The Schoolteacher from Texas

I know RB is happy(If he's spotted this TL) that we've got a DLC Potus for years earlier than IOTL. Itll be interesting to see how he diverges butterfly wise from the Bush Adminstration on both Foriegn and Domestic Policy. At age 40 he'll be the youngest inauguarated President in US History. Ill definatley be looking to see how Mayor Welch-Edwards fits into this:D
 
As I said, I'm undecided whether to include him or not, my personal list for 1992 Republicans were Bob Dole, Phil Gramm, Dick Cheney and Colin Powell.
 
VP Paul Simon! Yay. Bowties Uber Alles!

I do believe that Gore in '88 would carry Tennessee, seeing how his policies were different than 2000.
 
Coincidentally, P_Gore, have you read Laura Bush's White House memoirs Spoken from the Heart?
 
Not Gore, and I'm sad GHWB will never become POTUS. :(

Really, He was much more conservative in his '88 run than he was in 2000...Here's what a campaign brochure had to say about his goals...

4president.org said:
"This is a fight for America's future. We stand at a fork in the road. For your children and mine, we must choose a new path toward a future with hope."
-AL GORE



I have 4 goals:



Rebuilding America's economic strength

Rekindling our commitment to social justice

Ending the arms race by negotiating from a position of strength

Restoring integrity to the White House

Al Gore has held almost 2,000 town meetings during 12 years in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate.



Al Gore

Democrat for President



Restoring America's Economic Strength…



…That means giving Americans the tools they need to compete in the world economy -- the best educational system in the world, job training, and day care. It also means forging a responsible budget policy that restores confidence in our economy.



…It means making it easier for families to buy their homes and send their kids to college. It means stopping the export of jobs overseas.



Al Gore can get things done. He has a record to prove it. He chaired the first hearing ever held on hazardous chemical waste and the pollution of groundwater. He helped write laws to clean up toxic dumps, protect children from defective infant formula, and establish a national organ donor network that has saved thousands of lives.



AL GORE: Leadership to Renew the American Spirit



A Clean Environment -- Al Gore was a principal author of the landmark Superfund Act to clean up hazardous waste dumps and is now chairman of the leading environmental protection group in Congress. He will fight to reverse the trends that threaten deterioration of our water, air, soil, and ozone layer.



A Healthy Nation -- Al Gore will work to lower health care costs, provide long-term care for the elderly, reduce infant mortality, and find cures for Alzheimer's and AIDS.



Social Security -- Al Gore will protect our Social Security system so that older Americans can be assured financial security.



Strong Families -- Al Gore will work for policies to strengthen families, including better child care, a vigorous war on drugs and a renewed commitment to America's children.



The Best Schools -- Al Gore will help America compete for the future with sharper minds, not lower wages, by investing in early education, doing more to attract our best and brightest college graduates to the teaching profession, and setting a national goal of creating the best schools in the entire world.



A Just and Fair Society -- Al Gore will continue the struggle to expand opportunities for all Americans and to fight for civil, equal, and human rights.



Sensible Farm Policies -- As the owner of an active livestock farm, Al Gore has offered a program to enlarge the nations conservation reserve, improve commodity policies and promote rural economic development.



Building a Safer World through a Strong America



"Our most serious challenge as a people is to end the arms race and build a safer, saner world."



The Soviet Union has a new and energetic leader. The free world desperately needs a leader who can match him, test him, bargain with him, and make the most of what might be an historic opportunity to verifiably control the arms race on terms that enhance our national security.



Al Gore is one of the leading arms control experts in the country. His arms control plan would make it impossible for either superpower to gain an advantage from a first strike.



"Gore has demonstrated an ability to master large and complicated problems -- nuclear arms control being the foremost example." -Morton Kondracke The New Republic



Al Gore is a United States Senator from Tennessee. He and his wife Tipper have four children: Karenna 14, Kristin 10, Sarah 9, and Albert 5.



Al was raised in Carthage Tennessee, and in Washington, D.C., where his father served in the U.S. Senate. He earned a scholarship at Harvard, and graduated with honors in 1969. He then volunteered for the U.S. Army and served in Vietnam.



