY

…Mary Creagh led the Labour Party to victory over Michael Heseltine and the Conservative Party earlier tonight. With just a handful of seats left undeclared at the moment, BBC forecasts a Labour majority of just 11; if current counting trends continue in the currently outstanding seats, that number could be as high as 18 at the most, analysts say. …Under Lynne Featherstone, the Liberal Democrats have gained one seat, while the two far-left parties (Green, led by Caroline Lucas, and United Kingdom Intrepid Progressive, led by Peter Bevan-Baker) retained their number of seats (3 each)…

The Guardian, UK newspaper, 11/8/2011



SENATOR RANDY BROCK ANNOUNCES WHITE HOUSE BID, JOINING A (PRESUMABLY) CROWDED FIELD

…it is most likely that not all candidates have officially entered the race, as it has been typical – since the formation of the modern primary system in the 1970s – to wait until after Independence Day of the previous year to formally launch a White House bid...

The Columbus Dispatch, Ohio newspaper, 8/18/2011



ROBERT MAXWELL IS DEAD AT 88

…the controversial media mogul almost had to sell most of his successful businesses to cover debts tied to his flamboyant lifestyle. His media and publishing empire approached death’s door again in 2000, when the millennium recession of the late 1990s saw his publishing empire almost collapse from financial strain. However, coverage of the SARS virus spreading out from the 2002 Winter Olympics allowed sales and viewership to increase, and the inability to perform man-on-the-street news during emergency shutdowns led to huge payroll furloughs allowing company to pay off the banks with the debt it owed. The millionaire mogul’s passing leaves behind a void in the world of media and messaging that may never be filled with a man as unique as Mr. Maxwell…

The Guardian, UK newspaper, 19/8/2011



MAYOR LOVE RE-ELECTED, 65%-35%

…The Mayor of Montgomery win by a wide margin over city councilman Will Boyd after Love, who is considered by many in the state GOP to be a “rising star,” repeatedly promised to serve a full second term, saying last week “my only focus is serving the good people of this city for the next four years”…

– The Montgomery Advertiser, Alabama newspaper, 8/23/2011



1977-1995: 54) Emory McCord Folmar (R, 1930-2011)
– previously served on the city council from 1975 to 1977; oversaw economic growth and many years of business development; overseeing the mass arrest of young concert-goers set the tone for his tenure; fiscally and socially conservative; known for making multiple bigoted remarks during his tenure; unsuccessfully ran for a U.S. Senate seat in 1980; lost re-election

1977 (special): Frank Sego (I), Barbara P. Mays (I), Raymond C. Weaver (I) and William H. Crane (I)

1979: unopposed

1983: Franklin H. James (D)

1987: James Wilson (I)

1991: James Wilson (I) and Karen Mellos (I)

1995-2007: 53) Bobby Neal Bright Sr. (D, b. 1952) – former lawyer, farmer, and political organizer for local moderate Democrats; won election in an upset, possibly due to low turnout and inaccurate/lackluster polling; revitalized the city’s downtown and riverfront areas; balanced the city’s budget every year, improving the city’s credit rating; retired to successfully run for a U.S. House seat in 2008

1995: Emory McCord Folmar (R)

1999: Harri Anne Smith (R)

2003: Scott Simmons (I)

2007-2014: 54) Jay K. Love Jr. (R, b. 1968) – former manager of several Dr. Sub’s franchises from 1992 to 2007; previously served in the state House from 2002 to 2007; resigned after successfully running for a seat in the U.S. House, where he served from 2015 to 2019; lost a bid for the Republican nomination for Governor in 2018

2007: Michael Briddell (D)

2011: Will Boyd (D)

2014-2014: Acting) Willie Cook (D) – city’s first American-American Mayor; previously served on the city council from 1999 to 2014 and as City Council President from 2012 to 2014; lost election bid to serve for the remainder of Love’s term

2014-present: 55) Jon Dow (D, b. 1970) – city’s first popularly elected African-American Mayor; previously served on the city council from 2000 to 2014; focused on housing, elder care, and neighborhood safety

2014 (special): Willie Cook (D), J. E. “Jay” King (R), Hobson Cox (D), Victorrus Felder (I), and Elton Dean (I)

2015: Artur Davis (R)

2019: Artur Davis (R) and Ed Crowell (I)

– ourcampaigns.com, c. 7/4/2021



Hurricane Irene’s trajectory was atypical as it skewed straight to the north, wavering only to the northwest at the start of its formation on August 21 and to the northeast after passing into Canada. During its time in the US, it roared clean through the eastern states, endangering over 65 million people from South Carolina to Vermont. Fortunately, the playbooks of the Bellamy, Iacocca and Jackson administrations allowed Wellstone’s administration to effectively oversee emergency evacuation procedures and shelter-in-place prep assistance. In most at-risk states, the National Guard troops were deployed to assist people in flood-prone areas both before and after its arrival.

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[pic: imgur.com/BX1M7Ay.png ]

Above: flooding affected thousands of communities and left millions with our power for various lengths of time, c. August 24

By the time the Hurricane dissipated on August 30, the damage was clearly evident. Across Puerto Rico, nearly 1 million American citizens were without power and much farmland was damaged by flooding; similar conditions were found across the American mainland. Immediately, airlift rescue and relief operations commenced, with the National Guard working with ODERCA to clear debris and organize survivor relief efforts. Various organizations, including KFC, the New Hampshire state militia, and many charity groups also contributed to donations of food, clothing, and medical supplies to those left homeless by the destruction of a hurricane so severe – 33 fatalities total, $12.9billion in damages – that the World Meteorological Organization retired its name.

– Roberta Gillespie’s Watershed: An Assessment of The Wellstone White House, Princeton University Press, 2016



ANCHOR: “In political news, Illinois Senator Jim Edgar, who is contemplating another bid for the Presidency, is being criticized by his fellow Republicans for praising President Wellstone’s quick response to flood problems in the northeast in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Irene battering the East Coast.”

STAN JONES (in footage): “The Republican party is no place for bleeding hearts, Democrat plants, or fascism sympathizers. This is just another example of Senator Edgar being out of step and out of touch with the values of the GOP.”

ANCHOR: “The backlash prompted Edgar to say the following earlier today:”

EDGAR (in footage): “While I agree with Wellstone’s leadership skills, I oppose his fiscal opinions. Essentially, to borrow a phrase from Colonel Sanders, ‘I like how he cooks, but I don’t like what he’s serving.’”

– NBC, 9/2/2011 broadcast



BERT T. COMBS, FORMER KY GOVERNOR, HAS DIED AT 100

Manchester, KY – A spokesperson for the family of former Governor Bert Combs today announced that the retired politician passed away from natural causes yesterday afternoon, less than a month after celebrating his 100th birthday …Bertram Thomas Combs was born on August 13, 1911 in Manchester and served in World War Two before beginning a career in law and then politics …Combs succeeded Colonel Sanders (who also lived to be 100 years old) to the Governorship and served from December 1959 to December 1967… A forward-thinking Democrat, his policies improved the lives of his fellow Kentuckians during the turbulent times of the 1960s; he later ran for the Presidency and for a seat in the US Senate…

The Louisville Times, Kentucky newspaper, 9/3/2011



…Ahead of the winter pre-primary debates, Senator Weld laid out a specific outline for revenue and spending for the first year of his tenure in the White House if he were elected. Governor Johnson released three versions of a less detailed outline three weeks later for the first two years of his hypothetical time in office; the versions covered how he’d govern with a Democratic, Republican, or split Congress. Weld emphasized simplified the tax code and changing the tax bracket system from nine brackets to six, while Johnson’s outlines emphasized his hands-off approach to governing...

– Anne Meagher Northup’s Chicken and Politickin’: the Rise of Colonel Sanders and Rational Conservatism in the Republican Party, 2015



…And in political news, the Republican-majority congress has voted down proposed legislation that would have expanded the powers of child protection services and granted the federal HHS Department certain rights concerning suspicion of child endangerment. The Child Protection Improvement Bill was introduced and co-sponsored by Democratic lawmakers who expected Republicans to support it in light of its nonpartisan and apolitical subject matter...

– CBS Evening News, 9/8/2011



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[pic: imgur.com/TbqaU3S.png ]

– President Wellstone lambasting the GOP’s obstructionism at a White House press briefing, 9/9/2011



“I try to see the goodness in all people, but sometimes that’s a lot harder than you’d think it would be. …House Speaker Dorgan seems to be the kind of fella who eats half the berries and says the pie shell’s too big. No matter who can be helped, Dorgan does not want to play ball. That is very disappointing and disheartening, but not discouraging. I still think we can find some way to get good legislation through. We just need to look for that way better.”

– Vice President Bob Ross, 9/10/2011



…On September 12, Republicans finally agreed to the 2012 budget layout. The agreement was to $2.9trillion actual in September, and was made official just before the 2012 fiscal year, which began on October 1, 2011 and lasted until September 30, 2012. The budget plan focused on several minor details and a few major talking points as well. Taxation remained as it was in 2010 for the 2011 budget, except with entitlement programs losing some funding, and with more funds being relegated to research funding and defense spending for the military, amounting to an increase of nearly $11.1billion. However, Wellstone was not as upset by this number and some thought he would be, because, according to his autobiography, he originally believed that Republicans would demand no less than $20.5billion in military spending, and so considered this to be a “victory” of sorts….

– Roberta Gillespie’s Watershed: An Assessment of The Wellstone White House, Princeton University Press, 2016



…Uncle Yosef sneered at the TV screen. “Why are you watching that?”

“Tradition,” Father shrugged, “I’ve been watching these things every year, for as long as I can remember. They’re always so uplifting.”

Uncle Yosef continued, “‘The Chicken Dinner Summits.’ Heh! They always make it out to be this big thing, but there’s rarely any big names attached to it. It’s always just a bunch of Mayors, city aldermen and local rabbis and imams that nobody knows or even cares about, and you forget about them right after the whole things done.”

“But you remember what they’ve said. That’s the part that’s important.”

Somewhat bitterly, Uncle Yosef scoffed, “Don’t kid yourself, brother. The whole ‘delicate peace’ thing is a sham.”

Father turned to look at him. “Now how can you say when you live in a place that was once nothing but desert?”

“Israeli terraformation technology built those cities. The Palestinians only contributed this or that.”

“‘This or that’? Try ‘half the laborers’!”

“Where’d you read that?”

“The technet!”

“Nah, I read ontech that you can’t believe half the things you read ontech.” The sound of applause on the screen interrupted their argument, but Uncle Yosef was still steaming. Soon he renewed the debate by saying “My neighbor’s kid was playing ‘war’ with some friends the other day. They thought it was fun when one of them stuffed a red cloth into the front of his shirt and another pulled it out like he was ripping out his entrails. They got into an argument over how many suicide bombings each one was allowed to make before playing dead.” He shook his head. “The younger generation just don’t know how bad war is. Personally, I blame these lovey-dovey annual speeches making everyone all soft. And all those American movies that glorify war. Ever since North Korea fell, they’ve been really cocky over there.”

“Hollywood. Really. Even with Israel promoting more domestically-made anti-war films lately?”

“Eh. Have you watched any recently?”

“I’ve been busy.”

Finally, I asked, “Uncle Yosef, how are the dinner summits sham?”

“Tamar,” Father said.

My Uncle turned to me and answered, “It’s all a veil, a lie, a deception, because most religiously-motivated attacks on Jewish people go unreported by media. Middle Eastern governments have collectively chosen to ignore a steady rise in what our own government calls ‘acts of hatred.’ And they ignore the rise for the sake of economic stability, because if they addressed, they’d be admitting that the peace talks worked too well.”

“Yosef!” Father exclaimed.

“The governments tied to the Atlanta Treaty are too afraid of disrupting precious economic lines to address lingering religious extremism,” he turned to the screen once more, “it’s all smiles on the national stage, all to mask the truth.”

“That’s enough, Yosef!” Father stood. “You’ve been reading too many ontech conspiracy theories.”

“Can you prove it?”

“Everyone proves it every day. Both of our families live next to Muslims. You remember the Awads next door? They’re good people. We have no reason to oppose them. We pray in different ways to different higher powers, but every time there’s a community get-together, you can bet that no acts of hatred break out, because people are more alike you think they are.”

“You’re just fortunate to have good neighbors. Not everyone’s so lucky. Remember Moshe Segal, from school? He lives in a low-end district south of Jerusalem. He got rolled by some Muslims last week. Broke a rib bone. Nobody in the news reported it.”

As their argument continued on. When it became apparent the debate on the success of the Atlanta Treaty was going to take a while, I went into my bedroom and continued watching the 2011 Summit on my lapcomp…

– Tamar Kohen’s A Mix of Flavors, 2021 autobiography



ARE LABOR UNIONS TOO POWERFUL?

Also in this issue:

Medical Breakthrough Sparks Hope For Diabetics

Stay Tacky, Niagara Falls

Why We Need More BLUTAGO Health Data

Should It Be Legal To Have A Pet Deer?

Halifax’s Rising Music Scene

The Walrus, Canadian general-interest magazine, September 2011 issue



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– Governor and Presidential candidate Gary Johnson (R-NM) speaking to the press after giving a speech in Manchester, New Hampshire, 9/26/2011



“Individual liberties have their limitations. Self-mutilation, killing small animals or starting small fires in the privacy of one’s own home, drinking while driving, these all affect only yourself. But abortion affects another individual – the baby!”

– Governor Mary Starrett (R-OR), 9/27/2011



MAYOR SULLIVAN DECLARES AN “EMERGENCY SITUATION” FOR ANCHORAGE

…The Frontier State’s largest city is facing an “energy crisis,” says Anchorage Mayor D. A. Sullivan (R). “The situation calls for immediate action to curb worrisome trends.” Sullivan noted that with natural gas reserves in Cook Inlet dwindling and domestic demand for oil and gas continuing to decline in the lower 48, the city must “diversify” its economy by bringing in more businesses from outside the coal, oil, and gas industries. Sullivan proposes reforming the city’s tax system to encourage businesses coming to Anchorage as well as promoting “home-grown” business development efforts…

– The Ketchikan Daily News, Alaska newspaper, 9/28/2011



Mayors of ANCHORAGE (Alaska)

9/16/1975-12/31/1981: 29) George Murray Sullivan (R, 1922-2009) – first mayor of consolidated Anchorage; former manager of a freight company; previously served on the city council and in the state House; appointed by the Governor, then elected to two full three-year terms; supported anti-discrimination laws, historic preservation efforts, and beautification projects; retired

1975 (blanket): Jack Roderick (D), Dan Bell (I) and Harry Donahue (I)
1975 (runoff): Jack Roderick (D)

1978 (blanket): Dave Rose (R), Dick Fischer (I), Bill Barnes (D) and Harry Donahue (I)
1978 (runoff): unnecessary due to Sullivan receiving over 50%+1 in the blanket primary

1/1/1982-12/31/1987: 30) Joseph Lynn “Joe” Hayes (R, 1930-2018) – previously served in the state House and as the Speaker of the state House; opposed BLUTAGO rights; lost re-election as the price of oil decreased, damaging the local economy

1981 (blanket): Tony Knowles (D) and Dave Walsh (I)
1981 (runoff): Tony Knowles (D)

1984 (blanket): Katie Hurley (D), Mary Jane O’Brannon (Liberty) and Sylvester Lawson (I)
1984 (runoff): Katie Hurley (D)

1/1/1988-12/31/1993: 31) Henry Aristide “Red” Boucher Jr. (D, 1921-2009) – previously served on the Fairbanks City Council from 1961 to 1964, as the Mayor of Fairbanks from 1966 to 1970, as an advisor to Vice President Gravel from 1973 to 1975, in the state House from 1977 to 1981, and as Lieutenant Governor from 1982 to 1986; worked with Governor Ross on multiple projects; retired to unsuccessfully run for Governor in 1994

1987 (blanket): Joseph Lynn “Joe” Hayes (R), Homer Miracle (I) and Aaron Belzer (Liberty)
1987 (runoff): Joseph Lynn “Joe” Hayes (R)

1990 (blanket): Craig Campbell (R), Larry Baker (I) and Michael “Mafia Mike” Von Gnatensky (I)
1990 (runoff): Craig Campbell (R)

1/1/1994-12/31/2005: 32) Pegge Begich (D, b. 1938) – city’s first female Mayor; wife of former longtime US Representative Nicholas J. Begich Sr.; expanded city beautification efforts and improved infrastructure aspects; controversially cancelled a major road expansion proposal amid natural habitat concerns; performed poorly in the 2005 debates; lost re-election, coming in fourth place in the blanket primary

1993 (blanket): Rick Mystrom (R), Jason Bean (Terrain) and Heather Flynn (I)
1993 (runoff): Rick Mystrom (R)

1996 (blanket): David G. Walker (R) and Bob Bell (R)
1996 (runoff): David G. Walker (R)

1999 (blanket): David “Dave” Donley (R), Jack Frost (Glacier) and Georgia Mario (I)
1999 (runoff): unnecessary due to Begich receiving over 50%+1 in the blanket primary

2002 (blanket): Andree McLeod (R) and Dustin T. Darden (Alaskan Independence)
2002 (runoff): unnecessary due to Begich receiving over 50%+1 in the blanket primary

1/1/2006-12/31/2008: 32) Paul Honeman (I) – spent years in law enforcement as a Federal Police Officer and at the Anchorage Police Department; former city director of public affairs; emphasized crime reduction efforts; lost re-election in the blanket primary and was not allowed by city law to mount a write-in campaign for the runoff

2005 (blanket): Tom Fink (R), Pete Kott (R) and Pegge Begich (D)
2005 (runoff): Tom Fink (R)

1/1/2009-12/31/2017: 33) Daniel Albert Sullivan (R, b. 1951) – former businessman; previously served in the Anchorage Assembly; son of the city’s 29th Mayor; struggled to address regional energy price crisis as national and partially-global trends combined with dwindling reserves contributed to rising unemployment rates; lost re-election in an upset over him replacing the city’s property taxes with a flat sales tax

2008 (blanket): Daniel Scott Sullivan (R), Paul Honeman (I), Brobert James “Joker” Lupo Sr. (Veterans’) and Theresa Obermeyer (D)
2008 (runoff): Daniel Scott Sullivan (R)

2011 (blanket): Thomas Higgins (I) and Eric Croft (D)
2011 (runoff): unnecessary due to Sullivan receiving over 50%+1 in the blanket primary

2014 (blanket): Phil Isley (I), Amy Demboski (R) and Jacob Seth Kern (D)
2014 (runoff): Amy Demboski (R) (Phil Isley withdrew and was replaced by the next-place finisher, in adherence to city law)

1/1/2018-present: 34) Walter Carleton “Walt” Monegan III (R, b. 1951) – previously served as the city’s Chief of Police, as the Commissioner of the state Department of Corrections, and as the Commissioner of the state Department of Public Safety; is of Tlingit and Yupik ancestry; unseated incumbent in an upset; currently attempting to lower taxes without inhibiting the city’s police force, endeavoring to strike a balance between welcoming in new businesses and investors without making the city a “tax haven” of sorts; incumbent

2017 (blanket): Daniel Albert Sullivan (R), Johnny Ellis (D) and Paul Kendall (R)
2017 (runoff): Daniel Albert Sullivan (R)

2020 (blanket): Colleen Sullivan-Leonard (R), Rebecca Logan (R) and Forrest Dunbar (D)
2020 (runoff): Colleen Sullivan-Leonard (R)

– knowledgepolitics.co.usa, c. 7/4/2021



…Ahead of the 2013 general election, the economy of Canada was stable, with trade relations with the US, Greenland and the UK being steady and secure. Maureen McTeer, one of the dominion’s longest-serving Prime Ministers, was still popular, and showed no signs of wanting to replicate John Lennon’s tenure and leave office after roughly a decade in power. With Darrell Dexter, Guy Caron, Charlie Angus, and Nathan Cullen being the only members of her cabinet to resign in the past year, and over differing political ideologies, her administration was viewed as strong and sturdy by a majority of Canadians. At the time, many were certain that she would lead the Progressive Liberals to another term in 2013 over George Rogers (of the Progressive Conservatives), Jacques Duchesneau (of the Quebec Party) and David Chernushenko (of the Green Party)…

– Richard Johnston’s The Canadian Party System: An Analytic History, UBC Press, 2017



BRING AMERICA BACK

– “Harley Brown for President” slogan, chanted at a Brown2012 rally in Denver, Colorado, 10/1/2011



…And in technology-related news, Illinois’ legislature has passed a state law requiring companies to, quote, “obtain written permission before collecting a person’s fingerprints, facial scans or other identifying biological characteristics,” unquote, amid rising fears of the possibly negative results of the recent advancements of face recognition software and technology…

