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Post by TheRomanSlayer on Oct 9, 2021 4:48:43 GMT
Chapter Seventy-Eight: The Bloody Latin Spring
Excerpts from "Chacin: Latin America's Anti-Imperialist Icon"
by: Hendryk Leifsson
National Revolutionary Movement of Scandinavia Press, published 2018
Chapter Four: Chacin's Rise to Power
Ramon Rodriguez Chacin's rise to power in Venezuela was certainly not easy for him, and it took a civil war to get to where he is at the moment. Yet, he has relied on his followers who joined him in exile after a failed coup in 1992 to fight against American imperialism in Cuba and Nicaragua in 1998. However, his forces mainly fought in Nicaragua, because that was where American imperialism was at its weakest, and if he could dislodge the Americans from Nicaragua, he could win the support of the Sadinistas. Unfortunately, the administration of the war criminal Jack Kemp had no intention of letting the Cubans and Nicaraguans off easy, as their occupational policies were far harsher than that of the Allies during the post-war occupation of the defeated Third Reich. De-communization and De-Castroization was the order of the day in Cuba, and De-Sadinistization in Nicaragua was also official, as the reigning Cuban exiles and Contras had exercised their authority with supreme brutality, once the Americans had set up a new administration to help govern those nations. Even worse, as Chacin and his followers realized how futile their fight against the Americans grew, they decided that it was time to return to Venezuela.
Venezuela after the failed MBR-200 coup had increasingly declined in economic terms, as the neo-liberal reforms was not well received by the majority of the population. President Rafael Caldera had been criticized by his opponents on both sides of the political spectrum: the left criticized him for intensifying the level of poverty on the already marginalized sections of society, and the right criticized him for compromising Venezuela's national sovereignty in favor of international, primarily American, interests. Numerous bread and fuel riots continued throughout the rest of 1999, while cross border raids from neighboring Colombia intensified as a result of Chacin's newly emerging alliance with certain elements of FARC. In addition, several exiled Cubans who were veterans of the insurgency against the occupying American forces still on Cuban soil have also joined Chacin's MBR-200 group, willing to continue with the people's struggle, but the dying insurgency in Cuba by the fall of 1999 would also become one of the main reasons for the outbreak of the Venezuelan Civil War.
Although Venezuelan nationalism was only at a level of civic nationalism and has never reached its extreme forms, resentment over American meddling in Latin America, combined with the ongoing brutal occupation of Cuba and Nicaragua, and the domineering attitude of American imperialism towards the captive south, has resulted in certain forms of Venezuelan nationalism to be expressed. We cannot say for certain, that Venezuelan nationalism would have been tied to anti-American sentiment, in the same way that Mexican nationalism has historically been tied to its humiliating defeat at the hands of the US in the aftermath of the Mexican-American War, but by appealing to national pride and at the same time, preaching the need for radical solutions that can only come from socialism and syndicalism, Chacin has slowly built the foundation for what would become a left-wing militarist junta that is seen on par with Arab Ba'athism in the Middle East. It is not surprising, that when Chacin took power in 2002 in the aftermath of a short, but bloody civil war in Venezuela, his first visit as head of state was not to China, but Syria, where he found common ground with Basel al-Assad. It was the Assad regime that recognized the legitimacy of the Chacin government. Eventually, Ramon Rodriguez Chacin would eventually replace the likes of Che Guevara and Fidel Castro as the icon of Latin American socialist revolution, albeit a controversial figure since he has adopted many policies that derived from Stalinism instead of conventional socialism.
