Rumsfeldia: Fear and Loathing in the Decade of Tears

[bookmark95]

Gonna go out on a limb here and say the odds aren't good. Pretty sure most Liberty Battalion members were part-time, so while some of the leadership might be punished, you wouldn't have a situation where potentially hundreds of thousands of people were rounded up. More likely the state of the U.S. by the end of Rumsfeldia would be such that no reconstruction government could effectively find every single LB member and de-Rummify them.

There are two possible outcomes as to the former Liberty Battalions who aren't immediately incarcerated: The Libery Battalions could end up slipping through the cracks, and form a violent right-wing terrorist group, or the post-Rumsfeld administration could grant clemency to Liberty Battalions who signed some sort of loyalty oath, and/or testified against Rumsfeldian figures in the trials that would take place.

In the 2000s, the time in which things begin to calm down, you would see books, movies, TV shows, and historical essays that will explore what motivated Liberty Battalions to commit these crimes. And I'm sure that more than a few will come out and claim guilt and shame. And more than a few would be sincere in their apologies, since they would wake up to the fact that they damaged their country more than any communist could

 

[Alpha-King98760]

There are two possible outcomes as to the former Liberty Battalions who aren't immediately incarcerated: The Libery Battalions could end up slipping through the cracks, and form a violent right-wing terrorist group, or the post-Rumsfeld administration could grant clemency to Liberty Battalions who signed some sort of loyalty oath, and/or testified against Rumsfeldian figures in the trials that would take place.

In the 2000s, the time in which things begin to calm down, you would see books, movies, TV shows, and historical essays that will explore what motivated Liberty Battalions to commit these crimes. And I'm sure that more than a few will come out and claim guilt and shame. And more than a few would be sincere in their apologies, since they would wake up to the fact that they damaged their country more than any communist could

That seems very likely.

 

[David Ritz]

In the 2000s, the time in which things begin to calm down, you would see books, movies, TV shows, and historical essays that will explore what motivated Liberty Battalions to commit these crimes. And I'm sure that more than a few will come out and claim guilt and shame. And more than a few would be sincere in their apologies, since they would wake up to the fact that they damaged their country more than any communist could

I have thought of all sorts of alternate popular culture that will come out of this period. Firstly, the American scholarly and cultural exile communities will be the subject of fascination, nostalgia, and myth for decades to come. It seems somewhat ironic that over half a century, the U.S. went from the nation that everyone was trying to reach to the country that everyone is trying to get away from. I can picture "mirror" versions of Casablanca and Sound of the Music (perhaps covering Clint Eastwood "climbing every mountain" across the border into Canada).

In the popular music category we have "Rock Me Rumsfeld" (Falco's untimely death is butterflied away), John Lennon's "Death of Dignity" and "Bridge to Windsor" by a group that never existed in OTL.

 

[Mr. Right]

Here's a Thought

I have a theory.

It has been stated that Rumsfeld and friends have been working to weaponize diseases such as AIDS.

If Rumsfeld is working to weaponize diseases to kill people, then it would only make sense that he would want a cure/vaccine for himself just in case something went wrong and he got infected.

How plausible is that during the various experiments that an AIDS cure/treatment could have been developed either by accident or for specific use by Rumsfeld?

 

[EternalCynic]

Or maybe like, in V for Vendetta, Rumsfeld gives the vaccine rights to TRW or another of his cronies, claims it's the work of God Himself, and then accuses anyone who can't afford the vaccine of being a commie!

 

[Gog (♀)]

Related to this TL and mine, remember when we were finding pictures of Rummie with lots of dictators? Well Eritrean dictator Isias Afwerki is no exception.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/21/Defense.gov_News_Photo_021210-D-2987S-057.jpg

 

[shiftygiant]

I got an official response from Tyrrells when I asked over twitter about the packet:

We are avid fans of anything eccentric - as you can tell by our packet designs

I'm still waiting for my second reply.