– KNN, 10/2/2011 broadcast



“…And in political news, the US House has passed the Domestic Fuels Protection Bill, which was passed by the US Senate earlier this year. The bill aims to protect domestic sellers and producers of clean fuels from liability to end-users who put the wrong kind of fuel or fuel mix into their tanks and suffer damage to their engines. The idea is to ensure that domestic producers of alternative fuel and related equipment aren’t put out of business due to crippling liability claims...” [2]

– ABC News, 10/4/2011 broadcast




…In Knoxville, the mayoral blanket primary election was held on September 27. Because incumbent Madeline Anne Rogero won that contest with 52% of the vote, she was declared the winner; thus, there was no need for a runoff to held in November…

[snip]

…In Memphis, incumbent Edmund Ford Sr. won a third term in a landslide on October 6. Ford, a moderate Democrat, won over perennial candidate Robert Hodges, an Independent better known by his moniker “Prince Mongo.” A satirical candidate known for his eccentric public persona and for owning several local nightclubs, Hodges – who, as Prince Mongo, claims to be from “the Planet Zambodia” and can use “alien spirits” to save Memphis from natural disasters – has run for numerous public offices since the 1970s and has never won. However, this election was the closest he has ever gotten to winning, as he advanced from a blanket primary to a runoff after more serious mayoral candidates failed to best the flamboyant “Prince Mongo” for second place. The upset results were due to divided opposition, as several serious anti-Ford candidates were in the race instead of a single candidate; as a result, the anti-Ford vote was scattered, and Hodges made it into the runoff with only 7% of the blanket primary vote, with the third-party finisher receiving 6% of the vote. Ford, who refused to debate Hodges, won re-election with 79% of the vote, versus Hodges’ 21% of the vote – the highest percentage Hodges has ever won in an election. Like the dates for the terms of other mayoral seats in Tennessee, Ford’s third term will begin on January 1, 2012, and will end on January 1, 2016…

– knowledgepolitics.co.usa/sort_by_state/Tennessee/mayors/2011, c. 10/7/2011



Mayors of KNOXVILLE

1972-1976: 64) Kyle Copenhaver Testerman (R, 1934-2015) – former lawyer and businessman; previously served on the city council; lost re-election

1971: Leonard Reid Rogers (D)

1976-1980: 65) Randell “Randy” Tyree (D, b. 1940) – previously worked as a police officer and then as police commissioner; elected Mayor at the age of 34; lost re-election

1975: Kyle Copenhaver Testerman (R)

1980-1988: 66) Kyle Copenhaver Testerman (R, 1934-2015) – sought to address the city’s rising homelessness problem; established term limits; retired

1979: Randall “Randy” Tyree (D)

1983: Arnold Joseph Zandi (D)

1988-1996: 67) Randell “Randy” Tyree (D, b. 1940) – established blanket primary system; retired

1987: Boyce McCall (R)

1991: Victor H. Ashe (R)

1996-2004: 68) Boyce McCall (R) – previously served on the city council from 1979 to 1987; promoted privatization; term-limited

1995: George Alexander Hamilton Sr. (D)

1999: Randell “Randy” Tyree (D)

2004-2008: 69) Donald McFolin (R) – promoted tax cuts; lost re-election over declining quality of local social programs

2003: Daniel T. Brown (D)

2008-2016: 70) Madeline Anne Rogero (D, b. 1952) – city’s first female Mayor; previously worked as a community development director, non-profit executive, urban and regional planner, and community volunteer; previously served on the Knox County Commission from 1990 to 1998 and on the city council from 1999 to 2007; oversaw pension plan reform; term-limited

2007: Donald McFolin (R)

2011: Ivan Harmon (D)

2016-present: 71) Marshall Stair (D) – previously served on the city council from 2011 to 2015; incumbent

2015: Joe Hultquist (D)

2019: Donald McFolin (R)

– clickopedia.co.usa, c. 7/4/2021



Mayors of MEMPHIS

1964-1972: 56) William W. Farris (D) – won election by taking a stronger stance on addressing anti-war activists during the then-ongoing Cuba War; due to winning on a plurality, agreed with city council to amend election system in exchange for them approving a spending bill; narrowly won re-election over a conservative white supremacist after recognizing the city’s sanitation workers union, leading to said workers agreeing to a five-year CBA, which ended a notable strike two weeks ahead of the runoff; retired to successfully run for a U.S. House seat

1963: William B. Ingram (I) and M. A. Hinds (I)

1967 (primary): Henry Loeb (D), Hunter Lane (I) and O. E. Oxley (I)
1967 (runoff): Henry Loeb (D)

1972-1976: 57) W. Otis Higgs (D, 1937-2013) – lawyer; previously served on the city council from 1968 to 1972; narrowly lost re-election due to unpopular spending and taxation measures and voter fatigue; lost bids for the U.S. House in 1978 and 1980; later served in the state Senate from 1987 to 2007

1971 (primary): A. W. Willis (D), William Morris (I) and Hunter Lane (I)
1971 (runoff): A. W. Willis (D)

1976-1980: 58) Thomas Edwin “Pete” Sisson (R, 1927-2009) – previously served on the city council from 1968 to 1972 and as the City Commissioner for the Memphis Department of Public Works from 1972 to 1976; lost re-election (finishing narrowly in third place, and thus failing to advance to a runoff round)

1975 (primary): W. Otis Higgs (D) and Kenneth Austin Turner (I)
1975 (runoff): W. Otis Higgs (D)

1980-1992: 59) James Oglethorpe Patterson Jr. (D, 1935-2011) – former attorney and mortician; previously served in the state House from 1973 to 1975, and in the state Senate from 1975 to 1979; city’s first African-American Mayor; was noticeably to the right of his party; consecrated a Holiness Pentecostal minister two weeks after leaving office; openly considered and expressed interest in running for President in 2000, either as an independent or as a third-party candidate, and on a heavily-religious platform, but ultimately decided not to and instead endorsed Jesse Jackson, only to become increasingly critical of President Jackson’s policies and actions by the end of his life

1979 (primary): Lillard Anthony Watts (D), Thomas Edwin “Pete” Sisson (R) and Robert "Prince Mongo" Hodges (I)
1979 (runoff): Lillard Anthony Watts (D)

1983 (primary): Wallace Madewell (I) and Robert "Prince Mongo" Hodges (I)
1983 (runoff): unnecessary, as Patterson received over 50%+1 in the blanket primary

1987 (primary): John N. Ford (D), Dedrick “Teddy” Withers (D), Walter Franklin (I) and Robert "Prince Mongo" Hodges (I)
1987 (runoff): John N. Ford (D)

1992-1996: 60) Mike Cody (D, b. 1936) – African-American; previously served as a US Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee from 1977 to 1981, as the state Attorney General from 1983 to 1987, and as a city council member from 1987 to 1991; lost re-election in an upset, possibly as part of the post-Iacocca Assassination “sympathy wave” that many Republican candidates benefited from that year.

1991 (primary): D’Army Bailey (I), John Baker (R) and Robert "Prince Mongo" Hodges (I)
1991 (runoff): D’Army Bailey (I)

1996-2004: 61) Thomas Edwin “Pete” Sisson (R, 1927-2009) – successfully mounted a political comeback by emphasizing his fiscal record; focused on improving city infrastructure; was criticized for his handling of the SARS Pandemic; retired due to declining health

1995 (primary): Mike Cody (D), John Willingham (R), Mary Rose McCormick (I), Richard Stringer (I) and Robert "Prince Mongo" Hodges (I)
1995 (runoff): Mike Cody (D)

1999 (primary): Minerva Johnican (D), Shepperson “Shep” Wilbun (D), Gus Giovannetti, Jr. (I) and Robert "Prince Mongo" Hodges (I)
1999 (runoff): Minerva Johnican (D)

2004-2020: 62) Edmund Ford Sr. (D, b. 1955) – African-American; previously worked as a freelance embalmer and previously served on the city council from 1999 to 2003; is a member of the Ford political family of Tennessee; lost re-election due to voter fatigue

2003 (primary): William L. “Bill” Gibbons (R), Randle Catron (D), Robert "Prince Mongo" Hodges (I) and Mary Taylor-Shelby Wright (R)
2003 (runoff): William L. “Bill” Gibbons (R)

2007 (primary): Ernest Lunati (R), Carol Chumney (D), Robert "Prince Mongo" Hodges (I), Herman Morris (I) and Laura David Aaron (I)
2007 (runoff): unnecessary, as Ford received over 50%+1 in the blanket primary

2011 (primary): Robert "Prince Mongo" Hodges (I), James Harvey (D), Sharon A. Webb (R), Kenneth Whalum Jr. (D), Kenneth B. Robinson (I), Myron Lowery (D), Roosevelt Jamison (I) and Charles Carpenter (I)
2011 (runoff): Robert "Prince Mongo" Hodges (I)

2015 (primary): Jim Strickland (D), A.C. Wharton (D), Harold Collins (I), M. LaTroy Williams (D), Robert "Prince Mongo" Hodges (I) and Anderson Fullilove Jr. (I)
2015 (runoff): unnecessary, as Ford received over 50%+1 in the blanket primary

2020-present: 63) Jerry Lawler (R, b. 1949) – businessman, entrepreneur, and former professional wrestling champion; previously served as a sheriff’s deputy from 2012 to 2016; ran on a law-and-order platform; incumbent

2019 (primary): Edmund Ford Sr. (D), Tami Sawyer (D), Robert "Prince Mongo" Hodges (I) and Lemichael D. Wilson (I)
2019 (runoff): Edmund Ford Sr. (D)

– clickopedia.co.usa, c. 7/4/2021



DOZENS DEAD IN DARFUR: Sudanese Soldiers Attack Locals In Breakaway Nation!

The Washington Post, 10/7/2011



FULANI REPUBLIC BECOMES AFRICA’S FIRST DOUBLY-LANDLOCKED NATION

…Burkina Faso was ruled by Thomas Sankara from 1983 until he was killed while being overthrown in 1996. His successor, became the country’s new dictator, one noticeably to the political right of Sankara; said new dictator launched a program of persecution against the Fula people of the nation’s northern region. United by their shared language and Muslim faith, the Fula peoples organized and declared themselves independent, prompting a war for independence in 2008. After three years, Burkina Faso – now under new, and hopefully less dictatorial management – has finally capitulated, recognizing the Fulani Republic as an independent nation...

The Guardian, UK newspaper, 8/10/2011



“WE MISSISSIPPIANS STICK TOGETHER”: Elvis Presley Endorses Hudson Holliday For President

The Los Angeles Times, 10/10/2011



BRANDON PRESLEY BACKS WELLSTONE 2012

...Presley, a Democrat, a member of the state’s current Public Service Commission, and the Mayor of Nettleton, Mississippi from 2001 to 2007, is a distant cousin of Elvis Presley…

The Meridian Star, Mississippi newspaper, 10/12/2011



“I fought in KW2. Anyone remember that?” >pause for cheers< “Yeah, the NoKo War! We kicked the last of the dangerous commie asses, didn’t we? But you know what, the Cold War is long gone, dead as a doornail, but we still need our Armed Forces. President Wellstone thinks you don’t need a big military during times of peace.” >pause for boos< “Yeah, y’all know something he doesn’t – that to assure peace you must prepare for war. You must keep all potential enemies too intimidated to go after ya. That’s how you keep America safe. That’s the America I grew up in, the country of Colonel Sanders, rock-and-roll, and the red-white-and-blue! That’s America. I say we Bring America Back!”

– Gov. Harley Davidson Brown (R-ID), candidate for President, at a campaign rally, Robins Air Force Base, GA, 10/15/2011



“BLUE-SKINNED BUT RED-BLOODED”: US Senator Stan Jones Makes Case For White House Bid

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Meet Mr. Stan Jones, the junior US Senator running for the 2012 Republican nomination for President on a hard-core libertarian platform. Often dubbed “The Smurf of The Senate” for his skin’s distinctive discoloration, Jones is convinced that his career in business and his commitment to home-remedy healthcare will win over his party’s faction. Jones also is certain that he will win over the law and order vote and the support of police officers, arguing “the boys in blue stick together, don’t they?” …As the new millennium dawned, Jones feared the “Y2K Bug” would lead to a shortage of antibiotics. As a result, the resourceful Mr. Jones scoured over ontech chat forums, and soon added to his diet a home-made colloidal silver solution. Jones would electrically charge two silver wires in a glass of water before gulping it down, believing it would act as an anti-bacterial agent and immunity-system booster. Jones claims the treatment worked, as states that its intended side effect of turning his skin blue is “a small price to pay for individual freedom.”…

The Boston Globe, 10/19/2011



HEWITT WINS LOUISIANA GOVERNORSHIP

…Republican candidate Sharon Hewitt has defeated Democratic candidate Dorothy A. Brown in the race for Louisiana governor. The former bested the latter by a margin of roughly 4%, which was narrower than polls anticipated; most outlets projected Hewitt’s victory to be as narrow as 5% or as wide as 10%. Both candidates advanced to tonight’s general election from the blanket “jungle” primary held on October 4, where former frontrunner Robert M. Marionneaux finished in third place. Hewitt’s margin of victory suggests that the Democratic Party can still compete at the statewide level in Louisiana...

…Sharon Woodall Hewitt, a fiscally-conscious state senator who began her career as a technical contributor on oil rigs, organized communities and assisted in developing vocational school programs in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, prompting her to successfully run for state senate in 2007…

The Dallas Morning Herald, side article, 10/22/2011



Gary Johnson’s Presidential Platform

For The People

FOREIGN POLICY

As President, Gary Johnson will…

Promote Free Trade – Implementing free trade agreements with other countries with strengthen American relations with those countries, promote economic prosperity, and create more jobs for American workers as by encouraging American businesses to compete on the global scale.

Keep Our Troops Home – Within the first 60 days of a Gary Johnson administration, there will be a full withdrawal of all US troops from abroad, including Wellstone’s Wars; only remotely-controlled drones will ever be used for military activities, and only in non-civilian areas abroad, and only when absolutely necessary to keep American families safe and America’s borders secure

Cut Financial Aid to Foreign Countries – It is hypocritical and irresponsible to say, “Let’s not have our troops there, but let’s definitely send lots of our money over there.”

For The People

DOMESTIC POLICY

As President, Gary Johnson will…

Fix America’s Taxes – Johnson’s flagship proposal, the Fair Tax, will reform America’s overbearing tax system and replace with a smaller and simpler one that will encourage consumer spending and financial stability for American businesses and families

Defend Religious Freedom – As President, Johnson will defend tax exemptions for places of worship

Lower Unemployment – The Gary Johnson administration will work private businesses to encourage them to create jobs for the unemployed

Push For Privatization – Johnson will take the burden of NASA and space exploration off of the back of the federal government and place it onto the innovators of the American free market system; Johnson will also reverse the Jackson-Wellstone policies of private prisons to create more jobs

Confront The Federal Reserve – A special bipartisan US Congressional Select Auditing Subcommittee will be created to review and manage the goings-on of The Federal Reserve

Legalize Personal Freedom – Not only will President Johnson legalize the use of cannabis, he will lower the National Drinking Age from 22 to 18, because if you are old enough to serve in the US military, then you are certainly old enough to have a beer

Reorganize the Presidential Cabinet – Too much is in the hands of the federal government; it is necessary to transfer many of the powers of the US cabinet posts to independent agencies, which will also make it so taxpayers no longer subsidize departments, especially the departments of Agriculture, Commerce, and Education, the latter of which may even be eliminated if it cannot be reformed and decentralized enough to no longer our children’s education.

For The People

– GaryJohnson2012.co.usa, c. late October 2011



SEIGENTHALER: It seems to me that there are four types of Republicans – you have the moderates and the libertarians who are both often called LIDs by the third and fourth group, the evangelicals and otherwise heavily religious Republicans, and the populist Republicans, and all four groups want to control the party, but at the moment, the odds favor the moderate and libertarian factions heading into 2012.

RUSSERT: I have to say that you’re oversimplifying things, friend. It’s more complicated than that. Country conservatives and Colonel conservatives are internally divided over religious and nationalist talking points, and all four factions are split on whether to run against President Wellstone on social issues or fiscal issues, though at the moment, fiscal appears to be winning in the wake of this year’s inflation concerns.

SEIGENTHALER: Well do you agree that the previous nominees may indicate which direction the party goes down in the months ahead?

RUSSERT: Maybe. In 2000, they nominated Dinger, who was not exactly loved by the libertarian faction, and he lost. In 2004, a populist, maverick, nationalist, protectionist, xenophobic Senator was nominated and they lost in a landslide. But in 2008, they nominated someone who was and is clearly to the left of the party, and they still lost. And that election is much clearer in the memories of the voters than the 2004 election. That’s important, because it doesn’t matter that Snowe won the popular vote. If populists and hard-c conservatives can hammer in that she lost, many voters will remember that, and forget about what happened in 2004.

SEIGENTHALER: And moderates are becoming increasing unwelcomed in the GOP. You know what that means, then, right?

RUSSERT: What?

SEIGENTHALER: 2012 is likely the final time for the moderate Republicans to shine. If they win the nomination, but fail to win the White House for the party this time, their time in the GOP may be at an end.

RUSSERT: I think you’re being too dramatic there, they’ll still be in the party in such a scenario, but they’d lost credibility and they would just decline in influence and size.

SEIGENTHALER: Still, now’s not exactly a stress-free time to be a moderate Republican.

RUSSERT: I suppose.

– Host John Michael Seigenthaler and guest Tim Russert, The Overmyer Network’s Nighttime News, round-table discussion, 10/28/2011 broadcast



…Okay, and tonight, several elections were held in several states, but the big two, the most prominent ones of the night, were the governor races in Kentucky and Mississippi. And already, Real News Service and other news outlets have called the Kentucky Governor election for the incumbent, Governor Darryl Owens. A Democrat, Owens has defeated his challenger, libertarian Republican state senator Thomas Massie, by a margin of roughly eight percent in what has been a civil campaign in which the candidates debated the merits of large government assistance programs and business regulation...

– NPR, 11/8/2011 broadcast



RAINVILLE WINS MISSISSIPPI GOVERNPRSHIP

…early this morning, last night’s gubernatorial election in Mississippi was called for Martha Rainville, a state senator and the former adjutant general of the Mississippi National Guard. Rainville, age 53, was raised and educated in Mississippi, rose to the rank of Major General by the end of her 27 years in the US Air Force, and contributed to search-and-rescue operations in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Rainville received 55% of the vote, compared the 44% won by the Democratic nominee, state Attorney General Jim Hood. Hood had defeated US Representative Travis Childers, state senator Sollie Norwood, former state Secretary of State Eric Clark, and state representative Cecil C. Brown in the Democratic primary held earlier this year...