---
"Venezuela proved to be a massive headache for successive American administrations, from the time that Jack Kemp was President, to even Carol Moseley-Braun and her successor in President Gephardt, and his eventual successor in President John Edwards. The regime change attempt against the Chacin regime had proven to be disastrous, as the Venezuelan public was enraged at what they saw as yet another American meddling in their domestic affairs. Even after the notorious administration of Jack Kemp, where his main policy towards Latin America was one of closer integration and a more rigorous attempt to enforce the Monroe Doctrine, the Venezuelans refused to go along with it. The influence of Chacin however, did not stop at Venezuela. Chacin-aligned fighters within FARC had triggered a civil war within the movement over their attempt at launching a Rectification Campaign that highlighted the failures of FARC's policies in the revolution. The additional revelation that shocked the world was FARC's involvement in the drug trade, which had enraged the Chacinistas within the movement, and it was seen as the main reason why the civil war in Venezuela had also triggered a similar conflict within Colombia itself. From 2000 until 2010, Latin Americans would dub the decade as the Third Lost Decade, after the 1990-2000 period in which the Second Lost Decade was all about continuing the Dirty War. The Second Lost Decade was also the period in which Augusto Pinochet was being sidelined in favor of famed hero of the UN intervention in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in Alvaro Corbalan. It was Corbalan who would manipulate and engineer events that would lead to Pinochet's 'retirement', and his ascension into power as the second military junta chief of Chile, starting from 2000, until 2017. Unlike Pinochet's dictatorship where he was merely content with fixing the mistakes of the previous Allende government, Corbalan would emulate the policies of Mexican military dictator Mario Chaparro and its Philippine counterpart in Artemio Tadiar." PBS Documentary on "The Third Lost Decade", released on October 31, 2018.
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Excerpts from "Peru: Between Guevarism, Maoism, and Chacinism"
by: Pablo Escudero
Bond University Publishing Press, released on April 19, 2020
Chapter Three: Three Way Fight and Chile's Helping Hand
The failure of the Peruvian government to apprehend the most notorious terrorist in the nation in Abimael Guzman, as a result of a surprising foresight from the resident of an apartment bloc that doubled as a dance studio, had been a boon for the Peruvian Shining Path, whose continued conflict with the Peruvian government had been a major source of tension within Peruvian society. Indeed, starting in 1994 when the Spratlys conflict was ongoing, elements of Chinese intelligence had provided crucial information to its attaches in Latin America on which embassies should they encourage the Shining Path to stage a raid at. Although the Latin American Maoist movements had no longer received any backing from Beijing after the outbreak of the Second Russian Civil War, certain Chinese sympathizers like Wang Dongxing and even Bo Xilai were eager to expand their new brand of socialism to those Marxist movements still maintaining its Maoist image. Indeed, the Shining Path's decision to embrace the likes of Wang had not gone down well with some of its more ardent fighters splitting off into smaller groups, and even a few former Shining Path terrorists have defected to the more outspoken group in the Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement.
The Andean Conflict between Shining Path and MRTA had broken out back in 1996, when several hundreds of MRTA fighters attempted to capture the town of Moquegua from Shining Path, but were repulsed. Initially, the Peruvian government under Alberto Fujimori had wanted to stay neutral, as he saw the civil war within the leftist movement as a golden opportunity to weaken both movements. However, as the conflict went on from 1997 onwards, until the rise of Ramon Rodriguez Chacin in Venezuela, the Peruvian government began to panic at the sudden growth of MRTA, now being inundated with sympathizers of Chacin. However, Chacin's attempt at creating another ally in Peru and to a lesser extent, Bolivia, proved to be one of his major failures in his attempt to spread his influence in South America. During the Five Day Offensive initiated by the Shining Path, MRTA fighters held on their southern stronghold in the Huancune desert, but as they slowly began to retreat, three fighters had accidentally crossed the border into Chile. Chilean border guards had found the three MRTA fighters and simply shot at them. Not satisfied with the presence of left-wing terrorists operating close to their border, the border guards contacted General Corbalan for permission to launch a raid into Peru, only for Corbalan to deny the request. However, as the conflict between the two leftist groups threatened to spill into its neighbors, Corbalan reluctantly called on his Peruvian counterpart to rein in the terrorists. After several weeks of negotiations, both General Corbalan and Fujimori announced that the Peruvian and Chilean militaries will perform a joint operation to wipe out the two leftist groups. It was a decision that enraged the Peruvian public, as the notorious reputation of the Chilean military under the Pinochet regime was well known. Not wanting to miss out on the attempt at cracking down on leftist movements in the Americas, President Kemp would also send the CIA (the Cowboys this time, as he consigned the Corsairs to SE Asia) to engage in reconaissance missions. President Kemp's reason for sending the Cowboys to Peru was simply to relay information to the Peruvian and Chilean military units operating at the border region, and as he was frustrated with not being able to find a suitable candidate to lead Venezuela, he was reluctant to use the Corsairs to locate a Peruvian version of Artemio Tadiar.