 

[David Ritz]

I wonder if, after shutting down (or attempting to shut down) the Midwestern communes, Rumsfeld will go after the Native reserves. After all, they live in communal isolation when they could be contributing to the American economy. If the libertarian communes start a campaign of guerilla warfare against the government, maybe they could team up with the Native Americans. That would be a cool popular culture meme for the future: cowboys and Indians on the same side!

I noticed that Drew never mentioned what the deal between Mitterand and the Vatican was. I wonder if it has something to do with swaying Catholic Vice-President Denton into seeing how awful Rumsfeld's regime has become (much like how Carter was able to convince Jackson Edwards).

 

[Deleted member 82792]

Can you please provide us a list of OTL celeberies such as Selena Gomez, Ariana Grande and Natalie Portman and what their doing ITTL?

 

[David Ritz]

Can you please provide us a list of OTL celeberies such as Selena Gomez, Ariana Grande and Natalie Portman and what their doing ITTL?

Given the fact that all of those celebrities were born after the POD in OTL, their very existence will certainly be butterflied away in TTL. Certainly, most contemporary American celebrities of the 1970s and 1980s will likely be in exile by now ( Clint Eastwood has already been mentioned). We also know that John Lennon is still alive and Drew mentioned in one response a while back that he was smart enough to flee back to the UK.

Drew's updates have been growing increasingly sparse. Personally, I estimate that we won't hear from him/her again until December if we're lucky.

 

[bookmark95]

Given the fact that all of those celebrities were born after the POD in OTL, their very existence will certainly be butterflied away in TTL. Certainly, most contemporary American celebrities of the 1970s and 1980s will likely be in exile by now ( Clint Eastwood has already been mentioned). We also know that John Lennon is still alive and Drew mentioned in one response a while back that he was smart enough to flee back to the UK.

Drew's updates have been growing increasingly sparse. Personally, I estimate that we won't hear from him/her again until December if we're lucky.

Instead of just saying that these people would no longer be born, we could be really creative and say they were born, but with different lives.

Selena Gomez, for example, could be a Mexican telenovela star.

Natalie Portman could be left-wing Israeli activist.

Lady Gaga is an Italian opera singer.

Just an idea.

 

[Gian]

Instead of just saying that these people would no longer be born, we could be really creative and say they were born, but with different lives.

Selena Gomez, for example, could be a Mexican telenovela star.

Natalie Portman could be left-wing Israeli activist.

Lady Gaga is an Italian opera singer.

Just an idea.

I like this idea.

I'd love to see how Alyson Stoner emerges in this TL.

Speaking of which, how would Dan Povenmire and Alex Hirsch (assuming they're still here) fare.

 

[bookmark95]

I like this idea.

I'd love to see how Alyson Stoner emerges in this TL.

Speaking of which, how would Dan Povenmire and Alex Hirsch (assuming they're still here) fare.

Well depending on how bad the state of affairs in post-Rumsfeld America is, they could be Canadian animators instead.

 

[THE OBSERVER]

I like this idea.

I'd love to see how Alyson Stoner emerges in this TL.

Speaking of which, how would Dan Povenmire and Alex Hirsch (assuming they're still here) fare.

Phineas and Ferb fan?

 

[David Ritz]

Well depending on how bad the state of affairs in post-Rumsfeld America is, they could be Canadian animators instead.

Although Canada (along with Western Europe), will certainly benefit culturally from the influx of media figures forced out by Rumsfeld (in the same way that British Cinema and Hollywood of the 1930s benefitted from the brain drain of Weimar Germany's once vibrant and legendary film industry), the animation capital will likely shift to Japan in my opinion, as it already had a thriving animation base that would not likely be disrupted by the environment of this TL.

I also think that Disney has likely been absorbed or merged by this point in this TL. Although we take Disney's domination of international cartoon markets for granted today, it is easy to forget that before the so-called "Disney Renaissance" of the 1990s, Disney has facing the prospect of disaster during the "Animation Dark Age" of the 1970s and 1980s. Apparently, it was almost bought up at one point in the early 1980s. In addition, Disney even had to sell its original its original animation studio. Given the even more dire economic circumstances of the TTL 1970s and the even more predatory nature of American businesses of the TTL 1980s, the probably of Disney surviving will be drastically reduced.