– The Richmond Times-Dispatch, 11/9/2011



SMITH RE-ELECTED GARY MAYOR

Gary, IN – Incumbent Vernon G. Smith won a third mayoral term in Gary Indiana’s municipal elections held last night. …Smith easily defeated four opponents; Smith received 57.1% of the vote over city councilperson Lester L. “Chip” Lowe Jr. of the local moderate “Gary” party (who received 25.8% of the vote, down from the 33% that the Gary party’s nominee won in 2007); former city councilperson LaVetta Sparks-Wade, an Independent (who received 11.2% of the vote); and businessman and perennial candidate Charles R. Smith Jr. of the Republican party (who received 5.9% of the vote, making last night the least successful of his three tries for the mayor’s seat)…

– The Indianapolis Star, Indiana newspaper, 11/9/2011



GARY (Indiana)

1/1/1964-12/31/1967: 15) A. Martin Katz (D, 1917-1995) – previously served on the city council; criticized for poorly handling a minor riot between anti-war shoutniks and local pro-war police officers in early 1964; narrowly lost re-nomination amid allegations of political corruption; city’s most recent non-African-American mayor

1963: Joseph B. Radigan (R)

1968-1991: 16) Richard Gordon Hatcher (D, 1933-2019) – previously served on the city council from 1964 to 1967; city’s first African-American mayor; supported civil rights laws; in his first term, often clashed with city council members due to corruption, nepotism, and mafia connections found throughout the city’s political machines; managed to eliminate red light districts and illegal gambling by reforming and expanding the police department and supporting neighborhood watch organizations; considered for running mate in 1972, 1980, 1984, and 1988; retired, having barely won re-election and facing “underwater” approval ratings over his failure to keep businesses from leaving the city; later worked on Jesse Jackson’s 1996 Presidential campaign and Katie Beatrice Hall’s 2000 Presidential campaign; unsuccessfully ran for Mayor again in 2001 and briefly ran for Governor in 2008

1967: Joseph B. Radigan (R)
1971: Theodore Nering (R)
1975: William Borman (R)
1979: William Borman (R)
1983: Thomas Crump Jr. (Gary), Joseph Stojakovich (R) and Marie Head (Workers’)
1987: Thomas V. Barnes (Gary) and Thaddeus Romanowski (R)

1/1/1992-12/31/1999: 17) Charlie “Chuck” Brown (D, b. 1938) – previously served in the state House from 1982 to 1991; almost lost re-election to moderate third-party candidate from party focused entirely on “city-centric” issues regardless on national or even statewide trends; reformed city’s crime laws and prison system to discourage repeated offenses; struggled to keep businesses from leaving in the wake of the early 1990s recession; lost re-nomination

1991: Dozier T. Allen (Gary) and Carlos Tolliver (I)
1995: Marion Williams (Gary) and Diane Ross Boswell (R)

1/1/2000-12/31/2003: 18) Ulysses Burnett (D) – previously served on the city council from 1992 to 1999; lost re-nomination over his “chaotic” handling of the SARS pandemic; later elected to the state House (2009-2013) and then to the state Senate (2013-2019)

1999: Carolyn Rhymes Jordan (Gary)

1/1/2004-12/31/2015: 19) Vernon G. Smith (D, b. 1944) – previously served on the city council from 1972 to 1990 and in the state House from 1991 to 2003; supported President Jackson police precinct reform efforts; worked to improve working conditions, public safety, and economic development, but was accused of corruption during his second term; retired to unsuccessfully run for a U.S. House seat in 2016; later elected back to the state House (2019-present)

2003: Lonnie M. Randolph (Gary) and Charles R. Smith Jr. (R)
2007: Roosevelt Allen Jr. (Gary) and Charles R. Smith Jr. (R)
2011: Lester L. “Chip” Lowe Jr. (Gary), LaVetta Sparks-Wade (I) and Charles R. Smith Jr. (R)

1/1/2016-present: Ragen H. Hatcher (D) – city’s first female Mayor; daughter of former Mayor Richard Gordon Hatcher; currency working to improve the city’s image and lower unemployment and crime by demolishing abandoned buildings and replacing them with new ones, a plan being criticized for being detrimental to the homeless; incumbent

2015: Darren L. Washington (Gary) and Charles R. Smith Jr. (R)
2019: Kerry Rice Sr. (Gary)

– clickopedia.co.usa, c. 7/4/2021



ONTARIO PREMIER STEPPING DOWN

…the popular and long-serving Premier of Ontario, Jack Layton (PC), says he will resign next month in order to focus on battling his latest cancer diagnosis…

The Toronto Star, Canadian newspaper, 11/11/2011



…Soon after becoming Governor in early 2007, Harley Brown placed the septuagenarian Walter L. “Walt” Bayes in charge of the state’s Department of Lands. Bayes, with the assistance of three of his adult children, devised several plans to be put into effect should Judgement Day occur. The plans covered natural and man-made disasters ranging from nuclear catastrophe to Yellowstone erupting to a “computer revolution,” but the implementation of these plans did not fall under his jurisdiction. Other state department leaders mocked Bayes with the nickname “the Master of Disaster” and the doomsday prepper proved deeply unpopular within the state government. Despite pleas from most of his cabinet and members of the state legislature, Brown refused to fire him. However, once Brown began spending more time out of state in 2011, Bayes began losing influence in the state. Dissatisfied with his “prepping” efforts coming to a practical standstill amid bipartisan and internal opposition, Bayes stepping down in late 2011 to run for congress in 2012...

– Bill O’Reilly’s Ascension from the Asphalt: The Harley Brown Story, Borders Books, 2012 edition



MLB COMMISSIONER BUSH TO RETIRE NEXT YEAR

…Commissioner of Baseball George W. Bush today announced his decision to step down from his position early next year, concluding roughly fifteen years as the head of Major League Baseball. Bush, the son-in-law of the late Vice President Richard Nixon and a strong supporter of Alcoholics Anonymous, was the manager of the Houston Astros, the team for which he once played, when he was elected Commissioner in 1994… While it is currently unknown who will be chosen to succeed Bush to the position, several businessmen close to MLB are potential candidates, such as Arturo Moreno, Tom Werner, and Rob Manfred…

– sportsillustrated.co.usa/news, 11/19/2011



…Amid mounting pressure from his state GOP and an increasing likelihood of being impeached or recalled, Arizona Governor Russell K. Pearce has ended his bid for the White House. Stating his decision to bow out was due to, quote, unfair fundraising and donation specifics, unquote, Pearce’s ill-starred long-shot bid was launched this summer, and touted his controversial arresting and/or deportation of hundreds of illegal immigrants in the first four months of his governorship. Pearce, who faces impeachable allegations of misuse of funds and a serious effort by voters to recall him, endorsed a hypothetical Bernie Goetz 2012 candidacy in his statement…

– CBS Evening News, 11/21/2011 broadcast



VOTE FOR HARLEY BROWN

As President, he will...

- Protect state rights by keeping the feds off our land

- Damn political correctness to hell, as it is a steaming dump on our First Amendment right to freedom of speech

- Keep the government out of personal lives and life choices

- Protect all lives, including criminal, animal and fetal

- Assure peace and prosperity in our homes and on the roads

- Restore our national values and preserve our prosperity

Vote for Harley Brown - and Bring America Back!

– text on Harley Brown2012 posters and fliers, first seen in New Hampshire, c. November 2011



HOUSE VOTES DOWN ANTI-ONTECH HARASSMENT BILL

…The proposed Stop Ontech Harassment Act (or “S.O.H.A.,” for short) would have expanded the ability of U.S. law enforcement to combat ontech harassment, including e-stalking and ontech threats of physical harm and other ontech activities. Proponents of the legislation believed the bill, which was introduced earlier this year, would help protect American citizens from ill will, while opponents claimed that it would violate First Amendment rights. “What would be the cutoff? If someone jokes or makes an offhanded remark in an ontech chat forum, are they going to be investigated, maybe even arrested? The implication of the written or typed word can often be misinterpreted, as things can be lost in the translation from thinking or saying something to trying to write it out,” argued US Rep. Jim Inhofe (R-OK). “This law would micromanage the subtleties of our lexicon and in effect monitor our freedom of speech.” With Republicans maintaining majority control of the House, said chamber voted against passing the bill on to the Senate chamber (which is also controlled by the G.O.P.) on nearly bipartisan lines, 241-to-200…

The Washington Post, 11/29/2011



LET’S FIX AMERICA

– “Lindsey Graham for President” slogan, first used c. December 2011



FORMER GOVERNOR GATEWOOD GALBRAITH HOSPITALIZED FOR EMPHYSEMA

…the popular populist politician’s recent health issues have dimmed prospects of him mounting a third-party campaign for President next year…

The Louisville Courier, Kentucky newspaper, 12/2/2011



AMERICANA OVERDRIVE, VOL. II: THE BEST OF THE BEST

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[pic: imgur.com/DEuvxST.png ]

Premiered: December 3, 2011

Genre(s): action/adventure

Directed by: Tommy Wiseau

Written by: Tommy Wiseau

Produced by: Donald Trump, Tommy Wiseau and Robert S. Herring Sr.

Cast:

Donald Trump as Don Barron

Tommy Wiseau as Tom Whistle

Sarah Heath as Sara Longovia

Herschel Walker as Brock Throckmorton

Mary Carey as Naomi Moore

Ice Cube as Butch Powers

Jon Voight as Millantrong

Freddy Rodriguez as Tinnermann “Boss Tin” Harber

Bill Rancic as Volt Charger

Amy Henry as Anita Mann

R. J. Ritchie as Madison Keithering

Synopsis:

After stopping an evil cult in the first movie, playboys Don and Tom discover a secret cabal of corrupt businessmen bent on world domination, and only Don (and his collection of exploding baseballs), Tom (and his cinema history expertise) and their team of freedom-loving patriots can stop the cabal’s sinister plot.

Reception:

While the first film was universally panned but nevertheless garnered a strong cult following (ironic, given its anti-cult message), this film received mixed reviews by critics, audiences, and fans of the original. As Trump and Wiseau sought to make the film more “polished” and professional-looking than its predecessors, fans disagree on whether or not the creators made the right decision in doubling down on the franchise’s serious tones instead of embracing the unintentionally “wonky Ed Wood style” of Volume 1. Regardless, the film broke even at the box office, it nearly doubling the amount of money put into it after it was released internationally and then onto home video. As a result of this eventually net profit, the creators went forward with their plan to make a third film “to complete the Trump-Wiseau Trilogy,” with the intent of maintaining the serious tone of what was now a film franchise.

Trivia Facts:

Trivia Fact No. 1: Parts Of The Movie Were Filmed In Kansas To Hide A Misunderstanding (Allegedly)

According to five separate crew members, parts of the movie were filmed in El Dorado, Kansas [3], because co-producer and co-star Donald Trump had a misunderstanding over the small town; he allegedly was under the impression that the mythical city of gold had just been discovered in Kansas, and took his private jet to Kansas to see it. Upon realizing his error, he chose to claim that the visit was to scout out filming locations for the movie, rather than admit that he was mistaken. This (allegedly) lead to the script being rewritten so the villains’ secret base is in an unassuming rural town; the protagonists briefly visit it during the second act and again in a longer scene after the climax of the film. The rest of the movie was shot at Trump Sports Stadium in New York City, Trump Sunrise Tower in Los Angeles, Trump Hotel and Casino in Boston, and at El Campanario, Trump’s private estate in St. Augustine, Florida. Trump has claimed that this backstory on the filming locations is false on multiple occasions.

– mediarchives.co.usa



KELSEY AND HARLEY STAND OUT IN LATEST GOP DEBATE

…Governors Kelsey Grammer and Harley Davidson Brown emerged from tonight’s debate with more attention on them, which, in a crowded field, may help boost their campaign numbers. The two Republicans turned heads two several exchanges between the two of them, during which Brown spat out several “Sanderisms” such as “Blast it all!” and “Well ain’t that the lemon callin’ the dandelion yeller!” Brown also channeled The Colonel psychically, turning an apoplectic shade of red at the height of a heated exchange between him and Grammer on the issue of Federal Aid Dividends, which may end up on California’s ballots next November via a state initiative.

“Libertarians believe in cutting out the middleman and letting the people themselves pay for what the people want and need,” Brown said at one point. “Libertarianism is having faith in fellow Americans; it is not having faith in the federal bureaucracy. Having a country that has well-fed, well-educated, and healthy citizens requires no more than federal suggestions, not red tape from the ‘Blueball Party,’” Brown espoused with another one of his ‘Harleyisms’...

The Idaho Statesman, 12/4/2011



LEBANON ELECTION RESULTS: Hung Parliament Leaves Factions In Disarray

…the lack of a quorum most likely means that the Presidency of Lebanon will remain vacant until the next regularly-scheduled Presidential election, which will be held in mid-20212…

The Daily Telegraph, 5/12/2011



…Over at U.N. headquarters in New York City, Surakiart Sathirathai of Thailand has been selected to succeed the retiring Kofi Annan as the next Secretary-General of the United Nations…

– BBC News, 6/12/2011 broadcast



When I was a kid I used to play army all the time. ‘Bang, I got you.’ ‘No, bang, I got you.’ I could never once remember one incidence of my childhood when I played politician.”

“I’m a modest guy but I’ve got to say I’m the best guy for the job of President; I’m shown time and again that’s I’m a great leader.”

I used to drive taxis in Boise…at night, and I picked up my fair share of the gay community and they have true love for one another I’m tellin’ you, they love each other more than I love my motorcycle… they’re just as American as a medal of honor winner…I know I’m not talking like a Republican, but, uh, eh!

“I served in the Mud Marines, the Seabees, during Angola, and I was out of the service for over ten years, but I re-enlisted and I went back in just as tension with North Korea was building up. And I played a major role in bringing down that dictatorship. You’re welcome, America!”

“I’m more than just a Governor. I’m a father, a husband, and I’m a biker. And, you know, bikers like me are cop magnets. They pull us over without probable cause, and they got the sniffin’ dogs, and, uh, they harass us even when we’re not flying our colors. But I’ve led the effort to get rid of the stereotype that all bikers are hoodlums. Most bikers are lovers of freedom and respect the law. Maybe not all speed limits, but most bikers salute the brave men and women that protect and defend us. And as President, I will protect the thin blue line between chaos and order, just like I’ve done as Governor – and I did that without increasing police brutality or racist policies, either. So checkmate, Jesse Jackson!”

The GOP isn’t perfect, but I agree with their general attack plan: lower taxes, less government, individual freedom and responsibility, and blue-collar values.”

– Gov. Harley Davidson Brown (R-ID), candidate for President, at several of campaign rallies, 12/7-19/2011 [4]



GARY JOHNSON: “Thomas Jefferson once said that ‘Government is best which governs the least, because its people will discipline themselves.’ I think he was on to something.”

STAN JONES: “I keep citing the tenth amendment because of how it is both vitally important and tragically overlooked. The tenth amendment states that anything not at the federal level devolves to the state level, thus letting the states carry more of the responsibilities of governing, because centralization brings uniformity and order, but it also makes for a lumbering bureaucracy too overwhelmed by the responsibilities of a third of billion American lives to function properly. All 52 states is too heavy of a burden for the federal government to carry on its back without turning the federal government into a totalitarian state, and I’m talking police state, and under a fourth Jackson-Wellstone term, a socialist police state.”

RANDY BROCK: “Governor Johnson, I agree that we need to replace the tax system in place today, but we need to replace it with a National Sales Tax of no more than 10% in order to resolve inequities without violating the BBA. Your proposed retail consumption tax, however, would discourage consumer spending because 20% is too high; it’s too much to ask from the American workers who would not benefit from the dismantling of things like estate taxes and corporate income taxes. You’d just be shifting the tax burden and placing more of it onto the lower classes.”

E. W. JACKSON: “Libertarians support the private sector, but they should not oppose the public sector, for that is where communities are born. People are not feudalistic landlords with homes surrounded by moats – all across America, you can find neighbors who care about each other, who attend community activities and share in the benefits of neighborhood identity, and that sense of community, of belonging to a group, help form the bonds of unity that, in the paraphrased words of Colonel Sanders, make us one big country, and not fifty-two little ones.”

WILLIAM WELD: “We have to streamline the regulatory process in order to reduce wasted time and wasted expenses. This would encourage current and future business ventures and keep the economy afloat.”

SPENCER BACHUS: “As President I will back farm-to-table promotion efforts. I will admit, I’ve actually praised Agriculture Secretary McGovern for doing this, yes, but he promoted them in a bureaucratic way. As President, I’d promote them in a patriotic way.”

KELSEY GRAMMER: “We have to stop being the party of ‘No.’ While his crackdowns on excessive government overreach are admirable, his lack of solutions is disappointing. Frankly, I find it embarrassing that House Speaker Dorgan can’t offer workable alternatives to the President’s proposals. We have to be more hopeful, uplifting and encouraging as a party. Oppose less, support more. Don’t oppose war, support peace. Don’t oppose immigrants, support helping the economies of other countries so their citizens don’t have to move here. Don’t oppose recreadrugs, support responsible use and moderation, like how one does with beer or guns. Don’t oppose necessary social programs, support cracking down on wasteful spending. That’s how I’ve governed as, well, as governor, and that’s how I’ll preside as President.”

– Snippets from the GOP Presidential primary debate in Frederick, MD, 12/21/2011



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[pic: imgur.com/St5SSZ1.png ]

– Governor and Presidential candidate Gary Johnson (R-NM) in the aforementioned Republican primary debate, 12/21/2011



GOETZ FLOATS IDEA OF ANOTHER WHITE HOUSE BID AS EITHER A BOULDERITE OR A REPUBLICAN

…the former Senator remarked “One party says they’re the Party of All Americans, the other says they’re the Party of Real Americans. Shouldn’t this race be about All Real Americans?” ...The Boulder Party, who uses the image of a Bald Eagle as its symbol, is currently the third largest political party in the US in terms of registered voters. The fourth largest political party in the US is the Liberty Party, which has a griffin for its mascot (symbolizing the party’s alleged diversity), and the fifty largest is the Green Party, which uses a sunflower, and, sometime, an image of Eagle, as its symbol. …The emergence of yet another Goetz candidacy could upend this race, and if he opts to again run as a Boulderite, it is very possible that his presence in the race either will spoil the election by stripping populists from the GOP, or will deadlock the election and send it the race to the House. However, it very well may all depend on who the GOP primary voters select in next year’s Republican primaries; in other words, the composition of the race hinges on exactly who gets nominated…

The Washington Post, 12/30/2011



“…The US Supreme Court has ruled in the case of Thompson v. Miller County that for the purposes of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1962, discrimination on the basis of transgender status is also ‘discrimination because of sex.’ …the US Attorney General today also clarified that the federal government may make its own determination of sex classification for federally issued documentation regardless of legal sex classification at the state and territorial level…”

– ABC News, 1/3/2012 broadcast



KELSEY GRAMMER: “People, I will not go into a long and tedious screed to deride my opponents and their inferior proposals, for their netsites speak for themselves. Instead, I will inform you of my administrative accomplishments. Since entering the office of Governor of California, crime has gone down, the job rate has gone up, taxes have lowered, the standard of living has gone up, government corruption has gone down, and the Salton Sea’s waterline has gone up.”

ROCKY RACZKOWSKI: “Are you a politician or a roller coaster – up, down, up, down – you doing the audiobook of Seesaw: The Movie over there?”

MODERATOR: “Senator, please wait your turn.”

[snip]

SPENCER BACHUS: “This past year demonstrated how bad Democrats are at balancing budgets. They’re irresponsible behavior must come to an end on January 20, 2013.”

[snip]

HARLEY BROWN: “The key to giving people their right to self-determination of their own destiny and the freedom to choose what they want to do with the property of the people is to give state lands back to the people, yeah, out of the hands of the Feds. And I have a plan of attack for that, because I’ve got a master’s in raising hell.”

[snip]

KAY GRANGER: “No matter who wins the nomination, every candidate in this race has to agree that the best way to win in November is to maintain a united front, advance Republican priorities, and stand firm against the far-reaching and dangerous policies that would be implemented under a second term of President Wellstone.”

– Snippets from the GOP Presidential primary debate in Concord, NH, 1/10/2012



…For example, a January 2012 Gallup poll found Support for Gay Marriage (which many considered to be “old news” due to it being legal nationwide nearly a decade by then) among Republicans to be 75%, among Independents to be 72%, and among Democrats to be 92%. To some observers, these were some surprisingly low figures suggesting some form of backlash from and by socially conservative citizens...

– Brandon Teena’s The Rise of BLUTAG Rights: The Story of the Bi-Lesbian-Undefined-Trans-Asexual-Gay Movement, Scholastic, 2019



SOCIALIST BUSINESSMAN RUNNING FOR GOVERNOR CALLS FOR “HOLDING CAPITALISM ACCOUNTABLE”

… Lloyd Havaw Reese, a reclusive businessman, investor, and entrepreneur is running for Governor of Montana on a socialist platform, calling for a “strong central government,” the “state of Montana to control its own roads, mines, forests, rivers, farms and dams,” for all tourists to “pay more for the privilege of visiting,” and for “wealthy Montanans to pay their fair share.” Mr. Reese, who has never run for public office before, is mounting an officially independent campaign that also calls for the pardoning of all non-violent criminal to “restore dignity and the concept of forgiveness to our great state’s justice system.”

Reese is an enigmatic figure. There seems to be no publicly available information about his life prior to him moving to Missoula sometime in the late 1980s or early 1990s, after which point he became an accountant. In 1997, in opposition to the Dinger administration’s War on Recreadrugs, Reese began his own newsletter; his writings expanded on to other political issues in 1999, with Reese endorsing Senator Diamondstone in the Democratic primaries of 2000 and 2004. In his latest newsletter, the mysterious and camera-shy Reese, known best for his newsletters having a “witty” and “mellow vibe” to them [5], stated his reason for running “now, after so many years of just writing about public office” is to “put my money where my mouth is.” Reese believes “Wellstone does not represent true socialism; I do.” However, seems honest enough to admit that he is not running to win; he is not even running an active campaign at the moment, with his campaign netsite claiming that he “want to be the protest candidate of the people of Montana.”…

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[pic: imgur.com/340PKN3.png ]

Above: Lloyd Havaw Reese in an earlier, undated photograph released by his campaign

The Bozeman Daily Chronicle, Montana newspaper, 1/17/2012



OPPOSITION LEADER GEORGE ROGERS MAKES NEW PROMISES TO BLUE TORIES IN PC PARTY

…with the support of fellow Jamaican-Canadian Michaelle Jean, an MP from Montréal on friendly terms with McTeer and the former leader of the now-defunct Maple Party, opposition leader George Rogers has approved of more moderate policies for the PC platform ahead of next year’s general election…

– The Toronto Star, Canadian newspaper, 19/1/2012



…New Hampshire was pivotal to most, but not all, of the GOP Presidential hopefuls. Naturally, Kelley Ashby needed to win her home state, but her hold of the Granite State was not guaranteed. Weld, from the adjacent state of Massachusetts, had the potential to win it away from her; Brown, Grammer, Hillyard, Romney, and even Ramsey were seemingly within striking distance as well, as polling continued to fluctuate without a clear indication of who truly was gaining momentum as the primary date approached.