Another reason why Kemp was not willing to send any Corsair agent to Peru was because of John Bennett's growing collaboration with Artemio Tadiar. Kemp knew that Peru was already stabilized by the Fujimori administration, but established a working relationship with the National Intelligence Service chief named Vladimiro Montesinos. It was Montesinos who collaborated with the Peruvian and Chilean militaries by keeping tabs on known terrorists from both the Shining Path and MRTA. It was under his guidance that Peru managed to foil a plot to seize the Japanese Embassy by raiding a safe house used by MRTA, albeit at a heavy price, as thirty NIS agents were killed in the attempt to apprehend the entire MRTA cell. At the same time, the Peruvian military increased its presence at its northern border with Ecuador and Colombia, to prevent the spillover that might happen because of FARC. Not wanting to take any chances, General Corbalan offered more Chilean soldiers to help their Peruvian counterparts in providing additional security at its northern frontier, which President Fujimori accepted. The Peruvian-Chilean pacification campaign lasted from 1996, until 2003, when the last Chilean soldier left Peru on a good note.
Unlike the Chilean military, which was still seen as South America's best trained military in the world, the Peruvian military was not as efficient as their Chilean counterpart, but were competent enough to take the fight to both the Shining Path and MRTA. Indeed, General Corbalan offered his assistance to President Fujimori to help modernize the Peruvian military along Chilean lines, and extended a similar offer to neighboring Bolivia, in an attempt to position itself as a regional bulwark against the Chacinistas in Venezuela. Indeed, the increased security cooperation between the three nations would eventually lead to the formation of the South Atlantic Defense Pact, in which the three nations listed above, plus Brazil and Argentina, joined as founding members. When the SADP was founded in July 24, 2000, on the birthday of Simon Bolivar. That such a significant foundation of South America's only defensive alliance is a representation of South America's determination to chart an independent course, away from the superpowers. Indeed, SADP would prove to be crucial in the stemming of the tide in the fight against communism in all of its forms, including Chacinism. In addition, SADP also played a role in maintaining the grip on power by President Fujimori until his electoral defeat in 2000 at the hands of Alejandro Toledo. Yet, Fujimori was successful in building up his political party to last through future elections and administrations that his popularity grew slightly, though human rights abuses were rife during his war against the Shining Path and MRTA. Furthermore, it was in the administration of Martha Chavez that Peru would join the growing number of nations that normalized ties with Artemio Tadiar's Philippines. Indeed, Tadiar himself praised Fujimori during the war against the Shining Path, even offering the services of both Edgardo Doromal and Saulito Aromin, but Fujimori wisely declined, fearing that he would be dragged into whatever Tadiar's henchmen would do to the Shining Path. Fujimori's rejection of Philippine assistance also saved him from being called up to testify in the Hague when Tadiar and a number of figures in the former Philippine junta were arrested on charges of crimes against humanity.
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"In sharp contrast to Venezuela, Mexico and Chile, the CIA Corsairs found out that they were completely shut out of an opportunity to set up their base of operations in Peru, as their Cowboy rivals had snagged the nation from right under their noses. In addition, while Peru didn't need a Tadiar figure in case their chosen puppet in Alberto Fujimori would be deposed from his position as President, it certainly didn't need a Fabian Ver like figure as well. President Fujimori's policies towards the Shining Path and MRTA had been met with approval from the Cowboys, and even President Kemp praised Peru for their commitment to wiping communism out of the Americas. However, it became apparent that Peru was not only turning out to be a paradise for American multinational corporations, but it soon became a second venture on part of Texan Governor Ross Perot. His son Ross Perot Jr. had struck a deal with the Peruvian mining company, Zinc Industries Nacionales SA, on a 10-year joint venture deal that would allow The Perot Group to invest in the extraction of zinc, plus an additional 5-year joint venture deal that focused on expanding Peru's real estate market through construction of several new apartments and low level houses. Yet, the Perot Group's blockbuster deals with several Peruvian companies had been placed under intense scrutiny, as Daddy Ross Perot himself had played a key role in using his connections to the CIA Cowboys and to a lesser extent, the Corsairs (although they remained a minor player in Peru at this point) to persuade the Fujimori administration to accept the deal. Perot's involvement in the shady deals with both the Mexican and Peruvian governments would become the highlight of Perotgate, in which a former Hillwood employee had blown the whistle on the unconventional nature of the Perot Group's acquisition of Mexican and Peruvian land for real estate development and mining projects that were previously controlled by the Zapatistas in Mexico, and formerly occupied by the Shining Path and MRTA in Peru. It was Perotgate in 2002 that would lead to the only successful impeachment of a sitting state governor, and the events in Peru and Mexico would lead to the political downfall of Ross Perot." Alex Jones, from "Corporate America's Dirty Little Secret", sponsored by 'The American Cause'.
