Slouching Towards Gomorrah (An Alternate Cold War)

"And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?"

- W. B. Yeats

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US Occupation Zone, Tsingtao, New Chinese Republic
March, 1993
01:00AM (UTC+08:00)

The sector was, for this time of night rather active with bars and shops still open at this early hour of the morning. From the various bars that littered the area, music rang out, though it was barely audible over the sounds of the many people inside. These bars along with the other buildings which were still busy at this time of the night functioned as the effective lighting for the dirty streets which had not had any street lights for many years. The buildings looked as worn down as the people; though at night the area seemed to transform into something more lively with people forgetting the hardship and ills of their lives; it's the sort of thing that the alcohol in this area does, it probably has some additives as it was definitely stronger here than back home.

This sector within the greater American zone was known for it's crime and disorder; two of the many ills that had plagued the once united nation of China over the past few decades. It's hard to imagine that all those years ago China was touted perhaps as a future superpower which could rival the US and Soviets; now, well it is hard to call these lands the nation of China - a unified state that has the authority and mandate to call itself 'China' hasn't existed. If you could describe the mainland as a 'state' as opposed to the cluster of protectorates, warlord states, city states, an Islamic state and vast swathes of Terra nullius; then it would probably be best described as the epitome of a failed state. Tsingtao, part of the US Occupation Zone within the New Chinese Republic (formerly the Republic of China or Taiwan) occupies most of the former province of Shandong; situated to the south of the former capital Peking.

The province of Shandong once boasted a population in the tens of millions, as opposed to it's now far higher population - most of which are undocumented due to a lack of a census being held in many years. Most of the population and 'business' is focused on the port City of Tsingtao (indeed only a few people live in the rural areas of the province. Tsingtao many years ago could boast a population of over a million - now due to war and migration it can boast a population much, much higher. Many of these new arrivals came from the west in search of better lives in an attempt to escape the horrors elsewhere in the nation. The United States has held a (military) presence here for over a decade - after a unified effort by foreign powers to prevent China sliding further into anarchy.

Even back then it was accepted by many inside and out of the Westmoreland Administration that there was little that could be done to alleviate the situation. Back in those days there was little appetite, especially from Congress and the public to spend taxpayer's money and resources in Asia; especially after costly venture in Vietnam.

Along the dusty street came a US Military patrol of around six or so men. They walked in a line slowly progressing up the street. The sounds of their voices made the usually loud bars filled to the brim with the natives quiet; their patrol was met as it usually was with the cold distrustful stares of the locals who all stopped what they were doing and watched the Americans walk past. The servicemen were used to this sort of reception by now and barely noticed it, too engrossed by the conversation at hand.

"...So she told him that it was actually his sister!" They all laughed at the joke as they continued to trod through this rough part of town. One of the soldiers then began to speak after the obviously forced laughter ended, "How much further do you think we'll have to go; there's nothing here."

"Just like every patrol," added another soldier as they walked past another silent bar full of unwelcome faces staring in their direction.

"Why the hell are we even here?," asked a private, clearly the youngest and newest there, still getting used to the new equipment and rather heavy rifle, "We've got enough problems back home why do we need to be out here?"

"It's to help civilise these yellow bastards out here and prevent them from becoming communist like they did before"

"But still, why can't we leave it to the Brits and Ruskies; they created this mess didn't they?"

"They need us here. The Brits are pussies and can't even control their area near Hong Kong and the Ruskies will only spread communism; as they always try to do. They need American ingenuity and leadership. After all Rumsfeld said, 'Who do we want to provide leadership in the world? Somebody else?' I say hell no - it's us all the way!."

One of the soldiers spat on the ground and cursed at the mention of Rumsfeld's name - the commanding officer glared and gave him a dirty look. They patrol continued to walk down the street - the buildings in this area appeared more worn down and shabby in comparison to the structures down the road. Even the people in this area seemed to mirror the buildings in their appearance and attitude towards the Americans.

Across the other side of the street the commanding officer spotted a group of men, dressed in traditional black outfits leaning on the side of a building with the ember of a cigarette one was smoking clearly burning. The American looked at the men as he walked past the house; they in turn looked at him. All of a sudden they walked after the smoker inside the house. This was rather strange and made the officer feel rather suspicious; they looked rather suspicious and hadn't been standing there when the patrol had been further back down the road - plus they looked rather seedy and suspicious; as most of the locals did to him. He raised his hand to halt his men and pointed over to the building in question was. The men walked as silently (as six or so men could be with heavy packs, rifles and equipment) over to the door as they could and waited there. He instructed the with hand actions to wait at the side as he knocked on the door.

Inside the building the sounds of voices immediately became silent and the light inside turned off. A short period ensued as muffled voices could be heard inside; the officer was preparing to knock the door a second time when it opened. On the other side of the frame stood one of the men he had seen moments before, dressed all in black with the cigarette still burning.

