FAN #200: "The Lads From Luanda" by Johnny Pez

Today we reach the two century mark, with the appearance in the Sobel Wiki of For All Nails vignette #200: "The Lads From Luanda" by yours truly, a sequel to Sir Francis Burdett's "URGENT BUSINESS PROPOSAL".  Also up is #211: "Fantascience Friction" by David Mix Barrington, a Statist article from June 1976 about trouble for Mexican filmmaker Lucas Jorge in the Cape Kingdom.

"The Lads From Luanda" was named after a website called Scam o Rama: The Lads from Lagos, whose participants enjoy baiting 419 fraudsters.  I'd also like to take this opportunity to take credit for coining the word "fantascience", the Sobel Timeline's version of science fiction.

"The Lads From Luanda" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 22 December 2002, and "Fantascience Friction" on 6 February 2003.

FAN #199: "What's on the Vita Then?" by Sir Francis Burdett

Up today at the Sobel Wiki we have two more For All Nails vignettes.  First is #111D: "Kill All the Lawyers" by Noel Maurer, the final installment of his vacation quartet, in which the U.S.M.'s Secretary of War provokes a constitutional crisis in September 1974 by refusing to let the President fire him.  Next is #199: "What's on the Vita Then?" by Sir Francis Burdett, a look at the new 1975 vitavision season in the C.N.A.

"Kill All the Lawyers" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 10 September 2002, and "What's on the Vita Then?" was posted on 18 December 2002 as "Anything Good on Vita Tonight?"  The title was changed at the request of David Mix Barrington for the sake of the Monty Python reference.

FAN #198: "URGENT BUSINESS PROPOSAL" by Sir Francis Burdett

Up today at the Sobel Wiki are two more For All Nails vignettes.  First, the third of Noel Maurer's quartet of post-vacation vignettes, #111C: "Call the Police There's a Madman Around", in which President Moctezuma's aides discuss the disturbing information provided by Joan Kahn.  Next, #198: "URGENT BUSINESS PROPOSAL" by Sir Francis Burdett, in which we learn that not even the Sobel Timeline is safe from advance fee fraud.

"Call the Police There's a Madman Around" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 10 September 2002, and "URGENT BUSINESS PROPOSAL" was first posted on 18 December 2002 as Four Awl Nails XXIV, this being Sir Francis' way of posting unofficial FAN vignettes (as noted earlier, "Drinking Guide to Burgoyne" was originally Four Awl Nails vignette # IX, and "There She Is" was originally # XIII).  The FAN Cabal was so taken with "URGENT BUSINESS PROPOSAL" that it was retroactively made an official FAN vignette and assigned slot #198.  I made it even more official by writing a sequel, which we will be seeing here in a couple of days.

FAN #197: "What Dreams May Come" by Johnny Pez

It was pretty much inevitable that at some point, I would write a crossover episode combining For All Nails and the Drowned Baby Timeline, and this is it. Up now at the Sobel Wiki is For All Nails vignette #197: "What Dreams May Come", in which Polish leaders from two alternate histories briefly meet each other: King Frederick Hohenzollern of the Sobel Timeline, and President Edward Raczyński of the Drowned Baby Timeline.  Also up is the second part of Noel Maurer's mighty vignette, #111B: "You Can't Go Home Again", in which we are introduced to Sebastian Quezadas, Mexican academic and reserve army officer, and Noel's author avatar (most of us in the FAN Cabal had at least one).

As noted before, all four of Noel's 111 vignettes, including "You Can't Go Home Again", were first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 10 September 2002.  "What Dreams May Come" was posted on 19 December 2002 (and its sequel, Drowned Baby Timeline episode 76: "Must Give Us Pause", was posted on 19 January 2003).

FAN #194: "La Reforma Politica" by Noel Maurer

Today at the Sobel Wiki we've got another Noel Maurer two-fer for you.  First is For All Nails vignette #111A: "The Osterman Weekday", in which Joan Kahn passes along the information she gained in vignette #104D: "The Gun Room".  The second is #194: "La Reforma Politica", an account of President Immanuel Moctezuma's various political reforms in the spring on 1975, and their subsequent effects on Mexican politics.

"The Osterman Weekday" was part of a massive untitled vignette that Noel wrote after returning from a vacation in the summer of 2002.  He left it to the rest of the FAN Cabal to turn it into something that could be posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup.  I volunteered for the duty, and I divided the vignette into four parts, gave each a separate title, and performed a general rewrite which Noel praised more than it deserved.

"The Osterman Weekday" was posted to shw-i (along with its three sibling vignetts) on 10 September 2002, and "La Reforma Politica" on 7 February 2003.