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Post by TheRomanSlayer on Oct 17, 2021 6:25:36 GMT
Chapter Seventy Nine: A Crack in the Armor
JACK KEMP TO ANNOUNCE HIS BID FOR RE-ELECTION AS DEMOCRATS SCRAMBLE TO FIND SUITABLE CANDIDATE TO UNSEAT HIM, LIBERTARIANS AND NEW NATIONAL REVIVAL PARTY CAMPAIGN FOR MORE SEATS IN HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Washington PostAugust 22, 2000
(Washington) - The upcoming 2000 US Presidential Election is predicted to be one of the most polarizing election in American history as incumbent President Jack Kemp has announced his bid for re-election, while riding a wave of popularity upon the ongoing American occupation of Cuba and Nicaragua, and the confrontation with China along SE Asia's most troubled hot spot in the Spratly Islands chain. Although the Republican National Convention is expected to have a couple of prospective candidates who could challenge President Kemp for the right to run on the Republican ticket, many political commentators agreed that there is no one else but the incumbent President who would be able to maintain the Presidency.
"Right now, it's hard to unseat a man who is handling the conflict in Latin America right now, and there are going to be corporate sponsors who would want their man in the Oval Office," says commentator Rush Limbaugh when asked about Kemp's chances of being re-elected. "And he's doing a good job so far with the economy as well. In fact, he's campaigning hard in California, where the most amount of electoral college votes will be contested."
Unlike the previous election where Jack Kemp had won decisively against former US President Jesse Jackson, many pundits have also warned that Kemp would not enjoy the same amount of popularity as before, since the majority of the first time voters were recent refugees that have arrived from Mexico after the Mexican Civil War had ended. In addition, some of the younger generation who grew up in the 1990s have also become well educated in political matters, and Kemp may not count on the voting bloc from the Filipino and Vietnamese communities. In fact, the biggest challenge to the Kemp administration is not from the Democrats, Libertarians, or even Lyndon LaRouche's Social Progressives, but rather a newly former political movement called the National Revival Party.
The National Revival Party, which was founded by former Democrat House of Representative for Ohio James Traficant, who was known for his failed attempt to impeach President Jackson for neglect and other political charges related to the Chinese bombing of the Philippines and Vietnam during the Spratlys conflict, and has also planned to impeach President Kemp on charges of war crimes, in relation to the usage of anti-communist death squads that are operating in Cuba and Nicaragua, but realized that his chances of impeaching Kemp would not hold water as much as his attempt to impeach Jesse Jackson. While Traficant does not plan to run for the Presidency, and instead he would launch his re-election for House of Representatives for Ohio Riding 17 as a member of the National Revival Party, leaving the Democrats to scramble for a new challenger to unseat Traficant.
"We are a relatively new party, but at the same time, we mean to chip away at the popularity that Jack Kemp has enjoyed so far. I want to work for the best interests of the American people, and that of the American national interest as a whole," Traficant explained during a press conference in Ohio's District 17 riding. "This means putting the hard earned cash back into the pockets of every American man, woman and child, regardless of their ethnicity or religion."