After returning home to Tennessee, he worked as a newspaper reporter for the "Tennessean" and studied theology and law at Vanderbilt University. He was elected to the House of Representatives in 1976.



In 1984, he was elected to the Senate with more votes than any other candidate in Tennessee history.



Tipper Gore is an author and a leading advocate for family values. When the Senate is not in session, the family lives on a small livestock farm near Carthage.



I served in Vietnam. I know there are better ways to resolve our differences than through war.



A WINNING FORMULA

“Gore has returned to what was a simple winning formula for the Democratic Party, an activist foreign policy backed by military strength and an energetic domestic policy in behalf of the economically weak and vulnerable.” -William Shannon Boston Globe
 
Chapter Five - January 1989 to January 1991

Al Gore - The Conservative Liberal
January 31st 1989


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President Gore, House Majority Leader Gephardt, Chief of Staff Jackson and Vice President Simon conferring after Gore's Joint Session speech outlaying his legislative agenda

Albert Gore is the youngest-ever President of the United States, he was narrowly elected against experienced Vice President Howard Baker in an upset. The two men's political connections are long ranging, Gore ran in the 1982 special election to fill Baker's Senate seat replacing appointed Senator Dan Kuykendall. He proved popular in his first two years in the Senate, being elected to a full term in 1984 in a major landslide while Baker was returned to the Vice Presidency in a landslide as well.

While Baker's chances of the Presidency have slipped away, Tennessee residents look forward to the Presidency of the man they narrowly gave the election and state to by 68,000 votes which if had gone to Baker could have seen him win. With a slender mandate, President Gore has his work cut out for him. His platform involves lowering health care costs which he will be working with the Democratic strong Congress for and also he will be putting forward some environmental protection legislation. Both of these acts will be the centre pieces for his first six months in office.

His administration is taking form as well; the selection of Paul Simon as Vice President has got much praise from the party; after a long period in the Senate and House with a stint as Lieutenant Governor of Illinois behind that. He has gained a reputation as a maverick and free thinker and will likely be a strong force amongst a new, young minded President. The new Secretary of State is another political veteran, former New York Governor Hugh Carey who was widely praised for his handling of the 1980 Olympics and made many visits to European and Asian cities when Governor.

The Treasury Secretary is media darling Ann Richards who made a profound impact at the Democratic convention with her well-received speech attacking the Republicans and her prudence in managing Texas' finances. With his unexperience on defence issues, President Gore has nominated former Army Chief of Staff General William Westmoreland as Secretary of Defense. The White House staff is rounded out by Chief of Staff Jesse Jackson who was Gore's rival for the nomination, he has also been appointed Special Envoy for Racial Issues. Meanwhile, a surprise appointment has seen former Secretary of State Edmund Muskie made National Security Advisor.

Gore's inauguration speech promised change and new ideas to America and he outlined the economy, social justice and foreign policy as his goals; his platform is very conservative for a Democrat but insiders argue that he will be able to bring consenus in Congress and the country. His recent legislative agenda speech three days ago promised new bills for health, housing, education and energy and these will test his ability to deal with Congress.

PRESIDENT SENDS ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION ACT TO CONGRESS
- New York Times, February 1989

CONGRESS PASSES ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION ACT, OIL DRILLING TO BE MOVED OFF-SHORE
- Washington Post, March 1989

"It is arguable that the Environmental Protection Act of 1989 helped someway to reducing fossil fuel emissions by 2% in the US and led to further cuts in fossil fuel use over the coming years." Comment made by leading Nobel Prize scientist in 2003

AUSTIN MAYOR LAUNCHES BID FOR RE-ELECTION
- Austin-American Statesman, May 1989

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Mayor Laura Welch-Edwards launched her bid for re-election this afternoon at her former teaching school in Austin. Mrs Welch-Edwards was surrounded by her family and Democratic colleagues on City Council who have supported her wholly during her 20-month mayoral tenure which has seen illiteracy levels fall, economic prudence used in her Budget while increased levels of spending were used for education and housing. She has had several bitter battles with Republicans and the School Board over these matters and has yet to prove her environmental credentials having ducked questions about the Environmental Protection Act. She currently enjoys a healthy lead in opinion polls though over any Republican challenger and her approvals are in the 70% range due to her firm command of the Mayoralty after the death of Charles Jones.