The pre-primary debates seemed to be of no help, with few candidates being capable of actually making a lasting impression of the voters…

– Anne Meagher Northup’s Chicken and Politickin’: the Rise of Colonel Sanders and Rational Conservatism in the Republican Party, 2015



“Globalization – you know, doing international trade without certain tariffs, restrictions, fees, passport-related things, and other stuff – is a two-way street. In one lane is the fact that it can expose non-American citizens abroad to the benefits of unionizing and the democratic principles behind American-made products. But in the other lane, going backward at 110 miles-an-hour, is the fact that it also exposes America’s leading businessmen to the benefits of tapping into non-union labor found abroad!”

– Gov. Harley Davidson Brown (R-ID) at a Presidential campaign rally, 1/29/2012



SNL: CHRIS FARLEY NAILS IT AS HARLEY BROWN IN LAST NIGHT’S EPISODE

…returning as a special guest star, actor Chris Farley joined the series’ current regulars in the episode’s opening sketch, which parodied the crowded GOP primary field, with bits such as the venue running out of podiums, and Hudson Holliday (played by Jason Sudeikis) getting into an arm-wrestling contest with Harley Brown…

– usarightnow.co.usa/entertainment, 2/6/2012 e-article



“…the US Department of Agriculture has announced that it has closed a contaminated slaughterhouse and meat-packaging plant in Holdrege, Nebraska, after trace amounts of E-coli were discovered, quote, ‘all along railings, assembly lines, and work stations,’ unquote. …Legislation giving the Department of Agriculture the power to shut down meat-handling locations that continually breach basic health standards was passed in 2005, after years of lobbying by allies of then-Secretary Jim McGovern. …One member of the department told us she was ‘grateful that the department’s routine inspections caught the pathogen before it too late to stop deliveries…”

– NBC News, 2/9/2012 broadcast



“…while former Governor Bart Gordon is still polling below 10% in Democratic primary polling, he still claims that he can pull off an upset in New Hampshire, telling us that even if he doesn’t win the first-in-the-nation primary, coming close will still demonstrate the appeal and electability of his candidacy…”

– CBS Evening News, political correspondent, 2/12/2012 report



…While Republicans of all factions expressed the same general message – that, after twelve years of Democratic rule, new and better leadership was required – they each shared differing ideas as to what the better alternative would be. Meanwhile, Wellstone’s inner circle, both in communication HQ in DC and at the campaign’s unofficial messaging HQ in Minneapolis, seemed unable to come up with a phrase or slogan to summarize the need for a second Wellstone term; most of the campaign ads, when broken down, essentially translated into say “Let the Good Times Get Even Better,” without offering any deeper substance…

– Anne Meagher Northup’s Chicken and Politickin’: the Rise of Colonel Sanders and Rational Conservatism in the Republican Party, 2015



“I am just sick and tired of establishment politicians sitting around and doing nothing but speech, speech, speech, fundraiser, fundraiser, fundraiser, while there are people in this country that are foodless, jobless, and yes, even homeless. They need help, and the government can be there for them. But right now, the people in control of the government, the same politicians who were in congress ten, twenty, thirty years ago and now are still in congress, they can help their fellow Americans, but they don’t. And we need to fix that. When you good people go the polls on Tuesday, March 6, you will be taking the first steps to fixing that very problem. You will be taking the first steps to fixing what is wrong with America!”

– Gov. Kelsey Grammer (R-CA), 2/25/2012



…With only a week left until the New Hampshire primaries, President Wellstone is expected to easily defeat challenger Bart Gordon, while the Republican primary still has no clear frontrunner [6]

– CBS Evening News, 2/27/2012 broadcast



“Will you make a last-minute entry into the Presidential race?”

“I’ll decide after New Hampshire.”

– former Sen. Bernie Goetz (R-CO) and a reporter, 2/28/2012



SOURCE(S)/NOTE(S)

[1] According to his wiki article, Gordon voted against both the Affordable Care Act of 2009 and the Matthew Shepard and the James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act in 2009.

[2] Verbatim from here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domestic_Fuels_Protection_Act

[3] Real place: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Dorado,_Kansas

[4] Italicized segments are from OTL and were found here:

[5] He was last mentioned in Chapter 61 as having mellowed in his later years, so his writing would not be so fiery at this point. Also: Other possible alias I considered but rejected for this bit: Ward Haloy Leeves, Ward Leevo Halsey, Howard Aye Levels, Dave Yeel Harlows, Harley Dave Welos, Reed Voyal Whales, Dellwar Soy Aheve, Weaver Yes LaHold, Harold Veele Sway, Asher LeVow Adley, Aldo Wever Halsey, Aldo Ysleh Weaver, Everly Waleso Head, Dave Hale Rowsley, Harold Avey Elwes, Roy Valdas Hewell, Dawes Olvy Healer, Deyes Harevo Wall, Davey Earl Howles, Wes Voyehe Allard, Olav Deleh Sawyer, Wesley Dave Harlo, Dave Orahey Wells, Wes Vaharey Odell, Vlad Aleso Wheery, Harold Les Weavy, Yale Hervol Dawes, Vlad Reyes Howell, Erol Halvey Dawes, and Halley Dos Weaver, Avery Odelle Shaw, Halsey E. Loveward, Asher Alloy DeVew, Roy Wave LeShalde, Asher Voy DeWalle, Harold Vey Llawes, Reese D. V. Halloway, and Shaw Learey Volde.



[6] Speaking of which, ahead of the 2012 GOP primaries, here’s a preference poll for y’all!: https://www.strawpoll.me/42514676

And here’s a quick breakdown of all 30 candidates, both officially running and likely to run, found on the poll:

US Sen. Kelley Ashby of New Hampshire, age 49 – Growing up an Air Force brat during the 1970s, Ashby’s connections to military families may help counter her isolationist views; an establishment-friendly moderate libertarian, Ashby served in the state senate for eight years before entering office in 2009; Ashby has been critical of the President’s domestic policies despite herself implementing a “First Step” for ex-cons in her home state in 2010.

US Sen. Spencer Bachus of Alabama, age 65 – A “Country Conservative” who hopes to appeal to the fiscally and socially conservative within the party, Bachus was on Snowe’s VP shortlist in 2008; recent rhetoric suggests that he may be aiming to be the leading candidate of the religious right, despite his lengthy Senate record and current campaign messaging showing that his primary concern for now is promoting financial responsibility.

Gov. Rupert Boneham of Indiana, age 48 – Boneham started out as a “Special Ed” teacher in rural Texas before founding an after-school program that taught vocational skills and offered emotional support to at-risk youth in Indiana; a proud “Hoosier by choice,” Boneham was successfully drafted by the INGOP to run for a state house seat in 2002, and surprised analysts by winning election to the governorship six years later; a backer of the creed “minimum government, maximum freedom,” he is foregoing a re-election bid to try and bring his experience and “gentle giant” demeanor to the White House.

US Sen. Randy Brock of Ohio, age 69 – Brock was born in Philadelphia and earned two bronze stars as a veteran of the War in Cambodia; he became state auditor in 2005, was appointed to the US Senate in 2009, and won a full term in 2010; Brock, an African-American with regional appeal, is socially conservative but is focusing his campaign on fiscal issues such as debt and curbing inflation in order to ensure economic stability in the 2010s.

Dallas Mayor David O’Neal Brown of Texas, 52 – In office since 2009, David Brown, an African-American, gained national attention in the late 2000s for his police precinct reforms while Dallas’ Police Chief (in office 2001-2009); previously a police officer from 1983 to 2001, Brown, as Chief, reduced violent confrontations between police and citizens during his tenure via reforms; while some conservatives have called him “weak” for discouraging violence and being one of the first Police Chiefs in the US to mandate officer use of body cameras, his “tough guy” image and conservative mayoral record could make him the GOP Bellamy, in that he could ascend from a mayorship to the Presidency.

Gov. Harley Davidson Brown of Idaho, age 58 – One of the most colorful candidates in the race, Harley Brown started off in the military, serving in multiple positions before retiring from the Marines at the rank of Commander; Brown then served as a US Congressman (2001-2003) and the Mayor of Nampa, Idaho (2004-2007) before election to the governorship in 2006; well-known for being an ardent and passionate supporter and defender of the BLUTAG community since the 1980s, long before it was a politically popular position for a Republican to hold, Brown is an unapologetic populist and supporter for religious freedom, personal freedom, and the Armed Forces, and has proven himself to have leadership skills in times of crisis time and again.

Mr. Robert John “The Naked Cowboy” Burck of New York, age 42 – The street performer, singer/songwriter, political activist (former Wide-Awake), and staple of New York City’s tourist hotspots, Burck, best known for wearing seemingly nothing while playing his guitar, was the Independence Party nominee for Mayor of NYC in 2009 and for Governor in 2010, and surprised pundits by winning 7.6% of the vote in the former and 4.8% of the vote in the latter on a populist anti-establishment platform; he believes he can unite the party’s factions together by focusing on bread-and-butter issues as well as discussing fiscal, religious, and social concerns of the day; some are calling him a “Discount Toby Keith.”

US Sen. Norma Burgos of Puerto Rico, age 70 – With over twenty years of political experience on her resume, Burgos believes she has what it takes to win the primaries and general election; with a campaign focused on community development, such as improving Americans’ technet accessibility in all 52 states and cutting down on wasteful spending, she possibly could win over undecided and Democrat-leaning Catholic voters, as well as women and minority voters.

Gov. Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island, age 59 – Chafee, the son of a former US Senator, was the Mayor of Warwick from 1993 to 2005 before being elected Governor in 2006; politically all over the map, with some Republicans labeling him a LID (“Liberal In Disguise”) and libertarians calling him a hypocrite for opposing federal tax revenue reductions during the mid-2000s and for only recently announcing disapproval of the War on Recreadrugs; nevertheless, Chafee believes that he can win over former Snowe supporters due to divided opposition and with the messages of unity and fiscal responsibility.

Fmr US Sen. Bernie Goetz of Colorado, age 65 (unofficial) – A draft effort is underway to re-nominate the controversial populist; despite many Republicans blaming him for costing the GOP victory in 2004 and 2008, others are impressed by his strong and loyal base, and by his showing as a third-party candidate in 2008; if he receives enough support, there may be another candidate in the primaries backing small government and “a more pro-American” foreign policy.

Fmr Gov. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, age 57 – Often accused of having no political ideology, of being a political “chameleon,” changing his “colors” to whichever political positions are popular at the time, Graham, who was considered for the position of Snowe’s running mate in 2008, is currently trying to be the candidate of the Religious Right; he is currently running more on ideology than experience, as his final years in office (he served from 2003 to 2011) were particularly unpopular for him balancing the state budget to the detriment of low-income residents.

Fmr US Rep. Phil Gramm of Texas, age 70 – A member of the US House from 1979 to 1987, Gramm has since become a billionaire oil businessman, conservative activist, and semi-retired corporate lobbyist; Gramm’s deep pockets could potentially financially benefit the party in the Presidential and down-ballot races; Grimm also argues that he could keep Texas securely in the GOP column in the face of rising pro-Democrat trends in the Lone Star State.

Gov. Kelsey Grammer of California, age 57 – Mounting an “umbrella” campaign of unity that just might appeal to libertarians, moderates and perhaps even some populists, Grammer, the former TV and film actor, best known for his role as Frasier Crane in the TV shows Cheers (1982-1997) and Frasier (1993-2004), has won accolades from both major parties for his tenure as Governor, working with both parties to improve the quality of life in both urban and rural areas, from reducing recreadrug-related crime to shifting tax burdens to beginning a process meant to repair the Salton Sea; he is currently a top-tier candidate in regards to polling and fundraising.

US Sen. Kay Granger of Texas, age 70 – With “Country Conservative” appeal, this “Colonel Conservative” right-of-center politician is a defender of “necessary abortion” being federally funded and backs stem-cell research, but also supports making it a crime to physically desecrate the American flag; she appears convinced that she can win the early Nevada and New Hampshire primaries by appealing to fiscally-conscious and western voters.

Bartlett Mayor Tre Hargett of Tennessee, age 45 – Previously a state representative from 1996 to 2006, Hargett cites Bellamy’s own ascension in 1988 whenever the legitimacy of his candidacy is questions; he claims that a Hargett Administration would reflect the issues that he has already tackled at the mayoral level, such as promoting small businesses, organizing emergency services, defending public and private use of the Confederate flag, and signing controversial legislation “defending the integrity of our elections” into law.

US Sen. Lyle Hillyard of Utah, age 72 – Almost chosen to be Snowe’s running mate in 2008, the “Heart of the Senate” has worked with Democrats on landmark mental health bills in order to address a plethora of ailments, from recreadrug addiction to Down Syndrome, the latter of which afflicts his son; a Mormon who is centering his candidacy around issues concerning commerce and education, Hillyard’s “campaign of compassion” could unite the party.

Gov. Hudson Holliday of Mississippi, age 68 – Elected in 2007 in response to his effective overseeing of post-Katrina relief efforts, Hudson, a retired Major General of the Mississippi Army National Guard, made national headlines in 2009 for his controversial and militaristic (but effective) handling of a White Nationalist rally-turned-riot in Yazoo City; he is running on the principles of law-and-order, “loving and fearing God,” and following the “orders” of the Constitution to a T, and yet, he is still not the most populist-conservative candidate in the race.

Fmr Gov. E. W. Jackson of Virginia, age 61 – Serving a controversial term from 2006 to 2010, the Baptist bishop, a great-grandson of slaves, has also previously served as a Marine Corps corporal, theologian, lecturer, lawyer, and preacher; his experience fighting with the FCC while serving as the manager and host of a gospel/talk radio show/station in Baltimore in the early 1990s cemented his pro-free market stances and led to him leaving the Democratic party in the 1990s; a heavily religious man who is trying to be the leading candidate of the Religious Right (but is failing to win over certain members of that faction), he is an African-American who prefers being called an “an American of African descent.”

Gov. Gary Johnson of New Mexico, age 60 – After serving as the pro-marijuana Mayor of Albuquerque in the 1990s and then being elected Governor twice, the 2008 GOP VP nominee believes that 2012 is the time for libertarianism to shine; impressively athletic, anti-war (but not isolationist), and calling for FairTax legislation to simplify the tax code by replacing income, payroll, gift and estate taxes with a single retail consumption tax, Johnson is currently considered to be a top-tier candidate and the leader of the Republican Party’s libertarian faction, now one of the largest subdivisions of the GOP.

US Sen. Stan Jones of Montana, age 70 – Business-oriented and anti-abortion, this otherwise hard-core libertarian wants to crack down on government overreach, improve federal transparency, and let other countries contribute more to “monitoring worldwide affairs to lift the burden of globalism off the backs of American workers, soldiers and taxpayers;” he says is skin discoloration highlights his commitment to self-treatment/home-remedy healthcare.

US Rep. Fred Karger of California, age 62 – A member of the US House since 1999, this openly gay and ethnically Jewish moderate Republican was previously a high-profile lawyer in the 1990s, and worked as a political consultant on the campaigns of Presidents Denton, Iacocca and Dinger; he also worked as an actor in the 1970s, most prominently in a recurring role on the TV series “Horshack!,” a short-lived spinoff of “Welcome Back, Kotter”; he has locked horns with the Mormon Church in the past; Karger is focusing his campaign on lowering the voting age to 16, curbing wasteful spending, and improving education.

Mr. Toby Keith of Oklahoma, age 51 – The nationally-known country music singer-songwriter, actor, and record producer was a conservative Democrat less than a year ago, but has converted to the GOP in opposition to Wellstone’s foreign policy; a populist with clear “Country Conservative” appeal, Keith believes America needs to be stronger on the world stage, both militarily and trade-wise, and needs to reform its policies concerning education and illegal immigration.

State sen. Joseph Wayne “Joe” Miller of Kansas, age 45 – A hard-core libertarian and a fierce defender of the US Constitution’s Tenth Amendment, this Kansas-born state politician, in office since 2005, previously served the Second Korean War in a US Army tank platoon; he returned home with a Bronze Star and unsuccessfully ran for the US House in 2000 and 2002; Miller is running on a platform that includes ending farm subsidies and reducing foreign aid.

US Sen. Andrew “Rocky” Raczkowski of Michigan, age 44 – A nearly-jingoistic veteran calling for “a stronger national defense,” who opposes recreadrug legalization efforts and “oppressive regulatory red tape” concerning education and the markets, but supports term limits and investing in green energy in order to repurpose closing factories across the midwest, he seems to be trying to win the populist mantle away from the likes of Goetz and Harley Brown.

Gov. Dave Ramsey of Tennessee, age 52 – Only in office since January 2011, this former financial consultant and commentator has governed rather conservatively and without major controversy; his business-oriented campaign could appeal to voters more concerned about fiscal than social issues despite him being a well-known culturally-conservative Evangelical Christian; he has already been endorsed by the likes of Ron Paul and Rev. Dale Huckabee.

Fmr Gov. Ronna Romney of Michigan, age 69 – A moderate libertarian whose last Presidential campaign, and tenure as governor, were more conservative-leaning than her current White House bid, this member of the political Romney family is the wealthiest candidate in the race; she calling for what she calls “economic patriotism,” which is a plan to cut taxes for the wealthy on a scale where the size of their cut reflects the number of Americans on their payroll.

US Rep. Dino Rossi of Washington, age 53 – A state senator from 1997 to 2003, Rossi, who is of Irish, Tlingit and Italian ancestry, has been serving in the lower chamber since 2003, and is proud of the work he has done on the Ways and Means Committee; he is running for President on a rather moderate platform that criticizes Wellstone’s alleged inability to “form a functioning government” with the GOP-held chambers of congress, and claims that he can work across the aisle to find solutions to the nation’s budgetary issues.

Gov. Karl Rove of Utah, age 62 – Aspiring to carry the conservative beacon to victory in November 2012, Rove is foregoing running for a second term to champion fiscal responsibility; Rove, who graduated from the University of Utah and served as the Chair of the College Republicans from 1973 to 1977, worked as a political consultant for years before putting himself into the politician’s shoes, but has been criticized for anti-welfare actions and many gaffes.

Gov. Mary Starrett of Oregon, age 58 – Elected in 2006 on an anti-war platform, her support of free markets may appeal to libertarians while her opposition to “unnecessary abortion” could win over members of the Religious Right; while very conservative in the past, this former media personality has governed in a moderate manner, and so may be able to bridge the divide between those two factions of the party, provided she avoid making any more gaffes.

US Sen. William Floyd “Bill” Weld of Massachusetts, age 67 – Running to the left of his party may work in his favor this time, as the moderate politician (in office since 1991) positions himself to be a successor of sorts to the Snowe campaign of 2008, which performed much better than the populist Goetz campaigns of 2004 and 2008; his platform and policies may appeal to fiscally conservative Democrats and independents, but competing in the primaries of an increasingly conservative party may still pose quite the challenge for him and his campaign.



The next chapter’s E.T.A.: 2/14/2021 at the very latest (but (hopefully) much sooner!)
 
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Happy 2021! Great list of world leaders you did! I'm really enjoying President Wellstone tackling progressive policie. The damn Republicans being obstructive is a pain. RIP Malcolm X :( Also interested to see who will be the Republican nominee. Great update! Welcome back my friend :)
 
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Grammer gets my vote. His message feels like it has the best chance of pulling moderate Democrat unhappy with Wellstone while his establishment politicians speech there may appeal to more conservatives. He’ll probably need a harder edged conservative running mate to pull in support for that aspect of the party though.

Seems increasingly likely that Wellstone is going to need a miracle to get through the next election. All the medical talk though is making me wonder if we’ll be seeing him step down and Bob Ross running for POTUS
 
So, here's an idea for this Universe. The Brothers Chaps making The Homestar Runner Movie, finally bringing their franchise into the mainstream.

EDIT: Oh, one last thing. I think Disney should be involved somehow, since that was where they were mostly working all this time. Maybe have cameos from Wander over Yonder and Gravity Falls?
 