--- JOE LIEBERMAN ANNOUNCES HIS PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDACY FOR DEMOCRATIC PARTY, PROMISES TO SCALE BACK ON AMERICAN INVOLVEMENT IN CUBA AND NICARAGUA
Los Angeles Times
August 16, 2000
 Joe Lieberman celebrates after formally accepting the Presidential nomination for the Democratic party in Staples Center, Los Angeles.(Los Angeles) - Joe Lieberman today, has announced his formal candidacy for the Presidency, with Bill Bradley being nominated for the Vice Presidency, during the 2000 Democratic National Convention held at Staples Center in Los Angeles. Lieberman, who has emerged as the frontrunner in the 2000 US Presidential election as the possible candidate to unseat the popular President Jack Kemp, is campaigning on the scaling down of military operations in Cuba and Nicaragua, and has also promised to take a tough stance on the emergence of the East Slavic Federation, an entity that consisted of the three former Soviet republics of Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus.
"While I respect President Kemp's mission to stop the scourge of communism in those two countries under our occupation, I would also want to stop wasting the flower of the American youth on the consequences of the war. Far too many soldiers who returned home have either lost their body parts, or have been traumatized by the brutality of the conflict," Lieberman announced in front of supporters inside Staples Center. "Perhaps it is time for America to get its house back in order, before embarking on yet another foreign adventure."
Many of Lieberman's domestic policies have included tougher measures for future gun owners, including passing down laws and mandates that will make it tougher for prospective future gun owners to purchase a firearm. Moreover, his promise of tax cuts on small businesses that promised to hire more refugees fleeing from wartorn Mexico, Cuba, and Nicaragua, has garnered more support from the Latin American community. However, his foreign policy stance regarding Asia is yet to be announced, as Lieberman is courting the Filipino, Vietnamese, and Chinese voters for his cause. Yet, at the same time, other minor political parties are courting the same voting blocs for their support.
"The increase in support for our party is crucial in cracking the domination of the two major parties that are in control of every level of our government," says Libertarian Party chairperson Jim Lark, during a Libertarian Party rally in Roanoke, Virginia. "However, we are still vulnerable, compared to the likes of Lyndon LaRouche's Social Progressives."
The Social Progressives, buoyed by their last victory in the 1996 US Presidential Election that saw their popular vote increased by 7%, and have also increased their electoral college vote, are campaigning on the platform of gradual withdrawal of American troops from Cuba and Nicaragua in favor of bolstering support for the caretaker governments that would eventually be replaced by a new, pro-American administration once the withdrawal takes place. LaRouche, whose focus is primarily on the strengthening of trade unions and tax cuts for all families, has also made intra-American integration as his primary foreign policy goal.
"Mexico and Canada are the cornerstones of America's existence, and only by additional economic integration of these two nations into the entire Western Hemisphere, can we extend our offer of deeper continental integration into Latin America. Make no mistake about this, folks. We cannot afford to retreat into isolationism, but at the same time, we cannot always be the world's policeman," LaRouche says in front of a large crowd during a rally in Augusta, Maine. "The era of uncontrolled military interventions must come to a gradual end."
--- Portions from the TrippWire Radio Broadcast
October 3, 2000
Discussing the Upcoming 2000 US Presidential Election
TRIPP: With the 2000 US Presidential Election campaign underway, I will remind our listeners of the candidates so far for the election. On the Republican Party, we have incumbent President Jack Kemp and incumbent Vice President Lamar Alexander as our candidates, while Joe Lieberman and Bill Bradley are candidates representing the Democratic Party. Lyndon LaRouche and James Bevel are representing the Social Progressives, and Harry Browne and Steve Kubby are representing the Libertarian Party ticket. I will take any callers right now, so please don't hesitate to call our number to voice your opinion.
(phone rings)
TRIPP: All right. (picks up the phone) TrippWire, Linda Tripp. How can I help you?
CALLER: Hello, Ms. Tripp. I'm Frances Keane, and I'm calling because I want to voice my support for Browne as the first Libertarian president.
TRIPP: Browne? So you're a real gambler, Ms. Keane?
CALLER: Yes, Ms. Tripp.
TRIPP: Call me Linda.
CALLER: All right, Linda. I just don't really trust the President to show some restraint regarding the growing intimate relationship between corporations and our government. The Democrats aren't that much better though.
TRIPP: How so?