FAN #192: "God's Smugglers" by Vegard Valberg

Up today at the Sobel Wiki, along with articles on John Hancock and his namesake California city Puerto Hancock, are two more For All Nails vignettes: first, #85: "Mobile Locos" by Noel Maurer, in which a North American travel writer talks about driving in the United States of Mexico, and #192: "God's Smugglers" by Vegard Valberg (the only FAN vignette by this soc.history.what-if regular), in which a Scandinavian priest travels to Victoria in January 1973.

"Mobile Locos" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 21 May 2002, and "God's Smugglers" on 16 December 2002.

FAN #189: "(Can't Get No) Satisfaction" by Johnny Pez

Up today at the Sobel Wiki are two significant For All Nails vignettes, serving as signposts to the American War.  First is #71: "Southern Exposure" by Noel Maurer, where we look at the origins of the Elbittar Coup in New Granada from February 1971 to May 1973.  The second is my own #189: "(Can't Get No) Satisfaction", in which the Bornhold Pact chooses between peace and war in January 1975.

"Southern Exposure" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 6 April 2002, and "(Can't Get No) Satisfaction" on 11 December 2002.

FAN #188: "The Second Republic" by Johnny Pez

Up today at the Sobel Wiki, along with an article on vulcazine, are two more For All Nails vignettes.  First is #68: "She's Got Legs" by Noel Maurer, in which the newly-elected President of the USM meets an influential senator in May 1972.  Next is my own #188: "The Second Republic", an excerpt from a history of the Polish uprising of 1881.

"She's Got Legs" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 7April 2002, and "The Second Republic" on 9 December 2002.

FAN #187: "The Children's Crusade" by M. G. Alderman

Up today at the Sobel Wiki are two more For All Nails vignettes: first is #67: "Even Paranoids Have Enemies" by Noel Maurer, in which Mexican businessman Robert Contreras learns that he has a dangerous enemy in the War Department.  Next is #187: "The Children's Crusade" by M. G. Alderman, in which a student at the University of New Orleans writes home in January 1975.

"Even Paranoids Have Enemies" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 6 April 2002, and "The Children's Crusade" on 13 January 2003.

FAN #185: "Ramadan" by Jonathan Edelstein

We have two more For All Nails vignettes up at the Sobel Wiki today.  First is #64: "A Meeting of the Minds" by Noel Maurer, in which Noel's Robert Contreras character meets his Immanuel Moctezuma character in September 1971; it's a direct sequel to #37: "The Candidate".  Next is #185: "Ramadan" by Jonathan Edelstein, set in Ouadai, the For All Nails version of the North African nation of Chad, in October 1974.

"A Meeting of the Minds" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 14 March 2002, and "Ramadan" on 4 December 2002.

FAN #184: "How You Like Them Oranges?" by Noel Maurer

Today at the Sobel Wiki it's another double dose of Noel Maurer.  First up is #60: "The Spaced Service", in which the Governor-General's aides discuss the CNA's new space program in February 1973.  Next is #184: "How You Like Them Oranges?", a Statist article on organized crime in the CNA stock market from May 1976.

"The Spaced Service" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 5 March 2002, and "How You Like Them Oranges?' on 10 December 2002.

FAN #216: "My Home Town" by Johnny Pez

Up now at the Sobel Wiki are two more For All Nails vignettes.  First, David Mix Barrington has posted his #203: "All the World's a Stage", in which CBI agent Clarissa Forster conducts a raid on a criminal mastermind in January 1975.  Next, I've posted my own #216: "My Home Town", an article by the Statist from March 1975 about Guadalajara's reaction to the new notoriety of its most famous native son.

The Statist, btw, was created by Noel Maurer as the Sobel Timeline's version of the Economist, since "statist" (i.e. one who works with statistics) is an old word for "economist".  The name also pokes fun at libertarians, who insist on calling all non-libertarians "statists" (i.e. proponents of "big government").

"All the World's a Stage" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup under the title "Mistaken Identity" on 24 January 2003, David having forgotten that I had previously used the title "Mistaken Identity" for vignette #81E.  "My Home Town" was first posted on 12 February 2003.

FAN #183: "Wheeler Wars" by Noel Maurer

Up today at the Sobel Wiki are two more For All Nails vignettes.  First is Noel Maurer's #183: "Wheeler Wars", an article from the 9 July 1976 issue of the Statist about drug wars in the CNA's criminal underworld.  Next is #191: "Mail Call" by David Mix Barrington, Maurer, and myself, a series of letters from various participants in the early months of the American War.

"Wheeler Wars" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 4 December 2002, and "Mail Call" on 16 December 2002.