I remember reading a while back in this TL that Marvel and DC had to merge to stay afloat. I think it would be cool if Disney and Warner Brothers merged to stay afloat. Therefore, you could feature cartons with Bugs Bunny and Mickey Mouse. Just picture the Warner Brothers "Zooming Shield" intro to the Looney Tunes cartoons with "W-D" on the shield instead.

 

[Voltron64]

Speaking of predatory corporate practices, what's the likeliest fate of TRW post-Rumsfeld?

 

[Wayside]

Speaking of predatory corporate practices, what's the likeliest fate of TRW post-Rumsfeld?

Assuming their buildings aren't burned down and all their executives hung from lampposts (which seems increasingly likely), whatever's left of them would probably become toxic assets. Some corporations might buy TRW properties that might be useful, but most wouldn't touch it. Their board of directors might seek asylum anywhere that'd have them, since the U.S. isn't exactly going to be friendly to corporate overlords who had such a close relationship with the Rumsfeld administration.

 

[bookmark95]

I'm curious as to what is happening in Mexico:

Last time drew updated, Cardenas came to power on an anti-Rumsfeld ticket, and many Mexican-Americans were migrating back to Mexico during this period.

Could Mexico, with a non-PRI government in power over a decade early, and the influx of Mexican Americans, become a more prosperous country than America in the 1990s, with Mexican border guards trying to stem the tide of American immigration?

And is Rumsfeld planning something to topple Cardenas' socialist regime?

 

[ThePest179]

Speaking of predatory corporate practices, what's the likeliest fate of TRW post-Rumsfeld?

As mentioned above, something along the lines of having their executives lined up against a wall and shot, with most of their buildings destroyed outright.

And is Rumsfeld planning something to topple Cardenas' socialist regime?

Even if he was, he wouldn't be able to do it without nuclear weapons.

 

[bookmark95]

I don't think the state of American after Rumsfeld is overthrown will be easy to describe, considering America is a large and diverse place:

Here are the places I imagine where things will be okay:

California: Thanks to McCloskey opposing Rumsfeld, its sheer size, its enormous and diverse economy, and its distance from Washington.

The Mountain States: Politically, I don't know where "Bozeman" cooperatives stand, but they could fill the gap of social and community structures that Rumsfeld gutted elsewhere. And because they are libertarian, things like marijuana and hemp can be grown there, providing them with a good cash crop.

Places that are terrible:

The Boston-Washington corridor: The brutal, anti-crime policies of Rumsfeld and Agnew have devastated these places worse than the war on drugs has OTL. Anybody with money has abandoned this area long ago. Washington would probably be abandoned, in the manner David Ritz described.

The Midwest: The economic problems of the 1970s, being much worse than OTL, have gutted whole industries like steel and auto manufacturing. And thanks to Rumsfeld's ill-advised policies, an economic recovery is not likely in the near future.

The Deep South and Appalachia: Jim Crown racism, with the rise of Christian Values, has returned this region, potentially sparking racial and ethnic tensions. These areas have probably become virtual theocracies, with alcohol, abortion, contraceptives, homosexuality, "blasphemous" literature, and potentially life-saving medicine all criminal offenses.

Texas: While is should be prosperous like California, a recent update said that G.H.W Bush was sacked and replaced by a Rumsfeldian, so things won't be great there.

Places where the status is ambiguous:

New England: I get hints that New England states oppose the actions of Rumsfeld, and in some cases, successfully resist the actions of his regime. But their proximity to Washington, as well as the loss of manufacturing, means people there would struggle.

Alabama: With George Wallace as governor, there is a possibility that Alabama could emerge prosperous since he's willing to invest in the state instead of shut down the government like Rumsfeld, and protect African American civil rights. But the CVs, having gained great power in the state, could very well threaten Wallace's governance. If they don't succeed politically, their increasing militancy means they could again threaten Wallace, since Alabama is surrounded by CV states on all sides. And since Wallace is in serious health, he may not live enough anyways to help the state.