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Will Governor Grammer get a chance to say, "I'm Governor Grammer, and I'm listening." during a debate.
Honestly, if he doesn’t say it during a town hall meeting, he’s really missing a trick.

“You know, in all the years I worked on Fraiser, there’s one thing that’s always stuck with me, that I’ve tried to incorporate into my life and my tenure as governor. And that’s one simple phrase, one simple phrase; “I’m listening””
 
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Nice double update. Can we get more glimpses in how the Internet looks ITTL and where most of the Internet personalities like Doug Walker and James Rolfe are they?
 
So, here's an idea for this Universe. The Brothers Chaps making The Homestar Runner Movie, finally bringing their franchise into the mainstream.

EDIT: Oh, one last thing. I think Disney should be involved somehow, since that was where they were mostly working all this time. Maybe have cameos from Wander over Yonder and Gravity Falls?
And here's a song they could potentially use in the opening or the credits if you prefer. The Very Low Sodium Band - Homestar Rummer.
 
Chapter 103: March 2012 – July 2012
Chapter 103: March 2012 – July 2012

“The best thing to make out of an enemy is a friend”

– Martin Luther King Jr. (OTL)



…The extent of influence the Hannon family had within Finger Lickin’ Good, Inc. came to a head in early 2012, when rumors began circulating that CEO Mary Lolita Hannon was considering stepping down in favor of her son, William Kirk Hannon, being her successor.

Bill Hannon (b. 1964), like his family, owned a large number of KFC restaurants in Mississippi before moving up the corporate ladder, even before his mother was elected CEO; he had been in charge of all KFC outlets in the American South since 2009. If the stories of this business maneuver were true, it would mean KFC Head Executive David Novak and KFC R&D leader Adrien McNaughton would be passed over for the position despite them having higher seniority and deeper ties to the company. Novak had been a company loyalist since assuming his then-current position in 2000, and McNaughton had been credited with both leading efforts to innovate the company’s drive-thru and delivery features and developing new menu offerings at a time when KFC's domestic sales were in dire straits. Bill Hannon, on the other hand, had overseen further expansion of the company in its “heartland” region, with there being an estimated 1 KFC location for every 50 residents in the states of Georgia, Tennessee and Kentucky, and with more locations expected to open as the year progressed. Further, Hannon disagreed with Novak's idea of expanding the company's operation in Africa, believing that that market was too risky and unstable to enter. This hesitation appealled to some within the company hierarchy, but at the same time also reminded other company veterans of the cautious, and subsequently disastrous (allegedly), years of Herman Cain as the company's CEO.

Concurrently, discussion over the merits to claims that the aging Mary Hannon would retire soon only raised tension and concern of how the future of the company would unfold…

B6mX7ts.png

[pic: imgur.com/B6mX7ts.png ]

Above: William Kirk Hannon

– Marlona Ruggles Ice’s A Kentucky-Fried Phoenix: The Post-Colonel History of Most Famous Birds In The World, Hawkins E-Publications, 2020



WELD CRISSCROSSING NH IN 11TH-HOUR EFFORT TO RAISE CAMPAIGN PROSPECTS

– 273towin.co.usa, 3/3/2012 “e-alert”



…With a slim plurality of the vote, Governor Grammer has won the Republican Presidential primary in New Hampshire, with Governor Harley Brown coming in a surprise second place, write-in candidate Bernie Goetz coming in third, and New Hampshire’s own Governor, Kelley Ashby, receiving fourth place. All other candidates, including fifth-place finisher Gary Johnson and sixth-place finisher Stan Jones, have appeared to have received no more than a 5% slice of the vote apiece. On the other side of the political aisle, President Wellstone predictably defeated moderate challenger Bart Gordon in the Democratic primary in New Hampshire, with Wellstone receiving roughly 91% and Gordon receiving only 6 or 7% of the vote, and the rest of the vote being scattered among several minor candidates on the New Hampshire primary ballot…

– CBS Evening News, 3/6/2012 broadcast



ASHBY, WELD DROP OUT AFTER DISAPPOINTING NH LOSS, BOTH ENDORSE GRAMMER

...Ashby also announced that she would not run for a third term as Governor of the Granite state...

The Boston Globe, 3/7/2012



GOETZ: “I’M IN!”

…With the comment “A strong third-place finish is all the evidence I need to know that the Republican voters want me to enter this race,” Bernie Goetz has launched his third bid for the Presidency, with conservative populism being the central theme of his campaign. …Time is not on the former US Senator’s side, as the several deadlines for making it onto the upcoming primary ballots have already come and gone. Fortunately for his supporters, the next several state contests do allow and recognize write-in candidates, and the upcoming Nevada caucus does not require any ballot registration to function, either…

The Denver Post, 3/7/2012



LINDSEY GRAHAM WINS PEACH STATE WITH 42%; WELLSTONE BESTS GORDON 85%-10%

...last-minute entrant Bernie Goetz came in a surprise third place via write-in votes, ahead of Harley Davidson Brown but just shy of besting Kelsey Grammar for second place. …Mayor David O'Neal Brown’s campaign is also experiencing a surge in support due to his "middle way" approach to the issue of police precinct reform appealing to suburban voters...

The Ledger-Enquirer, Georgia newspaper, 3/13/2012



DOUGLAS WALKER

Actor, voice-actor, writer

Background: Mount Tacoma High School (2000), B.A. degree from Seattle Central College (2004), one semester at UCLA (2005, did not graduate)

Early Biography:

Douglas Darius Walker was born in Naples, Italy on November 17, 1981, to a US Navy serviceman. Due to his father’s military occupation and Walker’s birth amid the Libyan War of the early 1980s, he lived in Naples until he was five, and then lived in several places in the US as a “military brat” until graduating from high school in Tacoma, Washington. His early upbringing led to him learning how to make people laugh in order to make friends quickly before his family moved again; this upbringing inspired him to pursue an acting career.

Walker’s acting debut was in a small role in an episode of the TV series “Star Trek: Liftoff” in 2005; soon after, he obtained a writing assistant position for Paramount in 2006. In 2011, after playing bit parts in several films, often as “a poor man’s Jim Carrey.” Walker received praise for his performance as a hyperactive demolitions expert in an episode of the animated series “Tales from New New York,” and soon after was hired for a recurring role on the T.O.N. animated series “As Green As The Sky” (2010-2015).

Starting in 2012, Walker began working on multiple independent films, collaborating with the likes of Steven Soderbergh, Brad Jones, and Nicole Holofcener; he left Paramount later that year…

– mediarchives.co.usa/profiles



AZERBAIJAN THREATENS WAR WITH TURKESTAN OVER OIL FIELDS

…the ACG oil fields rest in the middle of the southern half of the Caspian Sea. Azerbaijan’s economy relies heavily on the Shah Deniz natural gas field to the south, but now their government is claiming that the ACG fields should be shared between the two nations. “Given that our two countries have similar population sizes, it is unfair for the U.T. to own not only the field in question, but an overwhelming majority of the Caspian Sea oil,” the Azerbaijani Ambassador to the Ukraine said earlier today, referring to other offshore fields in the Caspian Sea such as the Cheleken Contract Area, the Kashagan Oil Fields and the Tengiz fields in the northern half of the sea – all of which are controlled by United Turkestan. “We only demand what is the right thing to demand, and we will have it met one way or another.”

Oil refineries, natural gas processing plants, and ambiguous maritime boundaries are playing key roles behind the escalation of hostility over this regional dispute…

The Daily Telegraph, UK newspaper, 20/3/2012



…The March 21 Nevada caucus was the boost Goetz’s campaign needed. As the compact “cluster” of primaries scheduled for April approached, the surprise win in the Silver State helped him garner momentum in the polls, making the election appear to be a six-man race between Goetz, Grammer, Graham, Johnson, and both of the Browns, as other candidates continued to poll below five percent…

– John Sides and Lynn Vavreck’s A National Gamble: Choice And Chance In The 2012 Presidential Election, Princeton University Press, 2014



…animators Craig McCracken and Gennady Tartakovsky began work on the Popeye the Sailor reboot series (2015-2019) in 2012, roughly three years after the Whoop-Ass Girls (1997-2009) had finished production, and one year after the finale of The Misadventures of No-Neck Joe And Robot Rick (2003-2011)…

– clickopedia.co.usa [1]



...In the debate held ahead of the Maryland primary, Goetz once again stole the show. His call for the impeachment of President Wellstone for “oppression of the masses” through high taxation received raucous applause from many in the audience.
Lindsey Graham continued to stick to his Religious Right rhetoric, believing that this brand of conservatism was what allowed him to win the Georgia primary. …Trying to win the moderate mantle amid many contenders muddling through a crowded and diverse field of candidates, Grammer noted, “You know, in all the years I worked on Frasier, there’s one thing that’s always stuck with me, that I’ve tried to incorporate into my life and my tenure as Governor. And that’s one simple phrase; ‘I’m listening’ [2]. It’s why I launched my campaign by saying, ‘Good evening, America, this is Governor Kelsey Grammar, I’m listening.’ And I hear you, America. I hear you and your disgust at D.C. for political fat cats not exactly doing any favors for Americans for the past many years. I hear your call for a government that works better, a government and leadership in D.C. that works for the people instead of for special interest groups. I heard those same things in California, and when so I became Governor, I answered. I responded with improving business, transportation, homeownership and taxation, defending the good people of The Golden State with sensible laws. This is the governing leadership and success that I will bring to the White House.”

– John Sides and Lynn Vavreck’s A National Gamble: Choice And Chance In The 2012 Presidential Election, Princeton University Press, 2014



…In tonight’s Presidential primary contests in Maryland, Governor Grammer has edged out rising stars David O’Brown and Bernie Goetz to win the latest Republican primary, while on in the Democratic contest, President Wellstone has easily bested challenger Bart Gordon…

– KNN, 3/27/2012 news broadcast



On the evening of March 28, Goetz sat in the back of his campaign bus with longtime advisor Terry Nichols and three interns to discuss campaign strategy. “We have to bombard the primaries with as many ads as possible,” Nichols proclaimed, “We didn’t build up a war chest over the past four years for nothing.” Nichols knew that the April primaries were the make-or-break moment for Goetz candidacy. “With the moderates divided and hypothetical polling suggesting that the populist wing will rally behind you if you blow the rest of them out of the water, now is the most critical time.”

Goetz could be seen nodding in agreement as he slouched over the small table, the highway seemingly whizzing past the windows. “There’s no way Brown, Keith, Burck or that Polack guy will do better than us. We’ll sweep up enough delegates to clinch the nomination by the end of May.”

Nichols contemplated, “Hm, if we had entered the new Hampshire contest we wouldn’t be so pressed for time. You think it was a mistake to wait until the last minute?”

Goetz cracked a grin, “I’m a politician. The only mistakes I make are the ones I admit to!”

After a chuckle, Nichols looked at the time. “Well, it’s getting late.”

“Alright, let’s stop somewhere for lunch.”

“What do you want to order? I know a KFC’s right up around the bend over there,” Nichols could be seen pointing to an intersection out the window.

“Nah, I don’t like KFC.”

“Right, no meat. Oh wait, they have a vegan diet.”

“No, you can order from them, but personally, I don’t like a thing from KFC.”

“What, why not? Everyone loves KFC.”

“I don’t. And it’s not from overexposure, either. I think their food sucks, it’s all overrated sludge heaped up by a fat dead clown in a tacky white suit.”

“Heh, uh, be sure not to say any of that on the stump, Bernie.”

“Yeah, yeah, keep up the charade of praising Sanders the chunky chump. God, Republicans are such idiots. They always fall for the dumbest shit. My followers especially – how else do you explain so many of them being hunters and all that – ”

“Alright, alright, what are you in the mood for?”

“I know a good Indian place that’s in the town we’re headin’ to.”

“Okay, KFC for me, Indian for you.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Goetz concluded the conversation as he carefully stood up and traversed over to the bus’s restroom.”

In the corner of the room, an intern muttered, “And…sent.”

“Huh, what?” Nichols looked over to him, “You say something?”

“Nothing, nothing”

– John Sides and Lynn Vavreck’s A National Gamble: Choice And Chance In The 2012 Presidential Election, Princeton University Press, 2014



“REPUBLICANS ARE SUCH IDIOTS”! Goetz’s True Colors Revealed In Outrageous Leaked Footage

...“Not only are his comments about his own base a show of his harmfulness and contempt for his fellow Republicans, but his dissing KFC dishes is an insult to the legacy of one of America’s most celebrated leaders,” says former Senator Patrick "Kelly" Downard (R-KY). Indeed, the insult could potentially do more damage to his candidacy than his “idiots” comments – the late Colonel Sanders, while having an approval rating among Democrats of roughly 50% (much higher than other Republican presidents) is adored by the GOP, where The Colonel’s approval rating among registered Republicans is roughly 90%...

The Wall Street Journal, 3/29/2012



…KFC HQ reacted to the comments immediately. At a press meeting in Florence [KY], Hannon denounced Goetz’s comments about their products, while McNaughton and Novak took to the technet to condemn the candidate’s criticisms…

– Marlona Ruggles Ice’s A Kentucky-Fried Phoenix: The Post-Colonel History of Most Famous Birds In The World, Hawkins E-Publications, 2020



GOETZ CLAIMS LEAKED VIDEO IS “A FAKE,” POLLS SUGGEST FEW BELIEVE HIM

The New York Times, 3/31/2012



…The Goetz campaign was in freefall. Like rats fleeing a sinking ship, people began to distance themselves from him and his descending poll numbers. Prominent populist politicians and commentator from Grits and Chenoweth to Limbaugh and Beck rescinded their endorsements and bolted to other populist candidates such as Keith, Buck, Jones and Harley Brown. “Damage control” became the phrase of the week as the former Senator’s inner circle scrambled for over each other attempting to find a solution to the problem, and an answer to the question “How do you win an election after insulting a majority of the voters?” They did not like the notion that the answer was “You don’t.” And their alternative answer, the unpacked claim that the footage was doctored, was not gaining traction outside of the small handful of Goetz’s most diehard followers…

– John Sides and Lynn Vavreck’s A National Gamble: Choice And Chance In The 2012 Presidential Election, Princeton University Press, 2014



MODERATES ROMNEY AND BONEHAM DROP OUT, ENDORSE GRAMMER

…the suspensions occurred within hours of each other, with Bonham making his announcement first at 9:00 in the morning. “I am not the first person to say that Goetz’s bullying is a bad impression for children and a dangerous influence for adults that is unbecoming of the Grand Old Party; I encourage all populists in the party to seek out a more unifying and inspiring standard-bearer – and, possibly, one with better standards, too,” Boneham noted in his withdrawal speech…

The Washington Post, 4/2/2012



6MJWjN9.png

[pic: imgur.com/6MJWjN9.png ]

– Governor Gary Johnson (R-NM), with his Presidential campaign’s Communications Director Joe Hunter (seated, using a pocketcomp) beside him, watches the results of the New Hampshire Republican Presidential primary on a TV monitor, 4/2/2012



…Gary Johnson knew we would never recover from his fourth-place finish in New Hampshire. With the writing on the wall, the 2008 Vice Presidential nominee withdrew from the race on the morning of April 3, endorsed Grammar, and returned to the Governor’s mansion in Santa Fe to veto some more state legislation. Hours later, at 12:30 in the afternoon, moderate US Congressman Fred Karger bowed out of the race as well, citing fundraising issues, and endorsed fellow Californian Kelsey Grammer as well…

– John Sides and Lynn Vavreck’s A National Gamble: Choice And Chance In The 2012 Presidential Election, Princeton University Press, 2014



…last night was a disaster for the once-ascendant Goetz campaign, as the former Senator failed to win a single state. His best showing was in his home state of Colorado, where Governor Grammer came in first place, Governor Brown came in second, and Goetz came in third. In fact, of the ten primary contests held tonight, it appears Grammar may win six of them – Colorado, Florida by a plurality, Vermont, Wyoming by a hair over Harley Brown, and the territories of Guam and American Samoa. Governor Brown has won Utah and his home state of Idaho, and is projected to win the state of Minnesota as well. The tenth contest, North Carolina, has been called in favor of regional favorite Lindsey Graham. …In tonight’s Democratic primaries, Wellstone has won all contests with ease, and so many pundits are wondering when former Governor Bart Gordon will concede. …And we are just now being informed that Senator Lyle Hillyard of Utah will withdraw from the race in light of him coming in third place in his home state, just behind Harley Brown and Kelsey Grammer…

– CBS Evening News, 4/3/2012 broadcast



AZERBAIJAN BACKS DOWN AFTER U.T. NAVY FIRES “WARNING SHOT”

…the firing across the bow of the Azerbaijani Navy vessel is the closest the two nations have ever come to declaring war on one another... Backchannel discussions between the embassies of the two nations is being credited with convincing both nations to down before war actually broke out. …“As global markets switch away from oil and natural gas, this region is going to have to adapt,” says one professor of Central Asian studies at Oxford, “The knee-jerk reaction is to grab as much as possible and sell, sell, sell before the market dries up faster than the Aral Sea under Soviet rule. The better reaction is to invest in solar energy. Turkestan contains vast deserts capable of producing enough solar energy to power both the U.T. and Azerbaijan. The potential is there, but the governments have to acknowledge it and act upon it.”

The Daily Telegraph, UK newspaper, 4/4/2012



HILLYARD BOWS OUT, BACKS GRAMMER: “He’s A Candidate With Heart”

The Salt Lake Tribune, 4/4/2012



MODERATES ARE DROPPING OUT, UNITING BEHIND GRAMMER

...“We can’t afford another defeat as humiliating as 2004,” said candidate-turned-Grammer-surrogate Rupert Boneham earlier today. …The general sentiment among many with the party is that a nominee as conservative as Bernie Goetz cannot win in November. “The far right had their chance and they blew it big time. Olympia Snowe’s stellar performance and securing of the popular vote proves that it’s time for a more reasonable, bipartisan nominee,” notes Bill Weld, another candidate-turned-surrogate...

The New York Times, 4/5/2012



…For everyone just clicking in, I repeat – Bernie Goetz has bowed out of the Republican primaries President, concluding a controversial campaign only roughly a month after it began. Goetz, who last won an in election 1996 and last held public office in 2003, has not endorsed any of the other candidates, and it is currently unknown if he plans to run as a third-party candidate in a repeated of his 2008 campaign. Given the impact his “idiots” comment had on his performance in the Republican primaries, it will be interesting to see just how badly he damaged his support among his own followers such he mount another third-party bid…

– KNN Breaking News, 4/6/2012 broadcast



“When I entered this race, I got a lot of press. I got a lot of attention from a lot of reporters. But reporters aren’t voters. I’m taking my cowboy hat out of the ring, putting it back on my head where it belong, and I’m wishing Mayor David Brown the best of luck. He’s the kind of candidate we need in the White House.”

– musician Toby Keith (R-OK), 4/7/2012



...While Harley Brown’s manner of speaking was acerbic and caustic, it was effective in winning over dissatisfied and disillusioned Goetz followers. Similarly, my proclivity for a more witty and pensive form of elocution appealed to moderates and Republicans opposed to the sardonic rhetoric and policies of the Goetzites. …Primarily, I ran on my record as Governor, and utilized my ability to commiserate with voters. …With each passing day, the candor of Harley Brown made him the conservative populist “good twin” to Goetz’s hate-filled populism, while Lindsey Graham became increasingly viewed as Harley’s “evil twin” for the former’s campaign’s heavily religious talk of “political fire and brimstone”…

– Kelsey Grammer’s second autobiography “So Far, So Good,” Dutton Press, 2021



James Rolfe
(July 10, 1980) is an American filmmaker, screenwriter, producer, actor, and ontech personality. He is best known for creating and starring in several videogame-related media projects, from ontech reviews to TV shows and movies, such as The Flash (2005, co-writer) and Poison Ivy (2010, side character).

Rolfe began creating home videos in the late 1980s. After graduating from high school in 1998, at a time when the technet already had several technetters reviewing video games, Rolfe moved to California to peruse work in the booming superhero movie genre. Rolfe’s first screenwriting job was for Ton-o-Toons, working on the final season of The Defenders of Dynatron City. From there, he worked on other projects. In 2005, he began downloading videos onto ourvids in which he reviewed superhero films from the perspective of someone who had actually worked on such projects. Rolfe soon expanding his reviews to video games. Feedback to these videos encouraged Rolfe to go into acting, with his first role being a minor character in Zionchek For President (2009).

[snip]

In 2012, Rolfe announced ontech that he was working with Paramount on “a movie about video game movies,” and that Crispin Glover had expressed interest in his script. The film project is still in development as of 2013.