Potential challengers to her regime include former Mayor Carole Keeton Strayhorn who may want to reclaim her previous position, Republican lawyer Barry Williamson and finally City Councilman Roger Lewis who defeated Helen Banks in 1985. Lewis appears to be the frontrunner for the GOP against Welch-Edwards and this was further intensified by an appearance on Tuesday from former Governor and recently defeated Vice Presidential nominee George Bush supporting Lewis in his opposition to Welch-Edwards' healthcare reforms in Austin. Welch-Edwards' clearly takes him seriously as she is rumoured to be courting Rick Perry who served as Al Gore's campaign chair in Texas to run her re-election campaign. Husband Chet Edwards is reportedly mulling a State Senate bid in the interim.

GORE CALLS FOR CALM AFTER TIANANMEN SQUARE PROTESTS IN CHINA
- CNN, June 1989

PRESIDENT GORE PUTS FORWARD AFFORDABLE CARE ACT, GOP'S STEVENS LEADS OPPOSITION
- New York Times, June 1989

VICE PRESIDENT SIMON AND HHS SECRETARY HAWKINS COURT GOP SENATORS ON AFFORDABLE CARE ACT
- Washington Post, June 1989

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Paula Hawkins is best remembered as the woman who crossed party lines to reform healthcare. She championed causes for the disabled after a freak accident in 1982 caused her neck and back problems. Having been defeated in 1986 for re-election to a second Senate term; she made a surprise political comeback by accepting Al Gore's offer of Secretary of Health and Human Services in 1989.

AFFORDABLE CARE ACT PASSES CONGRESS, GORE TO SIGN BILL ASAP
- New York Times, September 1989

GORE CALLS FOR BERLIN WALL TO BE TAKEN DOWN, ADVOCATES FREEDOM BETWEEN GERMANS
- Washington Post, September 1989

AL GORE APPOINTS FORMER PRESIDENT REAGAN AS SPECIAL ENVOY TO GERMANY TO ADVOCATE FREEDOM
- New York Times, October 1989

BERLIN WALL FALLS, GERMANY RE-UNITED
- CNN, November 1989

Berlin%20Wall%20Freedom.jpg

Live images from Germany detailing the fall of the wall

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President Gore addressing reporters on the fall of the wall

MAYOR WELCH-EDWARDS WINS PRIMARY FOR DEMOCRATIC NOMINATION, LEWIS IS GOP NOMINEE
- Austin-American Statesman, December 1989

GORE HAILS EQUALITY AS WILDER SWORN IN AS FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN GOVERNOR
- Washington Post, January 1990

COLD WAR INTENSIFIES AS LITHUANIA DECLARES INDEPENDENCE
- CNN, March 1990

PRESIDENT GORE CALLS FOR ACTION TO STABILIZE EUROPE, THATCHER JOINS WITH HIM
- CNN, April 1990

President shot in New York
May 3rd 1990


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First responders attending to what is believed to be the body of a Secret Service agent

President Al Gore was shot today while making a public speech on the issue of business in the financial district of New York City. At around 1:34pm, shots rang out from the crowd where it is believed a man had smuggled a pistol into the area around the President and fired on him. Witnesses saw the President hit by two bullets and fell to the ground where he was covered by a herd of Secret Service agents and rushed to his limousine accompanied by distraught First Lady Tipper Gore. The assassin fired at agents, hitting one befre he is believed to have been gunned down by other agents. The President's limo arrived at Lenox Hill Hospital, the closest hospital where he is undergoing treatment.

Vice President Simon visiting Fresno is onboard Air Force Two and will arrive at the White House in a few hours where he will be awaiting reports from Lenox Hill.