"Yes?," asked the man as he puffed some smoke into the American's face.

"Uhh... I am..." the man puffed more smoke into his face causing the American to splutter a bit.

"I am Captain MacGregor of the US Military, could me and my men have a look inside your residence here?" The man turned his head to look into the building, then after a period of time turned back to look at the American and nodded his head.

The officer beckoned his men inside and found himself in a rather small dirty looking room, lit by a solitary candle and with adorned with various posters with slogans he could not understand. The several men he had seen a few minutes beforehand were all assembled inside. The smoker began to speak to him as he began to gaze around the room and become accustomed to his surroundings, so much so that he paid little attention to the man who speaking, giving only short muttered remarks to him when he finished speaking.

One of the soldiers said something which he didn't quite here and he turned his head to look at him and ask him what he said. He was distracted by the suggestions the private gave to ask the man that he did not notice the dagger that the 'Chinaman' had lifted from under his outfit. Only at the last minute when he realise that the dagger was being swung for him did he look around to face his attacker, this change in position serving only to provide an excellent opportunity for his throat to unite with the blade.

The next blow hit him in the chest causing him to grimace with the pain as the blade struck. The next blow missed him as he began to fall to the ground and his head hit the ground with a painful thud. His sight began to fade due to the cascade of blood flowing from his neck. As things became darker and darker, fuzzier and fuzzier as he saw his men begin to engage the Chinese.

Then everything turned to black.

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Thoughts? Comments? Suggestions?
__________________
 
So things start going very wrong for China in the 60s which eventually culminates in the collapse of China?

On the politics side, Westmoreland and Rumsfeld, Christ... but the dystopic times have mostly past ITTL?
Also props for for attempting to get Lamm into the White house as he's an interesting fella thats underused due to his positions.
 
So things start going very wrong for China in the 60s which eventually culminates in the collapse of China?

This is an issue I'll address later on - but yes something did happen during the 1960's to cause things to go rather pear shaped.

On the politics side, Westmoreland and Rumsfeld, Christ... but the dystopic times have mostly past ITTL?

My lips are sealed. ;)

Also props for for attempting to get Lamm into the White house as he's an interesting fella thats underused due to his positions.

Indeed he is a less toxic version of George Wallace - a New Deal Democrat with some rather extreme maverick strands on immigration, social issues and on the environment.

Terrific start. Looking forward to more.

Thank you very much.
 
Well, it's better to slouch toward Gomorrah then to fall headlong into it. Can't wait to see where we do end up.
 
Eh, I'm not a fan of the whole "China collapses" cliche. After reading TLs like Icarus Falls and Rumsfeldia, and seeing so many discussions always assume that China is always one crisis away from another Warlord era, the country deserves better IMO.

Then again, maybe that's just my bias from taking some Asian studies courses. I could just write my own TL that gives China better development, or simply wait until YLi updates "The East is Red".

By all means, feel free to continue writing TTL with the China-screw aspect intact. It might still be of interest to me.
 
Thanks to all the comments; much appreciated.

I don't intend to make this into a China-screw. I'll admit I was somewhat inspired by Rumsfeldia and Icarus Falls - but I am for something slightly different there.

The next update will be out in the next few days.
 

Asami

Banned
Eh, I'm not a fan of the whole "China collapses" cliche. After reading TLs like Icarus Falls and Rumsfeldia, and seeing so many discussions always assume that China is always one crisis away from another Warlord era, the country deserves better IMO.

Then again, maybe that's just my bias from taking some Asian studies courses. I could just write my own TL that gives China better development, or simply wait until YLi updates "The East is Red".

By all means, feel free to continue writing TTL with the China-screw aspect intact. It might still be of interest to me.

Not trying to shill, but you could check out my TL "Qilai, Qilai" if you want a Chinawank.

But, oi! Gonzo! Awesome start! :D
 
I am become Death

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Figure 1: Senate Majority Leader Lyndon B. Johnson of Texas​

On July 3, 1955 the American people awoke to the news that the Senate Majority Leader, Lyndon Baines Johnson, Democratic Senator from Texas had died of a severe heart attack while visiting the estate of George Brown (of Brown and Root Construction Company) in beautiful Middleburg, Virginia. Johnson, aged 46 at the time of his death was a 60-cigarette-per-day smoker and it is now generally accepted that this was a large contributing factor to his death at an early age. He had served in the role of Senate Majority Leader for under a year and had served a single two year term as Minority Leader and Majority Whip before that. He was first elected in 1948 and had been reelected the year before his death. As a result of Johnson death the Class 2 Senate seat was now vacant and it now fell on the lap of Conservative Texas Governor Allan Shivers to select Johnson’s replacement. Shivers opted not to pick an established Texas politician when he selected lawyer John Bowden Connally, Jr..