– clickopedia.co.usa, c. 2013



…On April 10, ten more primary contests were held in the month’s second “cluster” of elections. While Harley Brown was projected the winner of Alaska, Michigan, North Dakota the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, Governor Grammer won Indiana, Potomac (with David Brown coming in a close second), Texas, Virginia, and Puerto Rico. Graham cried foul due to TH fact that on the ballots in several contests were the names of several conservative candidates who had already dropped out; his complaints ignored the fact that several moderate candidates who had already dropped out were on the ballots as well.

In the Democratic primaries, the results allowed Wellstone to clinch the nomination early; challenger Bart Gordon dropped out three days later…

– John Sides and Lynn Vavreck’s A National Gamble: Choice And Chance In The 2012 Presidential Election, Princeton University Press, 2014



RACZKOWSKI BOWS OUT AFTER HOME STATE LOSS, ENDORSES HARLEY BROWN

– The Detroit Free Press, Michigan newspaper, 4/11/2012



…The election also saw a small schism form in the growing libertarian faction of the party. After Senator Stan Jones withdrew from the Presidential race, he enthusiastically endorsed Harley Brown, while less “extremist” libertarians such as Gary Johnson rallied behind Grammar. The formation of two camps within the libertarian faction – one backing the populist Brown, the other backing the moderate (or “sensible conservative,” as he was beginning to call himself more often in or to reach out to more primary voters) Grammar – highlighted the internal debate over what exactly a libertarian Republican party should look like…

…Meanwhile, in an effort to salvage his faltering campaign, Lindsey Graham, who had only won two southern primaries, announced that he had preemptively selected a running mate. After eyeing the four upcoming primary states and subsequently contacting US Senator Jan Brewer (AZ), Governor Mary Starrett (OR), and former Governors J. C. Watts (OK) and Fred Hemmings (HI), the Graham/Brewer ticket was born…

– John Sides and Lynn Vavreck’s A National Gamble: Choice And Chance In The 2012 Presidential Election, Princeton University Press, 2014



MOTHER-POST: Does Anyone Else Hate The New Character Designs For The Homestar Runner Movie?

So because the series creators, The Brothers Chaps, rejected doing a TV show with Disney (something over conflicting goals and priorities, the brothers wanting to keep it surreal and keep it “stay true” to the techtoons’ roots or something [3]), they’re making a standalone film through Touchstone. Now I get that when shifting from the small screen of the technet to the big screen on a movie theater (which still exist for some reason (I thought SARS killed them all off)) some character designs need to be shifted to adjust to the new medium, but just look at what they’ve done to the main character!:

RtWnnWS.png

[pic: imgur.com/RtWnnWS.png ] [4]

I thought the whole idea was that the characters were surreal, and a big part of that was some characters having invisible limbs. It was weird, but that was the point. He just looks odd now. Anyone agree with me on this?

>REPLY 1:

I think them leaving his arms invisible would have confused a lot of newcomers. You want a movie to appeal to both fans and new audiences, too.

>REPLY 2:

Meh. I can live with it. I remember how the techtoons really helped get through the safezoning – The Dark Times – an era I’m happy is long gone.

>REPLY 1 to REPLY 2:

The problem though is that if everyone forgets about The Dark Times as you put it they will repeat it. Already I’m seeing a lot of people reverting back to the old ways of being filthy – everyone putting their bare hands on store door handles, rubbing or scratching a part of their face, nonchalantly like that’s not at all how you’d get yourself killed during the SARS era. And more people, little ones too young to remember to lockdown and others born after it was all over, they never learned the lessons we’re forgetting. Shame.

>REPLY 1 to REPLY 1 to REPLY 2:

Dudette, lighten up! We’re talking about Homestar Runner here (and I agree – his arms are distracting!)

>REPLY 3:

It’s a surrealist comedy. The humor comes from character interactions, not from understanding why the characters look the way they do. So really the character design doesn’t matter as long as the characters themselves are funny. And they are, so the whole thing is a moot point.

>REPLY 4:

I agree that it’s bad, but I don’t hate it. I’ve accepted it and consider the movie be non-canon regardless of whatever kind of plot it ends up having. I looks like it’s going to be good. I already like the new theme song – “Homestar Runner” by The Very Low Sodium Band – it’s pretty catchy! [5]

– euphoria.co.usa, a public pop-culture news-sharing and chat-forum-hosting netsite, 4/15/2012 posting




GOP WESTERN CLUSTER KEEPS GRAMMER IN THE LEAD

…while Governor Harley Brown won the Arizona contest, Governor Grammer achieved victory in Hawaii, Oklahoma, and Oregon in what has become a two-and-a-half-man race for the GOP nomination…

The Washington Post, 4/17/2012



>REPLY 1:

You know, he’s a lot more fiery and relatable than I thought he’d be.

>REPLY 2:

But not more dramatic. Definitely not Frasier Crane.

>REPLY 1 to REPLY 2:

Not Dr. Schwarzchild, either.

>REPLY 3 (note: postmaker banned 5/5/2015):

Grammer’s wrong – we don’t need more freedom of speech, we need more freedom from speech! Introverts and deaf-mutes unite!

>REPLY 4:

Grammer’s going to win this thing, isn’t he?

– comments section of “Kelsey Grammer Speaks At D.C. Fundraiser, 4/18/2012” video uploaded to OurVids.co.can, a video-sharing netsite, on 4/19/2012



…In political news, Mayor David Brown of Texas has suspended his long-shot bid for the US Presidency, telling his followers to support, quote, “whichever candidate is best qualified to maintain law and order,” unquote. Meanwhile, Lindsey Graham refuses to drop out of the race, telling supporters ontech that the Graham/Brewer ticket will finally regain momentum in the upcoming primaries...

– NBC News, 4/20/2012 broadcast



NYC’S OLYMPIC MAKEOVER IS AHEAD OF SCHEDULE – BUT ALSO OVER-BUDGET

…Improvements in the city’s subway sanitation, which have been pretty pristine since the SARS pandemic, may have been key to winning the hosting duties, as Mayor Hamberg cleaned up the tunnels and routes considerably. …Ahead of hosting the 2016 Summer Olympics, Mayor Hamberg is overseeing the construction of a rowing course in Queens, a velodrome in the South Bronx, and a marina along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. Additionally, work has started on an Olympic Village on Governors Island, along with work on an equestrian center on Staten Island, and the refurbishing of the historic 369th Regiment Armory in Harlem for additional amenities. The plan is to basically have all parts of the city involved and showcased. However, this has required rezoning – expensive rezoning, and if the expected 2013 budget is any indication, it will be city renters who pick up the bill...

The New York Post, 4/21/2012



HARLEY SWEEPS SOUTHERN CLUSTER AS CANDIDACY RESURGES!

…Governor Brown has narrowly achieved victory in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee…

The Arizona Republic, 4/24/2012



GRAHAM, RAMSEY EXIT WHITE HOUSE RACE

...Governor Dave Ramsey, who was running a “favorite son” candidacy after underperforming in the First April Cluster, has dropped out after losing his home state of Tennessee’s primary, and has endorsed Governor Grammer...

The Boston Globe, 4/25/2012



…When Hudson Holliday ended his White House bid on April 28, his passionate endorsement of the boisterous Harley Brown highlighted an “image” problem on Grammer’s end. Citing the need for an “image of strength,” Holliday declared that Brown would be more intimidating on the world stage, and claimed that a former actor would be taken seriously by other countries, especially those “who hate America, like China, Myanmar, Eritrea and Sudan.” Despite Grammer’s own record as Governor, he continued to receive flak for the perception of his candidacy. On the other hand, Grammer’s candidacy seemed to be the one most palatable to the milieu of the Republican party and, albeit to a less extent, the D.C. political establishment as well.

Nevertheless, in the wake of Harley Brown sweeping all four of the latest primaries, Grammer felt the need to add more verve to his campaign schedule and rhetoric in order to avoid a deadlocked convention or an upset Brown victory. His campaign team’s 'numericalized' data did little to answer the question of how to best appeal to those to Grammer’s left, outside of straight-up making phony promises. Instead, Grammer doubled down on his message of “sensible conservatism” to frame government intervention not as interference or welfare assistance but as government patriotically “giving back to the people”…

– Miriam Pawel’s The Grammer Campaign, Doubleday, 2013



…In the spring of 2012, McDonald’s began an internal investigation to determine how to improve how their frosty machines due to continuous malfunctions and breakdowns. A steady decline in frosty sales over the years began to finally yield concerns at the top, as the Directors began to wonder if declining quality in customer service was causing once-loyal patrons to begin buying frozen goods at rising franchises such as Culver’s instead...

– Eric Schlosser’s Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal, Mariner Books, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012



TONIGHT’S PRIMARY RESULTS: Near-Even Split: Brown Wins Kentucky and Kansas, Grammer Picks Up New York and Rhode Island

– thehoustonchronicle.co.usa, 5/1/2012



…longshot candidate Robert Burck, better known as The Naked Cowboy to New York City residents, has bowed out of his race for the Presidency after failing to receive any delegates in last night’s Republican primary contests. Burck, a conservative populist who had won no primaries thus far, was hoping that his small handful of delegates would deadlock the Republican National Convention and allow himself to step in as either a kingmaker or a compromise candidate. However, Burck has now announced his support for Governor Harley Brown. Burck’s withdrawal means that Governors Grammer and Brown are the last two candidates in the race…

– ABC News, 5/2/2012 broadcast



FDA WARNS CONSUMERS OF “SEVERE RISK”: Toxic Heavy Metals Discovered In Baby Food Products

…The F.D.A. is currently in the process of contacting stores, ordering the products to be pulled from shelves immediately…

The New York Times, 5/3/2012



4 May 2012: On this day in history, Nicole Brown Simpson publishes a book entitled “If I Did It,” referring to her repeat pleads of innocence over the years in connection to the mysterious murder of her husband, Orenthal James “O.J.” Simpson. The book, meant to highlight the ridiculousness of theories claiming that she did in fact murder her husband in self-defense back in 1995, instead only raises awareness of these theories. Simpson causes more controversy during interview given during the subsequent book tour, in which she fails to truly justify the book’s title and premise, leading to several fervid lafpics.

– onthisdayinhistory.co.uk



GRAMMER REGAINS GROUND IN MIDWESTERN CLUSTER: Brown Wins Arkansas, Grammer Wins Illinois, Iowa, Ohio

The Chicago Tribune, 5/8/2012



…The F.E.C. is formally investigating Bernie Goetz for alleged misuse of personal and campaign funds during brief Presidential run earlier this year…

– KNN, 5/9/2012 Breaking News



GRAMMER SWEEPS ARCADIAN CLUSTER

…the actor-turned-Governor of California won the states of Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Washington, while the colorful Governor of Idaho won West Virginia with ease... US Senator and former Presidential candidate William Weld (R) received 20% of the vote in his home state of Massachusetts’ primary despite Weld no longer being a candidate in the race …The last time a “favorite son” won a primary, and the last time an undeclared candidate won a primary contest, was in 1992, when supporters of former Vice President J. J. Polonko Jr. wrote in his name in the GOP Presidential primary in New Jersey...
– The Chattanooga Times Free Press, 5/15/2012



GRAMMER CLINCHES THE NOMINATION!

…with the latest round of primary contests, the Governor of California has obtained enough delegates to now be the Republican Party’s Presidential nominee-in-waiting…

The New York Times, 5/16/2012



Herbert Powell
is a recurring character on the long-running TV series “Futurama,” which premiered on September 17, 1994. Voiced by Danny DeVito, the character is the long-lost half-brother of NNYC Mayor Homer Simpson. Simpson is a more frequently featured recurring character in the series, often dealing with the mayhem caused by the main characters of the series (the crew of the Planet Express delivery company) but also often turning to them for help during various crises. Powell, being less successful than his brother, is best known for attempting numerous and diverse get-rich-quick schemes, often with Bender’s support. Powell has developed complex relationships with other characters on the show, struggled to establish mutual trust between him and Simpson, and often gets the Planet Express crew, especially Bart and Key, into trouble during his efforts to achieve fame and fortune while.

Powell has received fairly positive reviews from critics and audiences, He has been described as a being “best in small doses,” a “surprisingly complex character,” a “shoulder devil” to characters to drive the plot of episodes along, and “a character with positive and negative traits – temperamental, impatient, mischievous and money-hungry, but also insecure, lonely, sympathetic and remorseful – and a certain charm that only DeVito can pull off.” As of May 18, 2012, Herbert Powell has appeared in 31 episodes; Powell has had non-speaking visual appearances in 15 episodes (mostly in crowd scenes (parties, sporting events, angry mobs, refugee centers, panicked masses, etc.) but also in montages), has had minor speaking appearances in 4 episodes, and has been “featured” as a main character in 12 episodes.

FEATURED APPEARANCES (show / hide)

1: “O Brother, How Are Ya?” (Episode 1 of Season 3) – first aired September 13, 1996
Herbert Powell, a seller of “salvaged” spacecrafts on the far side of the Horsehead Nebula, travels to Earth to accuse Professor Farnsworth of stealing his design for a spacecruiser that he believes will be the “next big thing.” Finding the Professor at city hall, where Farnsworth is working with the Mayor on a plan to defeat a race of owls that are quickly evolving into man-eating crabs (a plotline that plays out in the background for the rest of the episode), Powell crashes the meeting and he and the mayor are shocked by how much they resemble each other.
Searching the Mayor’s late father’s documents for an answer, Lisa Wong uncovers a secret confession that the Professor deciphers; the confession reveals the father’s one-time affair, which was taboo because the woman was from New Jersey, and thus the affair had to be hidden. Feeling guilty for living a privileged life while Powell grew up in “space poverty,” Simpson treats Powell to a night on the town (triggering a montage of the brothers hanging out while the city is being increasingly overrun by “crowls” (crab-owls), only for the two to be having too much fun to notice).
After a week of Powell “crashing” at the Mayor’s apartment, Simpson is downplaying Powell “practically moving in” at a meeting with the Planet Express crew. Returning home, though, Simpson overhears Powell talking on a virt-phone, trying to use his brother’s mayoral connections to expand his spacecrafts business. Outraged, Simpson interrupts the virt-meeting, accuses Powell to taking advantage of him, and kicks him out. The argument spills outside the apartment, with Powell accusing Simpson of only humoring him out of guilt and not due of genuine care. The argument is cut short by a new breed of mega-crowls “rudely” walking by and snipping off Simpson’s outstretched hand. In the next scene, Powell is on a spacebus heading back to the Horsehead Nebula, while Simpson, with his hand reattached but bandaged, immediately regrets rejecting his sole living relative. Roaming the streets of NNYC while sad, panicked passersby mistake the disheveled and crying mayor as being despondent over the mega-crowls taking over the city.
(The mega-crowls are later shown being chased into underground caves beneath New Trenton at the start of the next episode, but the Mayor and Herbert Powell are not mentioned in that episode).

2: “Voyage of The Evergreen” (Episode 14 of Season 3) – first aired February 28, 1997
Herbert Powell returns to NNYC to ask Simpson for forgiveness for taking advantage of his half-brother in his previous appearance. Powell then visits the Planet Express crew to reveal that, upon returning to the Horsehead Nebula, he discovered that the design he thought he had creating independently (as described in his previous episode) was actually a design he traced over while intoxicated. To make amends for giving the crew a fright at the start of his previous episode, Powell gives the crew a free trip to the Horsehead Nebula Hotel, Spa and Amusement Park. However, Leela and Key soon question how he can afford to pay for the trip; this leads to the two of them investigating while the rest of the crew enjoy the amenities. Eventually, Leela and Key discover that Powell plans on using their luggage to smuggle out space contraband in exchange for the money he needs to open a legitimate used spacecraft store. They reveal his plans to the rest of the crew, only for them to support the scheme to thank Powell for the great time they’ve had there. The scheme is successful. Leela chastises Powell for his ill-gotten gains, seemingly guilting Powell into deleting his funds. After the crew drop Powell off in the Horsehead Nebula, though, it is revealed that Powell deleted a fake fund-drive and saved the real one, only to discover he must have switched them accidently, as his current fund-drive is empty; the episode ends with the reveal that Leela switched the fund-drives and, after momentarily contemplating pocketing the money for herself, went ahead and deleted the funds.

3: “Brother, Can You Spare a Design?” (Episode 23 of Season 3) – first aired May 30, 1997
The episode begins with a newsreel describing how Powell has partnered with ex-cons to establish a spacecraft design company that is a rising star in the industry. Meanwhile, Mayor Simpson has lost re-election over a scandal (he was caught on camera eating deep-dish pizza). Hoping to improve his relationship with his brother, Powell invites Simpson to the Horsehead Nebula and gives him a job as head of the creativity division at the design company. However, while Homer proves to be an efficient organizer, he lacks the creativity needed for the job, so hires the Planet Express crew to help him. Unfortunately, with there being “too many cooks in the levitating kitchen,” and with Powell placing blind faith in Simpson and ignoring the warnings of the company co-founders, the new designs are unveiled, revealing hideous creations that even the aliens from Planet Vomit find repulsing. The disastrous public event calls the company’s backers and sponsors to pull all funding, resulting in the company going bankrupt and in the ex-con co-founders shivving him and harvesting many of Powell’s “non-vital organs” to be “even.” Angered by his sudden fall from grace and back to being destitute, Powell accuses Simpson of sabotage; Simpson swears it was not a revenge plot driven by jealousy over their reversals in fortune, with Bender claiming the mayor is too incompetent to do such a thing on purpose. Powell still blames Simpson and the Planet Express crew, along with his own blind faith in the idea of family, for ruining the company. Powell then drops them off in NNYC before disowning his brother and leaving for parts unknown; the final shot shows Powell expressing sadness and possibly remorse as he travels away from Earth. The episode later received some controversy for its allegedly “insensitive” depiction of ex-cons.

4: “Life In New Jersey and Other Fun Places” (Episode 4 of Season 5) – first aired October 16, 1998
The Planet Express spend the first third of the episode carrying out a dangerous mission to deliver goods to an outpost in the hopeless landscape of New Jersey, and when they are about to leave, discover Powell has been living in the grim region for six months, having failed to find work anywhere else. The crew decides to let him stay at the Planet Express headquarters and help him find a job. Eventually and reluctantly, Powell begs his brother (re-elected Mayor in the time since Powell’s previous episode) for help. Despite accusations of nepotism, Simpson puts Powell to work as a case worker for New Jersey refugees. Powell excels at the position and is quickly promoted, only for an office rival to discover that he is mishandling cases. Simpson is forced to fire him, but due to Powell saving his money due to being used to frugal spending, he now has enough saved up to invest in a new enterprise – pumping out sellable water from Jupiter’s moon, Europa. The two brothers depart with a heartfelt goodbye, as they forgive each other for past transgressions.

5: “Gone With The Finned” (Episode 11 of Season 5) – first aired January 15, 1999
The episode begins with Powell – whom the city is convinced is another hoodlum who coincidently looks like the “deceased” Herbert Powell hoodlum responsible for The Europa Incident – being sentenced to community service for rooting for the New Boston Red Sockets during an NNYC Batteryball game. Powell, working off his hours by helping students at Bart’s school, helps Bart come up with “the angle” for a music-themed school project. Their time together leads to them becoming friends. Meanwhile, a B-plot develops involving Patty the robot being courted by a paranoid member of the mafia. Soon after, Powell and Bart are visiting the NNYC Aquarium when highly-evolved fish-people from the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean attack the place to “liberate [their] distant cousins from custody.” Powell seemingly dies in the ensuing melee. However, after observing inconsistencies with the circumstances of his “death,” Bart uses the skills Powell taught him to discover Powell alive in a hideout. He learns Powell took the attack (which he had learned about in advance from a tip from one of his “contacts” in the city) as an opportunity to fake his death and escape his creditors in the robot mafia. However, Patty, out of curiosity, followed Bart to the hideout, not realizing her boyfriend’s goons were following her. Soon after, the mafia attack Powell’s hiding place, and he must “face the music,” which becomes literal in the subsequent showdown.

6: “20,000 Lightyears Beyond The Sea” (Episode 18 of Season 6) – first aired March 31, 2000
Powell seems to have settled down into a normal life in NNYC with a promising career at his own advertising agency, only for Bender to convince him to join him on a get-rich-quick scheme of his own. The scheme begins a long and complex series of events that threatens the city. Powell saves the day with Bender’s help, but when Bender tries to take credit for it, Powell calls him out on it; this feud creates a bitter rivalry between the two in the third act, when Bender opens his own advertising company at the Planet Express station with the help of Professor Farnsworth. The conflict is only resolved when Leela and Lisa plan an intervention.