FAN #182: "Arma Superior" by Noel Maurer

Today at the Sobel Wiki we have a double dose of For All Nails vignettes by Noel Maurer.  First is #59: "Not-So-White Trash Nation", an excerpt from the introduction to Russell M. Walters' The British Roots of Mexican Bellicosity.  Next is #182: "Arma Superior", an account of a dogfight between New Granadan and British jets in the opening days of the American War.

"Not-So-White Trash Nation" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 26 February 2002, and "Arma Superior" on 10 December 2002.

FAN #180: "Interruption" by Henrik Kiertzner and Johnny Pez

Up today at the Sobel Wiki are two more For All Nails vignettes: #180: "Interruption" by Henrik Kiertzner and myself, sees the King of Scandinavia contemplating direct action in response to the Bali incident; and #186: "A Boy's Life" by David Mix Barrington, shows us the life of a teenage boy named David Barrington.

"Interruption" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 2 December 2002, and "A Boy's Life" on 9 December 2002.

FAN #179: "One if by Land and Two if by Sea" by Johnny Pez

Up today at the Sobel Wiki are two more For All Nails vignettes.  First is #174: "When the Going Gets Weird" by David Mix Barrington, in which Dr. Thomas S. Hunter experiences fear and loathing in the FANTL analogue of Las Vegas; next is my own #179: "One if by Land and Two if by Sea", in which the leaders of New Granada prepare for their coming war with Great Britain.

"When the Going Gets Weird" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 22 November 2002, and "One if by Land and Two if by Sea" on 2 December 2002.

FAN #168: "Pound Diplomacy" by Henrik Kiertzner

Up today at the Sobel Wiki, along with an article on Newfoundland, are two more For All Nails vignettes: #168: "Pound Diplomacy" by Henrik Kiertzner, is a sequel to #167: "A Message From Big Brother"; and #169: "Movement of Jah People" by David Mix Barrington, shows the reaction in Barbados to the impending war between Great Britain and New Granada.

"Pound Diplomacy" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 1 December 2002, and "Movement of Jah People" on 2 December 2002.

FAN #167: "A Message From Big Brother" by Henrik Kiertzner

Up today at the Sobel Wiki are For All Nails vignettes #43: "Tails and Dogs" by Noel Maurer, in which Kramer Associates considers its bottom line in February 1974, and "A Message From Big Brother" by Henrik Kiertzner, which resumes to story of the Bali incident in January 1975.

"Tails and Dogs" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 4 January 2002, and "A Message From Big Brother" on 1 December 2002.

On the coming civil war

So, the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life conducted a poll a few weeks back, and one of its findings was that 34% of conservative Republicans think that President Obama is a Muslim.  This is more than twice the percentage that it was in October 2008, when a mere 16% of conservative Republicans thought that Obama was a Muslim.  As Charles P. Pierce points out, the reason so many people can believe something that is so obviously untrue is because some sociopathic right-wing billionaires have created their own alternate reality, a reality where Obama is a Muslim, global warming is a hoax, and black people caused the recession.  An awful lot of the people in this country live in that alternate reality, and that's why this country is headed for civil war, soon.

Maybe you think that sounds alarmist.  You look around, and it doesn't look like we're on the verge of a civil war.  Well, think about a couple of people living in America in 1856.  Walk up to a Northern anti-slavery man, and ask him whether he thinks the country is on the verge of a civil war, and he'll tell you no, of course not.

"But," you tell him, "what about all those Southerners who are threatening to secede if the country elects an anti-slavery president?"

"It's just a bluff," he would answer.  "They're just trying to scare us into backing down.  They won't really secede."

Now go talk to a Southern pro-slavery man, and ask him whether he thinks the country is on the verge of civil war, and he'll tell you no, of course not.

"But," you tell him, "if you secede from the Union, won't that provoke a civil war?"

"Nonsense," he would answer.  "Those Yankees wouldn't dare try to stop us from seceding.  They haven't the spine for it."

Two different people, two different realities.  Put them together, and you get a civil war.

And that's what we have in this country right now: two different, incompatable realities.  A house divided against itself, just like in the 1850s.  And it won't be too long before those two realities come into conflict, and then, just like in the 1860s, there will be a civil war.

FAN #166: "I Heard the News Today" by Mike Keating

Up today at the Sobel Wiki, along with an article on Samuel Adams, are two more For All Nails vignettes:  #39C: "Secretarial Privilege" by Noel Maurer, in which Vincent Mercator learns about the German missiles in Puerto Rico in January 1973, and #166: "I Heard the News Today" by Mike Keating, a news account of the events in #165: "And the Walls Came Down" in April 1975.

"Secretarial Privilege" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 28 Decembe 2001 as #39-d, and "I Heard the News Today" on 18 November 2002.