Connally, a veteran of the North African and Pacific campaigns during the war had served as a lawyer and aide to Senator Johnson. Johnson had persuaded the young Connally to leave the Alvin Wirtz law firm and return to Washington, D.C. to serve as a key aide to the Senator. The two had been friends for some years and had been gearing up for a potential Johnson campaign for the Democratic nomination in 1956. The 38 year old Connally was a surprise to many within the party - though he was somewhat aligned with the conservative ‘Shrivercrat’ faction within the party and was suspected to be a typical Southern Democrat with his voting record. In that regard he had a voting record rather similar to the rest of the conservative Southern Democratic bloc which included the likes of South Carolina Senator Strom Thurmond, Virginia Senator Harry F. Byrd, Louisiana Senator Russell B. Long and Senator John Sparkman of Alabama.

Connally however did buck with the bloc (along with Tennessee Senator Albert Gore, Sr. and Estes Kefauver of Tennessee) when he was a non-signatory of the Southern Manifesto - a document written in Spring 1956 in the United States Congress in opposition to racial integration of public spaces - it was signed by 99 Southern Democrats and 2 Republicans (both of Virginia in the House of Representatives.) This refusal earned Connally - along with Gore and Kefauver (and later Texas Democrat Senator Ralph Yarborough) the enmity of their fellow Southerners for a time.

---

President Dwight D. Eisenhower himself suffered a heart attack in late in 1955 continued with his high levels of popularity in the office. Eisenhower had initially sought to be a one term President; but as with other decision, he maintained a position of maximum flexibility in case the Republican Party wished for him to run again. While recovering from his heart attack in late 1955 Eisenhower huddled with a group of his closest advisors to evaluate the Republican Party’s potential candidates - the group along with his doctor concluded that a second term was well advised - Eisenhower announced in February 1956 that he would be running for a second term. Ike was however noncommittal publicly concerning the future of his Vice President Richard M. Nixon on his ticket - in light of his declining health - the issue of whoever was Vice President was considered rather important, if the worst came to pass. For the Republican Party Presidential Primaries of 1956 the incumbent President faced no real opposition - in a few states California Senator William F. Knowland was on the ballot - Knowland - the former Senator Majority Leader and now Senate Minority Leader had stated that he would run for the Republican nomination if Eisenhower opted against running; in the end despite not running his name remained on the ballot paper in a few states.

With various Favourite Sons (Senator John W. Bricker of Ohio, Senator Joe Foss of South Dakota and Secretary of State S.C. Arnold of Montana) tying up loose ends and providing their states to the President; the issue of the Vice Presidency came up once again. Eisenhower personally favoured dumping Nixon in favour of Robert B. Anderson of Texas - Anderson, a Democrat (and the preferred Running Mate for the President of Senator Connally who lobbied hard for the President to select him) and Deputy Secretary of Defense (future Treasury Secretary) refused the President’s offer and thus Eisenhower was resolved to leaving the matter in the hands of the party - which selected Vice President Nixon once again.

The Democratic Party - clearly the underdogs in this election had an unusually competitive primaries - 1952 Democratic nominee Adlai Stevenson faced Tennessee Senator Estes Kefauver. In March 1956 Kefauver won a stunning victory over Stevenson in New Hampshire by nearly an 18,000 vote margin over Stevenson. Kefauver repeated this later that month in Minnesota and in the Wisconsin primary. It appeared by April that Kefauver was on his way to a primary sweep similar to the spectacular performance in 1952 - Stevenson however managed to eek out victories in Oregon, Florida and California and thus the nomination. At the convention in the International Amphitheater in Chicago, Illinois the former Governor was selected easily on the first ballot with 905.5 votes (65.9%) to New York Governor W. Averell Harriman’s 210 (15.3%.) In third place was Texas Senator John Connally who received 80 votes and nearly 6% (5.8%) of the ballots.

The highlight of the Convention came when Stevenson - in an effort to create an atmosphere of excitement made the surprise announcement that the convention’s delegates would choose a running mate. The convention erupted into a frenzy as delegates desperately scrambled to select a Vice Presidential nominee. There were many candidates in the running including Senator Hubert Humphrey of Minnesota, New York City Mayor Robert F. Wagner, Jr., Senator Albert Gore, Sr. of Tennessee - the two main contenders for the nomination were however Estes Kefauver and Senator John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts. Kefauver maintained most of his primary delegates faced off against the relatively unknown Kennedy. Despite an initial lead for the Tennesseean on the first ballot by over 170 votes his lead began to decline; after a shift Kennedy was in the lead and was on one ballot 15 votes shy of winning. As a result a number of states then left their ‘favourite son’ candidates and switched to Kefauver eventually giving him a victory after several more ballots. The Massachusetts Senator gave a gracious concession speech that surely raised his profile for potential 1960 Presidential run - if he should so run.