7: “Around the Galaxy in 80 Seconds” (Episode 25 of Season 9) – first aired June 6, 2003
At the start of the “bottle” episode, the Planet Express crew are returning home from a dangerous delivery when they come across Powell, who, after another get-rich-quick scheme went awry, has lost all his funds and is hitchhiking through the galaxy. Saying goodbye to his travelling companion, a large-headed robot named Marvin (a reference to Hitchhiker’s Guide to The Galaxy), Powell hitches a ride with them back to Earth. Along the way, Powell is restless because there’s nothing that he can do to help them on the ship. He tries his hand at several assignments, but due to his mischievous ways, he instinctively does things in counterintuitive ways. However, when the ship is besieged by space pirates, Powell finally shows his usefulness by using the power of suggestion to trick the pirates and get them out of the scrape.

8: “The Earthicanization of Herbert Powell” (Episode 19 of Season 11) – first aired April 8, 2005
With Powell’s advertising business finally becoming a success, he considers settling down and starting a family. He soon falls for a beautiful woman, only for it to be revealed that he is becoming a victim of a get-rich-quick scheme spun by an all-female band of con artists. Leela, Patty and Lisa uncover the hoax and, after several tries, finally prove to Powell that his new girlfriend is tricking him. Not liking being on the other side, he pairs up with Bender to trick the tricksters. Their plan works, but due to Powell being heartbroken over the deception, pledges to do “only honest living” from now on, but is already showing difficulty in doing so by the end of the episode. Final line in the episode suggests that Mayor Simpson either hired the con artists to trick Powell and be caught in the act by Leela, Patty and Lisa in order to get his brother to turn over a new leaf, or that he knew Powell was being duped and but nothing for the same reason.

9: “Mutiny on the Bot-knee” (Episode 14 of Season 14) – first aired March 7, 2008
Herbert inadvertently stumbles into the role of being second-in-command for a gang of urban crime pirates. However, when he learns the crew plan to steal millions from the Mayor’s apartment, he must let his brother know without the gang learning about it.

10: “Bots In Toyland” (Episode 7 of Season 15) – first aired November 7, 2008
In a B-plot, Powell takes offense to his holographic image being present in City Hall’s “Hall of Shame.” After government bureaucracy delays the process of having his hologram removed from the hall, Powell decides to get rid of it by stealing it one night. With Bender’s help, Powell removes the hologram during a lightning storm, but as they make their exit, the two and the hologram are struck by lightning, splitting the hologram from his plaque and allowing Holo-Powell to run around free, causing mayhem. The two return to the Planet Express station and convince the crew to help them track down the rouge hologram. However, when they corner it, they feel sympathy for it. They ultimately capture it, but then set it free on a Tron-like planet.

11: “Hi, Ma” (Episode 18 of Season 16) – first aired April 16, 2010
While bonding with Key over the loss of family, Powell finds out that his long-lost mother is still alive, leading to Key and Powell travelling together to find her. This “heartwarming” episode is often considered to be one of the best episodes of the “Modern Futurama” era.

12: “Crowl on a Hot Solar Panel” (Episode 21 of Season 18) – first aired May 18, 2012
The Planet Express crew wake up in a trashed hotel with Powell and Police Chief Clancy Corvallis but no memory how they got there. Through the use of the Professor’s inventions the crew compile the events of the past two days, revealing an overuse of “drama juice” and the abduction of a small boy from Sagan’s Nebula who Powell discovers is his son (the product of a one-night stand), whom Powell was never told about. This is Powell’s recent appearance.

MINOR SPEAKING APPEARANCES (show / hide)

1: “Up And Atom” (Episode 4 of Season 4) – first aired October 17, 1997
Powell appeared in a non-canon comic book-themed sequence as “Dr. Deadbeat,” an ineffective supervillain who tries to pretend to have powers through special effects and gimmicks; he is easily defeated by the Planet Express crew, who play the heroes in the sequence. This is Powell’s fourth appearance in the series overall.

2: “The Wong Turn” (Episode 7 of Season 5) – first aired December 5, 1998
Powell shows up at the start of the episode, revealing his Europa Water enterprise has released a Lovecraftian monster from the moon’s core, damaging several celestial bodies. Wanting by several police organizations and with a huge bounty on his head, Powell seeks refuge in NNYC. However, most of the episode focuses on Lisa’s time on the NNYPD, which she joined as a Special Deputy due to its personnel shortage brought on by so many officers leaving to search for Powell. Powell’s B-plot disappears during the second act; it doesn’t play out until the near-end of the episode, when Powell uses Professor Farnsworth’s closing machine to leave an identical corpse in NNY’s harbor for the police to find. This is Powell’s sixth appearance in the series overall.

3: “Seven Brides for Seven Robots” (Episode 14 of Season 7) – first aired February 2, 2001
Powell makes three brief “telecall” appears during the course of the episode. In his first telecall, Powell anxiously requests money from the Planet Express crew. In his second telecall, he requests help escaping from “these kidnapping guys.” His third and final telecall consists of him semi-incoherently shouting at the screen while riding a space-bike and seemingly being chased by his former captors.

4: “From Here to Electricity” (Episode 3 of Season 8) – first aired September 28, 2001
The final scene in the episode reveals that Powell has found a new job as a crooked prison guard at the prison to which this episode’s antagonist has been sent. In a 2007 interview, this episode’s writers revealed that they purposely chose to leaving the ending ambiguous “in case [they] wanted to bring…back” this episode’s antagonist in a future episode; however, as of May 18, 2012, said antagonist has not appeared again in the series; the character’s story, though, was continued in Futurama Comic Book #77, Vol. 3 (2009).

NON-SPEAKING VISUAL APPEARANCES (show / hide)

1: For Whom the Hypno-Toad Croaks (Episode 17 of Season 8) – first aired March 29, 2002
Powell appears briefly at a scene at the beginning of the episode; he one of the many party guests who run away in a panic upon seeing the Planet Express ship about to crash land into their black-tie event.

2: “Road To…Somewhere” (Episode 4 of Season 10) – first aired October 17, 2003
Powell can be seen in the angry mob during the third act.

3: “Citizen Key” (Episode 20 of Season 10) – first aired April 16, 2004
Powell is briefly seen in the foreground of a large crowd congratulating Key at the start of the second act.

4: “Mr. Corvallis Goes to New Washington State” (Episode 5 of Season 11) – first aired October 29, 2004
Powell is shown in a part of the campaign montage.

5: “The Empty-Headed Professor” (Episode 11 of Season 12) – first aired January 6, 2006
Powell is one of the many people hypnotized by the Hypno-Toad’s rival, Mesmero-Frog, during its takeover montage; he is seen again in the third act as part of the crowd of hypnotized citizens, but despite his mouth moving, his voice isn’t heard, as all crowd-members are speaking in unison.

6: “Cheaper By The Passel” (Episode 22 of Season 12) – first aired May 12, 2006
Powell can quickly be seen in two crowd scenes during the episode’s sporting events montage.

7: “1,001 Crustaceans” (Episode 6 of Season 13) – first aired November 17, 2006
Powell can be briefly seen the refugee camp during the second act; he is discussing something with some the race drivers from the third episode on Season 12, but because it is in the background, neither he nor the drivers are heard.

8: “Come Back, Little Syboujitifes” (Episode 1 of Season 14) – first aired September 7, 2007
Powell is one of the characters assembled by Corvallis to serve as waiters for the event in the third act; all of them have apparently agreed to the job in exchange for “the charges [being] dropped.” He is one of the non-speaking waiters.

9: “A Spacecar Named Debbie” (Episode 8 of Season 14) – first aired November 30, 2007
Powell can briefly be seen running for safety in the background in one scene. Later, he can be seeing hiding out in the bunker that is quickly inspected during the sequences when the Planet Express crew are looking for Key.

10: “Nelson’s Pendulum” (Episode 16 of Season 14) – first aired February 15, 2008
Powell is briefly seen among the spectators at the sporting events occurring at the start of the episode. He can be seen attempting to steal a hot dog from a young an alien boy, until for the hot dog to produce an arm, smack Powell across the face, and return to its place on the alien’s plate.

11: “Mona Leela” (Episode 25 of Season 14) – first aired June 6, 2008
Powell is seen briefly during the both panicked and angry crowd during the third act.

12: “The Last Weekend” (Episode 9 of Season 15) – first aired December 5, 2008
Powell is seen throughout the third act. Powell is first seen entering the Doomsday Party as an invited guest, with Bart commenting on his suit’s malfunctioned collapsible hanger which seems to be fused to his skin due to some sort of accident, and Powell non-verbally excusing himself. Powell is seen again among the other party guests with marks of damage on his suit. Powell is then repeatedly seen in the background in several more party scenes.

13: “Till The Smog Rolls By” (Episode 12 of Season 15) – first aired January 16, 2009
Powell appears at the end of the episode and, upon seeing the damage left behind by the events of the episode, asks “Whoa, what’d I miss?”

14: “Key West” (Episode 6 of Season 16) – first aired November 13, 2009
Powell can be seen in the panicked crowd in the first act; he is later seen in the background during the second act, diving into the harbor to save his suitcase, drying out his belongings, and then diving back into the water to recover his hat before finally saving a drowning child, who kicks him before running away.

15: “By A Roll of The Hendecagon” (Episode 18 of Season 17) – first aired April 8, 2011
Powell is seen among a row of citizens mourning the money they lost betting on the losing team in the third act.

– wikia.co.can/futurama/characters/recurring_characters/Herbert_Powell



GRAMMER WINS MISSOURI, SOUTH CAROLINA, AND WISCONSIN PRIMARIES UNOPPOSED

– 273towin.co.usa, 5/22/2012



WASHINGTON STATE LEGISLATURE PASSES PRETRIAL FAIRNESS ACT, ENDING STATE’S MONEY BOND SYSTEM

...“The bail bonds system has made it so access to wealth determines how long one awaits trial in jail before the case is even decided,” argued one supporter of the bill. “It is unfair, humiliating and degrading to have it so money determines whether one is in jail or free while awaiting trial.” The passing of the landmark legislation aims to “alleviate financial burden from people.” However, opponents in the state legislature claimed that the revenue brought in by the bail money system will now need to be replaced with higher taxes to make up the difference, lest the courts fail to have the funding needed to operate properly and efficiently…

The Boston Globe, 5/24/2012



F.D.A. INDICTS BABY FOOD COMPANY LEADERS OVER TOXIC HEAVY METALS IN PRODUCTS

…the indictments concern the company leaders allegedly knowing of the dangerously high levels of inorganic arsenic, lead, cadmium and mercury, and failing to report them to the Food and Drug Administration or to the US Department of Agriculture…

The Los Angeles Times, 5/28/2012



DID THE JACKSON HAVE PARATORE KILLED?

Exactly one year ago, Jim Paratore (1953-2012), a TV producer for The Herring Network and several independent newsletter and ontech magazine startups, died suddenly, abruptly, and without warning from a heart attack. Paratore was an outspoken critic of the Jackson and Wellstone administrations, and before his death claimed there was “undoubtedly more evidence” of Jackson being anti-Semitic. Is it possible that Paratore was murdered for attempting to find Audio-Visual evidence of Jesse Jackson Sr. saying anti-Semitic things, and was silenced in an effort to keep Wellstone from losing re-election?!

– conspiracytheoriesforum.co.usa, 5/29/2013 posting thread “motherpost”



…and in political news, Governor Grammer, the Republican presumptive nominee for President, won last night’s primaries, in Nebraska and for Republicans Abroad, with over 80% and 90% of the vote, respectively…

– ABC News, 5/30/2012 broadcast



IRELAND PASSES ABORTION AMENDMENT IN NATIONAL REFERENDUM

…The people of Ireland have voted to amend their constitution to permit the Oireachtas to pass legislation favoring abortion. Specifically, the legislation will amend their national constitution’s prohibiting of abortion except in cases where there is serious risk to the life of the mother. It will effectively repeal the eighth amendment of Ireland’s constitution. …The referendum on the subject was approved decisively (59.7% to 40.3%) and amid high voter turnout…

The Guardian, UK newspaper, 31/5/2012



“I can’t comment on why Goetz said what he did; personally, I still believe he was just tired or drunk and didn’t mean at all anything that he said. Or maybe it was a doctored video like Goetz said it was, I couldn’t say. But I can say one thing. I could tell that Goetz wasn’t going to win the nomination, that the division of the conservative votes was going to let some wimp like Grammer get the nomination. And frankly, I’d just gotten sick of the pompousness of the Republican establishment. They weren’t listening to their core supporters – the conservatives of this country that for too long had been ignored by both parties. So before the primaries had even started, I started to organize an alternative to the two-state dilemma.”

– Jason Buck, NPR interview, 2015



…with tonight’s final round of primaries in California, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, and South Dakota all adding to the total delegate counts of presumptive nominees Kelsey Grammer and Paul Wellstone, tonight concludes 104 contests – that’s 57 contests per major party total, accounting for 52 states, plus four U.S. territories – the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands – and Americans Abroad…

– CBS Evening News, 6/5/2012 broadcast



CYc1mYe.png

[pic: imgur.com/CYc1mYe.png ] [6]

Popular vote:

Kelsey Grammer – 10,305,032 (54.5%)

Harley Brown – 4,972,889 (26.3%)

Lindsey Graham – 1,342,490 (7.1%)

Bernie Goetz – 718,515 (3.8%)

David Brown – 397,075 (2.1%)

Robert Burck – 302,534 (1.6%)

Rupert Boneham – 226,899 (1.2%)

Lyle W. Hillyard – 170,175 (0.9%)

William Weld – 151,267 (0.8%)

All other votes – 321,442 (1.7%)

Total votes cast: 18,908,315 (100.0%)

– clickopedia.co.usa



Democratic Party Presidential Primaries, 2012

tTwkFjC.png

[pic: imgur.com/tTwkFjC.png ]

– clickopeida.co.usa



COBAIN TALKS MENTAL ILLNESS IN CANDID NEW INTERVIEW

“It was cool meeting with him last summer. Growing up, John Lennon was definitely my favourite Beatle, hands down. I don’t know who wrote what parts of what Beatles songs, but Paul McCartney embarrasses me. Lennon was obviously disturbed [laughs]. So I could relate to that.” …“It was great to finally hang out him because from the books I’ve read — and I’m so skeptical of anything I read, especially in rock books. So I just felt really sorry for him. It seemed like for a lot of the time, his life was a prison. He tried to get out by getting into politics, but that shit just kept him in. He was imprisoned. It’s not fair. That’s the crux of the problem that I’ve had with becoming a celebrity — the way people deal with celebrities. It needs to be changed; it really does.”

Cobain then talked about the parallels between how he and Lennon struggled with coping with the dark side of fame: “No matter how hard you try, it only comes out like you’re bitching about it. I can understand how a person can feel that way and almost become obsessed with it. But it’s so hard to convince people to mellow out. Just take it easy, have a little bit of respect.”
[7]

– tumbleweedmagazine.co.usa, 6/10/2012 article




ANTONIO VILLAR ELECTED NEW DNC CHAIR

…Villar (b. 1953), a longtime party insider, easily defeated former US Representative Edward Paul “Ed” Hernandez (b. 1957) for the position…

The Washington Post, 6/12/2012



SURREAL SLEEPER HIT SHOWS AVENUE FOR UNCONVENTIONAL ANIMATION STILL WIDE OPEN

…A hit with its loyal fan base and not too difficult to follow for those just learning about the techtoon series that reached its peak in the mid-aughties, The Homestar Runner Movie is a flashier, better-animated love letter to the original cartoon shorts which, much like this movie, is gaining moviegoer attention by word-of-mouth… The creators behind film have indicated that they do not plan on making a cinematic sequel despite this film’s apparent financial success in order to “preserve the integrity and style” of the characters…

Variety, 6/14/1996 review



…Various media outlets reported that the Grammer campaign was considering numerous possible contenders for the position of running mate. Among them, the most frequently mentioned were the following individuals:

– Incumbent US Senators: Gus Bilirakis of Florida, Randy Brock of Ohio, Helen Chenoweth of Idaho, Barbara Cubin of Wyoming, Luis Fortuno of Puerto Rico, Kay Granger of Texas, Lyle W. Hillyard of Utah, Clyde Cecil Holloway of Louisiana, Hillary Rodham-Clinton of Tennessee, Margaret A. “Meg” Ryan of North Carolina, Michael Steele of Maryland and William Weld of Massachusetts

– Incumbent Governors: Rupert Boneham of Indiana, Harley Brown of Idaho, Mark Darr of Arkansas, Fred Grandy of Iowa, Lynn Jenkins of Kansas, Maureen O’Connor of Ohio, Dave Ramsey of Tennessee and David Woods of Alabama

– Former US Senators: Jim Edgar of Illinois, Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas

– Former Governors: Lindsey Graham of South Carolina

– Incumbent US Representatives: Mark Sanford of South Carolina, John E. Sununu of New Hampshire, Rob Portman of Ohio and Jim Webb of Virginia

– Other: singer-songwriter Toby Keith of Oklahoma, US Army General (ret.) Ronald L. “Ron” Kovic of New York and Dean of West Point Glenn Rieth of Virginia

In mid-June, Rodham-Clinton reported declined being considered for running mate, citing her daughter still battling cancer at the time. After Grammer became the party’s presumptive nominee, most media outlets began reporting that Grammer’s shortlist included, Brock, Brown, Granger, Ramsey, and Weld, with Boneham, Hillyard and Steele occasionally being included on these supposed shortlists as well…

– clickopedia.co.usa



Grammer had favored picking Kay Granger from the beginning, but the circumstances had changed since then. The California moderate’s inner circle was convinced that he needed not just a conservative running mate, but a “hard-edged” [8] conservative.

“Despite the speeches, analysis shows you still have a ‘soft’ image that does well among women independents but poorly among male conservatives and very poorly among male and female populists,” his Chief of Protocol, Charlotte Schultz, explained.

“Am I at least doing well among BLUTAGO populists?” Grammer asked.

“Actually, no, they mostly supported Harley.”

“Damn!” He laconically replied. “Options, people?”

“I think we should select a populist. The biggest candidate we need to placate is Brown, since he received more votes than anyone else in the primaries. Maybe pick someone he would approve of, that could get him to endorse us,” noted Schultz.

According to most sources, it was Grammer’s Deputy Chief of Staff who then suggested the Governor select Harley Brown himself for running mate, explaining that “He could give us a lot of headache if he’s against us instead of with us. At least offering it to him could be a big olive branch to them.”

“How about we offer him a cabinet position?”

“He would very likely want a military post,” Schultz surmised. “Probably defense, Navy Secretary, maybe even National Security Advisor.”

Grammer mulled over the situation. “There needs to be some other effective way to appeal to the Brown backers.” Rubbing his jaw, he considered aloud “Maybe if I brought back my beard. Grew it out again.”

The Governor’s media strategist shook her head. “Bad optics, sir. It either reminds people of the President’s beard or of the beard worn by that villain you played in that movie a few years back.”

“It’s a cultural thing, sir,” the Governor’s Chief of Staff, Paul Wachter, added. “Most people see Brown as surly, boisterous and unkempt and see you as refined and dignified.

“You mean they think I’m pompous, don’t you? Please, give it to me straight.”

“Many voters still see you as stuffy and you apparently come off as too opinionated at times.”

“But that’s not me, that’s Dr. Frasier Crane. I’m not Frasier Crane!”

“Well, that ‘I’m listening’ soundbite didn’t help you make that distinction, honey,” the lovely Mrs. Grammer bluntly but sympathetically observed.

Grammer sighed, “Polemical remarks aside, I think it’s best that we start vetting Boneham and the two Kays immediately.”

– John Sides and Lynn Vavreck’s A National Gamble: Choice And Chance In The 2012 Presidential Election, Princeton University Press, 2014



TRUCK OFF!

Premiered: June 30, 2012

Genre(s): action

Directed by: Don Michael Paul

Written by: Barry L. Levy and Ron Underwood

Produced by: Ogden Gavanski

Main Cast: Duane Sand, Luciano Huck, Sithembile Xola Pearl Thusi, Matthew Ansara, and Gary “G-Thang” Johnson, with Robert “Reb” Brown and David Mayer de Rothschild

See Full Cast Here

Synopsis:

The film centers on a demolition derby as viewed from the perspective of several characters, with some of them genuinely aiming to win its hefty cash prize, while others plan to use the event as a cover for unrelated crimes, such as a bank robbery, an assassination, and a drug transfer. Their paths clash and become intertwined in a chain reaction of high-octane action and misadventure.