AL GORE DIES IN SURGERY FROM GUNSHOT WOUNDS, VICE PRESIDENT SIMON TO BE SWORN IN

Al_Gore_Vice_President_of_the_United_States_official_portrait_1994.jpg

Albert Gore Jr. (1948 - 1990)

SIMON SWORN IN AS 42ND PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
50364753.jpg


PRESIDENT SIMON HAILS GORE AS "HERO OF AMERICA"
- Washington Post, May 1990

AL GORE BURIED WITH FULL HONORS
- New York Times, May 1990

SIMON INTRODUCES SOCIAL SECURITY PROTECTION ACT
- Washington Post, June 1990

SENATE MAJORITY LEADER GEORGE MITCHELL (D-ME) NOMINATED FOR VICE PRESIDENT
- New York Times, July 1990

MITCHELL SWORN IN AS 45TH VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
- Washington Post, August 1990

SOCIAL SECURITY PROTECTION ACT PASSES
- New York Times, September 1990

DEMOCRATS LOOK SET TO INCREASE MAJORITY IN MIDTERMS
- Washington Post, September 1990

SIMON CAMPAIGNS ON ISSUES OF ECONOMY AND HOUSING
- New York Times, October 1990

DEMOCRATS INCREASE SENATE MAJORITY; DEMS 57, GOP, 43
- Washington Post, November 1990

DEMOCRATS INCREASE HOUSE MAJORITY; DEMS 270, GOP 164
- New York Times, November 1990

MAYOR WELCH-EDWARDS' RE-ELECTED BY 61% TO 39%
- Austin-American Statesman, November 1990

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President Paul Simon accompanied by First Lady Jeanne Simon making his infamous "We will fight for reform, we will fight for America" speech after the mid-term elections, November 2nd 1990
 
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VP Paul Simon! Yay. Bowties Uber Alles!

I do believe that Gore in '88 would carry Tennessee, seeing how his policies were different than 2000.

But Simon's were well to the left of 1988 Gore's, and some of the latter's political flaws are still there all those years earlier.
 
Chapter Six - January 1991 to January 1993

PRESIDENT SIMON RESHUFFLES CABINET
January 16th 1991

50407474.jpg

President Simon speaking with the Pakistani President which will be the last foreign meeting for Secretary of State Hugh Carey

President Paul Simon has made a strong earmark on his administration by carving out several conservative Gore members and bringing in liberal men and women to the Cabinet. Some conservatives such as Secretary of the Treasury Ann Richards and Secretary of Health and Human Services Paula Hawkins stay, but Secretary of Agriculture Jamie Whitten and Secretary of State Hugh Carey are resigning it has been confirmed. White House Chief of Staff Jesse Jackson has been nominated to serve as Secretary of State while Governor Bill Clinton of Arkansas has been nominated to replace Whitten.

The Administration
From February 7th 1991

President - Paul Simon (D-IL)
Vice President - George Mitchell (D-ME)

Secretary of State - Jesse Jackson (D-SC)
Secretary of the Treasury - Ann Richards (D-TX)

Secretary of Defense - William Westmoreland (R-SC)
Attorney General - Janet Reno (D-FL)
Secretary of the Interior - Bruce Babbitt (D-CO)
Secretary of Agriculture - Bill Clinton (D-AR)
Secretary of Commerce - Ron Brown (D-DC)
Secretary of Labor - Robert Reich (D-PA)

Secretary of Health and Human Services - Paula Hawkins (R-FL)
Secretary of Education - Richard Riley (D-SC)
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development - Don Fuqua (D-FL)
Secretary of Transportation - Robert Roe (D-NJ)

Secretary of Energy - Hazel O'Leary (I-VA)
Secretary of Veterans Affairs - James Watkins (R-CA)

White House Chief of Staff - Paul Kirk (D-MA)
White House Press Secretary - Mike McCurry (D-SC)
National Security Advisor - Edmund Muskie (D-ME)