In the General Election Stevenson campaigned hard against Eisenhower using the medium of television ads like the Republicans to spread his message. His defeat in 1952 was due in large part to Eisenhower winning the female vote; therefore there was a plethora of ‘housewife’ and female focused ads. Several commentators at the time argued that the new prominence of television was a major factor in the President’s opting to run for reelection in 1956 due to the ability of television for Eisenhower to reach people across the nation without having the endure the strain of repeated cross state and coast travel - thus making a nation campaign feasible for the ailing President.

The Democratic campaign proposed significant increases in Government spending for social programs and treaties with the Soviet Union in order to lower military spending and end nuclear testing by both of the nations. Stevenson also argued for an end of the military draft - instead arguing in favour of switching to an “all-volunteer” military force - something Eisenhower publicly opposed (though he was privately working for a ban on atmospheric nuclear testing.) Due in part to his personal and political popularity during World War II and his first term Eisenhower maintained comfortable leads during the campaign over his Democratic opponent.

Eisenhower’s polling was further increased during the final few weeks of the campaign due to his handling of two foreign policy crises that occurred. The citizens of the People’s Republic of Hungary had risen in revolt against the Soviet occupiers and in support of Hungarian Communist Leader Imre Nagy and his liberalising reforms - the Soviets responded by invading the nation on October 26. Three days later, a combined Anglo-French-Israeli force invaded in Egypt to topple Gamal Abdel Nasser and seize control of the recently nationalised Suez Canal - a resolution of the crisis moved rapidly through the United Nations while the Hungarian revolt was brutally crushed by the invading Soviet forces. Eisenhower condemned both actions; despite his rhetoric he could not help Hungary but he did however forcefully pressure the British, French and Israelis to withdraw from Egypt.

The President’s actions caused support for him to swell in the last few weeks and assured him an even larger victory than before the crises. Eisenhower’s administration had given it’s support to the Brown V. Board of Education ruling by the Supreme Court in 1954 - which effectively ended legal segregation in public schools. Due to this Eisenhower received the support of a considerable portion of the black electorate - a feat which at the time was rather impressive.

Eisenhower lead by considerable levels throughout the campaign. On election day he received well over 57% of the vote, 41 of the 48 states and 457 electoral votes. Stevenson however won only seven states, six in the South and one (Missouri) border state - compared to Eisenhower he received 42% of the vote and 73 electoral votes. Walter Burgwyn Jones of Alabama and Governor Herman Talmadge received an electoral vote from Alabama despite not having ran a campaign. The Unpledged Electors ‘ticket’ won 0.3% of the vote though it managed to receive 29.5% of the vote in South Carolina - far behind Stevenson’s 45.4% and marginally ahead of Eisenhower’s 25.2% of the vote.

President Dwight D. Eisenhower was sworn in for a second time by his appointed Chief Justice Carl Warren, on January 21, 1957 at the U.S. Capitol for his second and final term as President along with his Vice President Richard Nixon (sworn in by Senate Minority Leader, William F. Knowland of California.) It was certain that foreign policy issues and Civil Rights would dominate the President’s next term - though no one was sure how it would exactly turn out.

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1956 United States Presidential Election

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Dwight D. Eisenhower / Richard Nixon (R) - 457 Electoral Votes (57.4%)
Adlai Stevenson / Estes Kefauver (D) - 73 Electoral Votes (42.0%)
Walter B. Jones / Herman Talmadge (UE) - 1 Electoral Vote (N/A)

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1956 United States Senate Election

Partisan division of the United States Senate at the close of the 84th Congress:

Democratic: 49
Republican: 47

Partisan division of the United States Senate, 8th Congress in January 1957:

Democratic: 49
Republican: 47

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1956 United States House of Representatives Election

Partisan division of the United States Senate at the close of the 84th Congress:

Democratic: 232
Republican: 203

Partisan division of the United States Senate, 8th Congress in January 1957:

Democratic: 234
Republican: 201
 
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It really was a great title. Man, conservative legal scholars are so damn good at writing.

The best thing about it was that Yeats' use of "Bethlehem" was ironic to begin with, ie. the birthplace of Christ will now be the birthplace of the antichrist. So Bork was just making the original joke obvious by switching it to a recognized evil city.
 
The best thing about it was that Yeats' use of "Bethlehem" was ironic to begin with, ie. the birthplace of Christ will now be the birthplace of the antichrist. So Bork was just making the original joke obvious by switching it to a recognized evil city.

It's a good phrase and title - needless to say that's why I selected it for the title of the TL.
 
Nice update. I did notice a few mistakes: a misspelling, a parenthesis that wasn't closed, etc. The contents of the update was pretty good however, a slow buildup after the POD.
 
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