Reception:

The film was considered a financial success due to nearly doubling the money put into it. Audiences gave the film generally positive reviews. While critics panned it, some did single out the performance of actor Duane Sand (in his first “main character” role) as the best aspect of the film, possibly contributing him receiving more prominent film roles during the 2010s decade…

– mediarchives.co.usa, c. 2019



SANTIAGO CREEL ELECTED PRESIDENT OF MEXICO

…with incumbent President Marcela Guerra Castillo (PRI) term-limited, the race saw a wide range of candidate vying for the Presidency… Santiago Creel (PAN) defeating Jesus Casillas Romero (PRI) means that Mexico will have a President from the PAN political party for the first time since 1994…

The Houston Chronicle, 7/1/2012



…after several weeks of bilateral talks, both United Turkestan and Azerbaijan have agreed to maritime boundaries along the Caspian Sea’s equidistant line…

– BBC World News, 2/7/2012 broadcast



“WHAT A VIEW!”: Mayor Wintersmith Opens The New Tallest Building In America

…Chicago Mayor Al Wintersmith proudly cut the ribbon at the Grand Opening Ceremony of The Chicago Spire [S1], an impressive skyscraper that began being built in 2007. After five years of construction at 400 N. Lake Shore Drive, the towering structure topped-out at 150 floors and 2,000 feet exactly, surpassing the Sears Tower by nearly 600 feet, making this multipurpose site the new tallest building in Chicago and, at 2,000 feet surpasses the Twin Towers of New York City to become the tallest building in the US, and the second-tallest building in the world, behind the Dubai Tower of the U.A.E. by roughly 800 feet…

The Chicago Tribune, 7/4/2012



MOTHER-POST:

What The Hell Did I Just Watch?: My Take On The Catdog Movie

So The CatDog Movie finally hit theaters, and if you miss it, they plan on airing it on TV ahead of selling it on Micro-LD to maximize profit. And while its animation quality to vastly superior to the cartoon, this is not necessarily a good thing. The show experimented with facial expressions and how greatly they could exaggerate body movement, especially for Cat and Dog’s conjoined body, but this movie pushed it too far in my opinion. Some of that stuff was something out of a bad fever dream. Half the time I thought the animators were purposely messing with the audience. And don’t even get me started on the plot! Anyone else think the animation was too trippy, in a way that departed away from the style and tone of the series?

>REPLY 1:

Not to be a ruiner, but I though the premise of the story was pretty good. Through a misunderstanding, Lube leaves town to purchase a pizza but accidently takes a valuable item with him, prompting a search for him that has CatDog retrace famous locations from the show and also explore new ones. I don’t think the animation was too bad, either.

>REPLY 2:

I think they overdid it with the stretchiness of the animation because they were overcompensating for the crap story.

>REPLY 1 to REPLY 2:

Do they show how CatDog goes to the bathroom (I’ve only seen the commercials).

>REPLY 1 to REPLY 1 to REPLY 2:

The opening scene is set in a public restroom. What do you think?

>REPLY 1 to REPLY 1 to REPLY 1 to REPLY 2:

You mean they show it?!

>REPLY 1 to REPLY 1 to REPLY 1 to REPLY 1 to REPLY 2:

You hear it, but they don’t hit you over the head with it. Besides, it really isn’t the most controversial part of the film. But I won’t ruin that for you.

>REPLY 3:

I liked the animation style, it reminded me of Mina and The Count, but much more detailed. Anyone remember that show? Anyway, I’m still surprised this got an AAA rating from the MPAA – there was at least one scene or two that I would not consider to be suitable for children.

>REPLY 4:

I didn’t like it as much as I thought I would. It was fun to look at, they kept the mysterious tone balanced, they didn’t reveal too much about the town and CatDog’s origin story (I like pondering all the theories instead of knowing outright what’s really going on because it allows me to look at the show through more than just one vantage point – it’s fun!) and the voice work was stellar as always, but the surprisingly cluttered and chaotic mess of a story didn’t sit well with me. At least they knew to take a breather for the ending, giving us a chance to say goodbye to these characters.

>REPLY 1 to REPLY 4:

Eh. They’ll probably just revive it in a few years. Happened once before, you know.

– euphoria.co.usa, a public pop-culture news-sharing and chat-forum-hosting netsite, 7/11/2012 posting



GORDONMANIA: The Music Behind Gordon Lightfoot’s Resurgence In Popularity

…the celebrated singer-songwriter’s voice has aged, and with it, his songwriting has evolved, taking on a more rustic and wise sort of tone and vibe that is different from yesteryear’s Lightfoot but is charming in a new way that seems to really speak to a new generation of Canadian fans and listeners…

Vice, Canadian-American arts/lifestyle/culture magazine, July 2012 issue



…The company made the announcement with the “New Frontier” commercial. The 30-second segment opened to a shot of The Colonel, played by a model whose face in never shown, hesitantly standing on a road in a forested area. A narrator says “This time, The Colonel is entering unknown territory.” A close-up shot of a sign-post reveals that this is the Kentucky-Tennessee border. The Colonel stand-in nervously taps his fingers on the top of his cane. As dramatic music swells, he nervously and cautiously steps over the border into Tennessee. The camera quickly cuts to rocks on the road trembling before cutting to the hill in front of the Colonel, showing a wave of ecstatic customers rushing toward him. As the seemingly descend upon him, the camera zooms in on the package in The Colonel’s other hand – “introducing: Nashville Hot KFC – crispy, juicy, spicy chicken in a marriage of The Colonel’s Original Recipe with the Nashville Hot Classic that is so good,” the narrator explains as the new offering is displayed before cutting back to The Colonel crowd surfing and then being paraded into Tennessee by the adoring crowd as the company icon showers the crowd with wings (all while The Colonel's face is away from the camera), “you won’t believe we didn’t think of this sooner.”…

TZBXldC.png

[pic: imgur.com/TZBXldC.png ]

– Marlona Ruggles Ice’s A Kentucky-Fried Phoenix: The Post-Colonel History of Most Famous Birds In The World, Hawkins E-Publications, 2020



…One political analyst opined, “Grammer continues the GOP tradition of nominating TV personalities. First, The Colonel with his commercials and movie cameos, then Lee Iacocca with his car commercials and that one cameo in Miami Vice. Now, the party has taken things up to eleven with the nomination of an actual TV star.”

Another one noted, on T.O.N., no less, that “If elected, this supposed Man of The People will be the wealthiest President since Lee Iacocca and the ninth wealthiest in American history.” This was factual true, as Forbes had announced that Grammer had a net worth of $80million in 2010 [10]. For reference’s sake, George Washington was the wealthiest President in US history, with a net worth of $587million in 2016 dollars. After him was Thomas Jefferson with $236million. Lee Iacocca was the third-wealthiest US President ever with a net worth of $160million in 1992 [11]. Next on the list is Theodore Roosevelt at fourth-wealthiest, followed by Andrew Jackson, James Madison, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Herbert Hoover at eighth-wealthiest, with $83million in 2016 dollars. A President Grammer would come in at just under Hoover, at ninth place, above the next-wealthiest Presidents: Franklin Delano Roosevelt, John Tyler, Larry Miles Dinger, James Monroe, Martin Van Buren, Jeremiah Denton, Grover Cleveland, Jack Kemp, and John Quincy Adams, in that order [12] (Colonel Sanders, the twentieth-wealthiest President in US history, had a peak net worth of just $22million [13] due to his years of charity donations).

Sadly, these passive-aggressive snipes from media allies were viewed by most with Wellstone’s inner circle as being the most affective forms of attack against the Grammer campaign in the summer of 2012. Despite all of the candidate’s flaws, from his history of drug use and his exorbitant wealth to his vague campaign message of “sensible conservatism,” the people behind the Wellstone re-election bid were failing to efficiently strategize ahead of the conventions. The President was tasked with doing his best to curb inflation rates while at the same time trying to keep the two sides of Wellstoneland – the presidency and the campaign – separate and distinct, with one band of backers running the campaign out of Minneapolis while another oversaw Presidency-centric operations in DC. Internal bickering over messaging, the level of attack (with Bob Ross reportedly sparring with Wellstone’s Chief of Staff over the merits and shortcoming of taking “the high road”) and other aspects made for a chaotic inner circle. Thankfully, internal disputes did not spill into the news media, and was successfully kept out of public view. Really, the only major indication of internal problems was the inconsistent pacing of official press releases.

Nevertheless, the bulk of operations repeatedly switching back and forth between the one city and the other only highlighted the need for a more centralized campaign to be defined before the “home stretch” of the race truly began in late summer…

– Billie Lofi’s The Wellstone Way: The Life of a Passionate Progressive, University of Minnesota Press, first edition, 2017



PM McTEER ANNOUNCES NEW TAX HIKES: Claims “Minor” Increases “Across The Board” Will Combat Rising Inflation Rates

The Calgary Herald, daily newspaper in Alberta, Canada, 7/27/2012



…According to a source close to the Grammer campaign, California Governor and Republican nominee-in-waiting Kelsey Grammer has, after weeks of delay and just a few weeks ahead of the Republican National Convention, finally selected a running mate... [14]

– CBS Evening News, 7/30/2012 broadcast




NOTE(S)/SOURCE(S)
[1] While the Powerpuff Girls was inspired by the pre-major-butterflies artwork of Margaret Keane, McCracken conceived the series “Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends” after he and his fiancé adopting dogs from a shelter in the mid-2000s; given that there’s a lot of variables at play there (who he dates/marries, if he even opts to adopt dogs in the first place, etc.), I don’t think he would have developed it in OTL. @Igeo654 as for Wander over Yonder, it’s likely that the zaniness of that series shows up sooner in the characters of this Popeye the Sailor reboot series.
[2] Credit to @Sunstone77 for this italicized line.
[3] As described here: https://www.wired.com/2007/06/homestarrunner/
[4] Picture from here: https://www.deviantart.com/redheadxilamguy/art/Homestar-Runner-with-actual-arms-603655432
[5] My thoughts on the song, @Igeo654
[6] These primary results are based on the poll results as they were on February 5, 2021
[7] Italicized segments found here are quotes/bits from this OTL article: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/kurt-cobain-favourite-beatles-member-john-lennon/
[8] As put by @Sunstone77
[9] An OTL skyscraper project that was cancelling IRL due to the 2007-2008 recession, which did not happen ITTL, and thus, this got built!: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Spire
[10] OTL, according to celebritynetworth.com
[11] OTL, it was $150million at the time of his OTL death; here, he made this much by also being MLB Commissioner and by handling Chrysler and Ford differently, as mentioned in previous chapter (way back when).
[12] Based on wikipedia’s list of Presidents by net worth.
[13] OTL, the Colonel’s net worth was only $10million IOTL, according to celebritynetworth.com

[14] Ahead of the 2012 RNC, I made a preference poll concerning who Grammer should pick to be his running mate: https://www.strawpoll.me/42590290

And here’s a quick breakdown of the 6 options on the poll:

US Sen. Randy Brock of Ohio, age 69 – a bit to the right of Grammer, both fiscally and socially, this African-American legislator could help win over states in the Midwest with his blue-collar appeal, help a President Grammer work with congress better, and improve minority voter turnout in favor of the GOP.
Gov. Harley Davidson Brown of Idaho, age 58 – the surprise champion of the GOP’s populist faction during the primaries, his military experience and appeal to religious and blue-collar voters could counter Grammer’s weaknesses in all of those areas; Brown’s selection would very likely unite the party.
US Sen. Kay Granger of Texas, age 70 – experienced in the inner workings of D.C. and from an electorally-rich state, her selection could improve female voter turnout in favor of the Republican ticket and better promote the image of Grammer’s candidacy being serious and professional.
Fmr US Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas, age 69 – very similar to Granger except for being closer to the Religious Right, Hutchison also has made many connections to political donors since leaving office in 2009, and her being out of office could allow her to stump for Grammer should his gubernatorial duties call him away from the campaign trail.
Gov. Dave Ramsey of Tennessee, age 52 – having a financial expert as second-in-command could help Grammer during any fiscal issues that could arise during his presidency (inflation and the budget have been very prominent political talking points as of late); his selection could also help better secure the south for the Republican column.
US Sen. William Weld of Massachusetts, age 67 – his selection would reject calls for a unifying ticket and instead double-down on Grammer’s more liberal and "light-libertarian" policies, albeit at the risk of alienating conservatives, populists, and the Religious Right all still significant in the party, especially those already itching to bolt for a more satisfactory third-party option. ( @Light_Star 1)

@Igeo654 – Gravity Falls creator Alex Hirsch was born in 1985, more than twenty years after the POD begins to really have an effect on things. So for sake of argument, let’s just assume that his parents still ended up together and conceived him and his twin sister at the same time that they did in OTL. And that like in OTL, the Hirsch twins spend their summers with their great aunt “graunty” Lois, who has a cabin in the woods like in OTL. It is possible he could make a show similar to Gravity Falls, but with a character named Graunty Lois in it. Or, since IOTL he went to CalArts and worked on other projects before making GF, maybe one of those projects takes off (his senior film “Off The Wall,” the cartoon short “Imaginary Friend” (IOTL, it’s about a little kid whose imaginary friend is a flying Richard Nixon (it’s available on YouTube!), so here it’d probably be about someone else), a scrapped stop-motion film for Laika Studios, etc.). It really all depends on whether or not the POD butterflied away the circumstances that lead to his parents meeting each other, conceiving him, and giving him the same upbringing that they did IOTL. Thoughts?

@Tannenberg – I’ll include more glimpses into how the technet looks and other technet aspects in upcoming chapters; is there anything specific on your mind?

@CamtheWideboi – “Lloyd Havaw Reese” is an alias (see Chapter 102’s footnotes)

Glad my quote made it into the canon Should have seen it hurting his image a little though, but I suppose there's worse things he could be dealing with. I alwqys liked Kelsey with a beard but I understand how it tends to make him look more villainous and there being more pictures of him clean shaven then not, especially if you use his screenshots from his more modern shows like Boss.

I'm also kind of confused as to who Lloyd Havaw Reese is. Who are they otl?
It's an anagram. I'll cover it better in the next chapter.


Also, some other people in case y’all were wondering about them:

Jeremy Scahill (b. 1974) – investigative journalist praised for his work covering the Bernie Bros of 2004; began a part-time acting career in the 2010s

Richard Sherzan (b. 1946) – served in the Iowa state House from 1979 to 1991, retiring to unsuccessfully run for a US Senate seat in 1990 but losing the Republican nomination to future President Larry Miles Dinger; later served in the Arizona state Senate from 2015 to 2019 (lost re-election).

Gary Dockery (b. 1954) – Chief of Police/Sheriff for Walden, Tennessee during the 2000s decade; retired from law enforcement in 2014

Leonard Peltier (b. 1944) – Native American activist and writer best known for being shot and wounded in a well-publicized example of Native Americans suffering police brutality, way back in 1981; currently travels the country promoting his culture at various functions

Frederick Theodore “Ted” Rall III (b. 8/26/1963 in Cambridge, MA) – being in high school during the Trojan Tower Disaster increased his interest in engineering and applied himself better during his time at Columbia U, finally majoring in nuclear engineering and graduating in 1990; 13 years later, in 2003, shortly after being promoted to nuclear technician at a nuclear power plant near his hometown of Kettering, Ohio, he was blamed for also causing a nuclear meltdown after not following proper procedure, and was fired; after failing to challenge his dismissal in court, he was 40, unemployable, and in debt; after contemplating suicide, he became a born-again Christian and joined an Evangelical sect in Broward County, FL; he currently works as motivational speaker

Dwight Grotberg (b. 1/26/1967) – Republican perennial candidate in North Dakota

Lyle H. Boren (5/11/09-7/2/92) – father and grandfather of Oklahoma politicians David Boren and Dan Boren, respectively; opposed labor strikes on defense plants and supported expanding the federal government, actions mirrored by the political careers of his son and grandson.

Aristeidis Alafouzos (1924-2017) – Greek shipowner and media mogul; owner of Glafki Maritime Limited, after entering shipping in 1964 and eventually entering a bitter rivalry against another wealthy merchant, Aristotle Onassis. The Aristeidis-Aristotle feud (which finally ended after more than 20 years with the former outliving the latter, who passed away in 1999 at the age of 93) was legendary in Greece and pretty much nowhere else.

Paul America (b. Paul Johnson in 1944) – here, he never met Andy Warhol in 1965, was renamed Paul America, and became addicted to heroin and speed; instead, he became an anti-war beatnik (he was not “angry” or active enough to be a shoutnik) in the early 1960s and eventually became actor in many low-budget independent films during the 1970s and 1980s, but was best known for being a character actor in TV shows during the 1980s and 1990s; returned to political activism in the 1990s before landing an iconic role in the “Dark Tower” miniseries of the late 2000s decade; still alive, and still acting

George Grizzard (1928-2007) actor like in OTL; among his more noteworthy roles was his portrayal of President Mondale in a 1989 miniseries

Josefina Eugenia Vazquez Mota (b. 1/20/1961 in Mexico City) – billionaire businesswoman and political donor in Mexico with alleged Presidential aspirations

Artyom Fyodorovich Sergeyev (5/3/1921 – 15/1/2008) – rose to Major General; die-hard Communist like IOTL, and his last words in 2008 were “I serve the Soviet Union” like IOTL; during the fall of the Soviet Union, he commanded Air Defenses around factories in eastern Ukraine despite wanting to contribute to the war effort against separatists during the USSR-UT War; he later claimed in interviews that had the “traitorous” Dmitriy Ustinov placed him in charge of aerial tactics during said war, the USSR would have “crushed the insurgents” and “returned to global dominance” by the end of the 1990s.

Albert Speer Jr. (b. 1934) – strongly anti-Nazi architect and urban planner who opposed German reunification, believing the “German separation” guaranteed “global unity”; currently retired

Jean-Marie Loret (1918-1985) – French railway worker whose mother claimed he was Hitler’s son, meaning that, through him, Hitler may have a grandson; he was briefly kidnapped by incompetent neo-Nazis in a minor 1979 incident

Joseph P. “Joe” Clancy (b. 1955) – joined the Secret Service in the 1980s after working as a history teacher; assigned to the President’s personal detail in 1997; formed a friendship with President Jackson; just got promoted to Director of the United States Secret Service

Sergei Nikolayevich Kourdakov (b. 1951) – defected from the USSR to the US like in OTL, and after gaining the trust of President Sanders, was assigned a security detail; this precedence led to the creation of a special safety agency/protocol being established for defectors in 1973; Kourdakov, after obtaining permanent residency in 1974 and beginning work as a translator, columnist, and special advisor for multiple agencies, survived at least 17 attempts on his life (5 of them getting very close to being successful) before the USSR collapsed; only then did he marry, resulting in him fathering 7 sons and 4 daughters

Sedinam Kinamo Christin Moyowasifza Curry (b. 1/1/1962) – inspired by Shirley Chisholm’s 1972 bid for the Presidency and her parents’ involvement in civil affairs such as education and union rights, she joined the Green party in the 1980s, and soon after founded the Green Party Black Caucus. She participated in the Second Arkwave, and moved to The Sanwi Kingdom in the 1990s, to serve as an advisor to the young nation’s new Crown Prince, Jimi Hendrix. She moved back to the states in 2001 after Jesse Jackson’s inauguration, and served on several progressive and Green Party-affiliated organizations and non-profit groups. She also reluctantly became a perennial candidate of sorts, running for Congress several times since returning to the US (having retained her citizenship when she moved overseas) but never winning despite obtaining the Democratic nomination for a seat in 2004 and the Green party nomination for another seat in 2006 and again in 2010.

Larry Walters (b. 1949) – after failing to enter the US Air Force due to his poor eyesight, he spent years working as a truck driver before acquiring a pilot’s license in 1981; three years later, he received permission from the FAA to try out a life-long dream of his – flying by tying 45 special helium-filled weather balloons to a patio chair; the federally-authorized and well-publicized feat, performed in early 1986, saw “Lawnchair Larry” spend 73 minutes floating above the Mojave Desert, reaching a height of 20,000 feet and travelling 23 miles before safely landing on the ground. The publicity from the incident led to Walters finding work as a small-aircraft pilot as he was able to afford to get corrective eye surgery in 1989. Despite inspiring the extreme sport of cluster ballooning, he was twice divorced, in dept, and was suffering from depression when SARS spread to the US, costing him his job as a pilot; he soon became an alcoholic, and it was only after his family and college-bound children intervened that he was able to sober up. Years later, in late 2010, after much preparation, Walters recreated his patio chair flight for a TV special on the 25th anniversary of the original 1986 flight; he is still alive today

The Sears Point Raceway Music Festival of December 1969 – butterflied away

Susan Jane Helms (b. 1958) – US Air Force General (since 2010) and former NASA astronaut, similar to OTL; she had the potential to be on the Milestone and Seeker mission, only for her to have to bow out of the program early after breaking her arm in an unrelated freak accident



The next chapter’s E.T.A.: February 18 at the very latest!
 
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