MAYOR WELCH-EDWARDS ENCOUNTERS TROUBLE OVER OIL BUSINESS
- Austin-American Statesman, March 1991

It has been given on good authority that Mayor Laura Welch-Edwards is in the midst of a political scandal after it emerged that her husband, Chet Edwards who is the Chief Financial Officer and 12% shareholder of Rentol Oil in Austin has been running an illusive Ponzi scheme with company shareholders in order to increase his stock options. The Mayor's office denied comment on the matter, but the matter is vastly spreading throughout the state. Governor Clements has issued a statement condemning the actions of Mr Edwards and called for an inquiry. Members of the City Council will convene tonight to see whether the Mayor wishes to speak to them on the matter or if they will be hearing her resignation speech.

MAYOR REFUSES TO QUIT OVER PONZI SCANDAL, DENIES KNOWLEDGE
- Austin-American Statesman, March 1991

MAYOR ORDERS HUSBAND ARRESTED FOR FINANCIAL CRIMES, ANNOUNCES DIVORCE FROM CHET EDWARDS
- Austin-American Statesman, April 1991

The way in which Laura Welch dealt with the potential end of her political career was swift, ruthless and calculated. In private, her memoirs in 2014 dictated that at the time she had been unaware of such a scheme being held by her then husband, Chet Edwards. Being the Mayor, she knew it could topple her and with it the chance of a Democrat winning an election in Austin again. She spent a few hours antagonizing over her course of action, then she summoned the Chief of Police to her office where she informed him that she was issuing a warrant for the arrest of Chet Edwards who was arrested on April 3rd 1991 at the couple's home. She then phoned for her lawyer and told him to start proceedings for an annulment of marriage to Chet Edwards, arguing that as he was a convict, she be given full custody of their children.

The lawyer's agreed and on May 1st, the marriage of Chet Edwards and Laura Welch was over; she changed her name from Laura Welch-Edwards to her maiden of Laura Welch the same day and in the eyes of many, washed her hands of her husband. Men viewed her as a ruthless hawk while women applauded her for her swift action in deposing a corrupt husband. Afterward, Welch co-operated fully with inquiries and her popularity took a narrow dent.

As of 2014, Chet Edwards is serving a 30 year prison sentence for his actions which began in 1992, he is due for release in 2022.
- Laura Welch, A Most Intriguing Woman, Published 2014

PRESIDENT SIMON'S HOUSING COMMISSION CREATION ACT PASSES IN CONGRESS
- Washington Post, June 1991

MAYOR WELCH TO RESIGN EFFECTIVE JULY 1ST
- Austin-American Statesman, June 1991

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Mayor Laura Welch has announced in a public statement today that she is resigning as Mayor of Austin in part due to the breakup of her marriage and plummeting approval ratings. She assumed office upon the death of Charles Jones in September 1987 and was tipped as a future Senator or Governor with her pledge not to seek a third term in 1994 and was likely to run for the Senate in 1992. However, she said in her statement that it is her intention to leave politics for good and return to teaching elementary school children. She has accepted a post at a small private girls school outside the city and will assume her role in September. Mayor Pro Tem Hector Lang will assume the mayoral office upon Ms. Welch's resignation on July 1st.

"A sad loss to politics" - The words of Treasury Secretary Ann Richards upon hearing of Welch's resignation

PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARIES BEGIN WITH SIMON'S ANNOUNCEMENT THAT HE WILL SEEK RE-ELECTION

Republicans

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Senator Phil Gramm of Texas

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Senator Robert Dole of Kansas

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Governor Pete Wilson of California

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Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania

Democrats

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President Paul Simon of Illinois

GRAMM WINS IOWA CAUCUS
January 1992

WILSON WINS NEW HAMPSHIRE
January 1992

SPECTER WINS SOUTH CAROLINA
February 1992

GRAMM FAVORITE TO WIN SUPER TUESDAY
February 1992

GRAMM TAKES FOUR STATES, WILSON TAKES TWO, DOLE THREE AND SPECTER ONE.
February 1992

SPECTER WITHDRAWS AND ENDORSES WILSON FOR PRESIDENT
March 1992

DOLE FORCED TO WITHDRAW, ENDORSES GRAMM
April 1992

GRAMM WINS TEXAS, WILSON TAKES OHIO
April 1992

BITTER REPUBLICAN BATTLE RESULTS IN DEADLOCK
May 1992

WILSON CAPITULATES AFTER PENNSYLVANIA LOSS
June 1992

GRAMM BECOMES PRESUMPTIVE GOP NOMINEE
June 1992

United States Presidential Election, 1992

Democratic Ticket
President Paul Simon of Illinois/Vice President George Mitchell of Maine


Republican Ticket
Senator Phil Gramm of Texas/Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania


2012
The New York Times releases headlines that they feel defined the 1992 US Presidential election


SIMON HAS STRONG LEAD FOLLOWING DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION
- September 2nd

SIMON PROMISES UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE IF RE-ELECTED
- September 16th

GRAMM ATTACKS SIMON HEALTHCARE PLAN
- September 22nd

SIMON WINS FIRST DEBATE
- September 29th

GRAMM OUTLINES CONSERVATIVE POLICIES INCLUDING TAX CUTS
- October 2nd

SIMON CALLS TAX CUTS IRRESPONSIBLE, OUTLINES ECONOMIC PRUDENCE
- October 7th

SPECTER WINS VP DEBATE
- October 12th

SIMON WINS SECOND DEBATE, GRAMM LEFT FLOUNDERING
- October 19th

SIMON HAS TEN POINT LEAD IN POLLS, GRAMM ON THE ROPES
- October 26th

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"I want you to be the next Secretary of Education" - The words said by President Paul Simon to former Mayor of Austin Laura Welch in December 1992, recorded in the President's memoirs he said that he could not let her fester away in teaching and offered her the job to replace Richard Riley. Ms. Welch was sworn in as Education Secretary on January 23rd 1993
 
"I want you to be the next Secretary of Education" - The words said by President Paul Simon to former Mayor of Austin Laura Welch in December 1992, recorded in the President's memoirs he said that he could not let her fester away in teaching and offered her the job to replace Richard Riley. Ms. Welch was sworn in as Education Secretary on January 23rd 1993

A nice bump in national attention
 
The Schoolteacher from Texas was never intended to be a long-term timeline, simply to help me grasp a knowledge on the time period and to lay ground for a long-term timeline. So, with this final paragraph I shall bring it to an end.

March 21st 2022
Laura Welch dies in Austin

Laura Welch, the schoolteacher turned politician died today at the age of 75 after a battle with cancer. Ms Welch first entered politics in 1979 when she was elected to the Austin School Board, then to City Council in 1982. She served as Mayor Pro Tempore of the City Council from 1985 to 1987 and as Mayor following the death of Charles Jones from 1987 to 1991 when she resigned following controversy about her husband's financial dealings. Welch was made Secretary of Education in the government of Paul Simon from 1993 to 1997 and was the surprise choice by George Mitchell to be Vice President in 1996.

Vice President Welch was regarded as a powerful woman but loyal to the President, who lost in 2000 to John McCain. Four years later, Welch defeated Bill Clinton in a bitter primary race and was elected President in 2005. She left office in 2013
 
Presidents of the United States:

40. Ronald Reagan (R-CA): 1981-1989
41. Albert Gore, Jr. (D-TN): 1989-1990
42. Paul Simon (D-IL): 1990-1997
43. George Mitchell (D-ME): 1997-2001
44. John McCain (R-AZ): 2001-2005
45. Laura Welch (D-TX): 2005-2013
 
"... Walters is one of them stay at home soccer moms we all know and fear..."
- January 1979
- The Laura Diaries, published 2014

Very minor point. "Soccer Mom" wasn't really used as a term until at least the 1980's, as soccer wasn't a popular kids sport until then. I don't think it entered national vocabulary until the late '90's.

Also: You killed Gore! You Bastard!

Edit:
Oops, I see this was a resurrected thread from some time ago. Apologies.
 
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