CALLER: Don't get me wrong. I voted for Jesse Jackson last election, simply because he showed promise and he's building on former President Dole's pledge to make America more enviromentally friendly. However, my husband is an officer in the US Navy, and he told me stories of how his ship was nearly fired upon by the Chinese Navy. I was scared that I was going to lose him.
TRIPP: (sighs) I see. So what made you switch your support from the Democrats to the Libertarians? By the way, can you tell the other listeners where are you from?
CALLER: Of course. I live in Valdosta, Georgia, but I'm originally from Burlington, Vermont. My family has always been a supporter of small government, but I experimented with different political ideals.
TRIPP: Lovely. Well, I know a friend who was supposed to have been an intern in the White House when President Jackson was sitting in the Oval Office, but decided to settle in Texas. She's an active member of the Libertarian Party. I think she would be pleased to hear that there is another supporter who decided to throw their lot with the Libertarians.
CALLER: That is nice, and I must say that the Social Progressives are a bit scary, in my opinion.
TRIPP: How so?
CALLER: Well, I don't really want to admit it, but they've been dabbling in ideologies that our parents and grandparents would have fought tooth and nail to keep it out of our land.
TRIPP: I can see your point as valid, and I agree. The scary part is that the progressives have started to gain more traction in Connecticut, by reaching out to former Democrat supporters who felt that the previous Jackson administration wasn't being progressive enough on certain domestic issues. In fact, LaRouche has openly stated in his current political campaign that he wants to introduce a Universal Health Care to our country. I mean, don't you feel uncomfortable that you would have to pay more taxes in exchange for free health care? Although advocates for free healthcare would say that we need free health care, because we're not taking better care of our own bodies.
CALLER: I would think that LaRouche is taking an example out of Canada in terms of that approach, but honestly, the way he's going with borrowing more ideas that are already happening in Canada, we might as well see the entirety of New England become one state of its own, and even calling for it to become a distinct nation the same way Texas is.
--- REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN IN PORTLAND MARRED BY STREET BRAWLS BETWEEN TWO OPPOSING GROUPS, REPORTS OF GUNFIRE MADE IN PANIC
The Oregonian
October 13, 2000
(Portland) - President Jack Kemp's next stop in Portland as part of his presidential campaign has hit a major roadblock as Secret Service personnel had to step in and evacuate the entire campaign team from Providence Park Stadium, as reports coming from Portland Police Department of a brawl along NW 20th Avenue, close to NW Everett Street, between supporters of the President, and opposition groups. The opposition group, which mainly consisted of Democrat supporters, but also activists from various left-wing and anti-war organizations, came out in thousands to oppose the presence of President Kemp in Portland. Many of the opposing protesters have condemned the ongoing human rights abuses committed by both active US military personnel and the American backed caretaker governments running Cuba and Nicaragua, and have chanted not only pro-Castro and pro-Sadinista slogans, but have also displayed portraits of emerging new left-wing icon in Ramon Rodriguez Chacin.
"Corporate America is not yet satisfied with quenching its thirst for profit, so they had to kill those who bravely resist its tyranny," says an unnamed protester who was asked to not be identified, for fear of reprisals from far-right extremist groups. "It is also disgusting that our own soldiers who came back from their deployment that have been maimed, wounded, or traumatized, are being ignored by their so-called government."
War veterans who recently came back from Cuba and Nicaragua have started to dominate the anti-war movements, as their first hand experience in their occupation duties have bolstered their credibility. At the same time however, supporters of the ongoing conflict in those two countries have also shown up in huge numbers as well. The right-wing counterdemonstrators are also rumored to have been bolstered by various fringe movements, such as the militia movement, and even veterans of the Second Russian Civil War, as confirmed by the sound of gunfire that anonymous bystanders have told authorities.
"Portland has one of the largest populations in the US that consisted of veterans who traveled to the former Soviet Union as part of the international volunteers during the Second Russian Civil War. Almost 57% of Portland's volunteers fought for Alexander Lebed and the National Redemption Army, while only 43% fought for the Soviet loyalist side. Yet, the FBI has kept tabs on the pro-loyalist volunteers who fought on the side of the Soviet government," says Southern Poverty Law Center prominent figure Morris Dees, when asked about the Pacific Northwest's potential as a hotbed of political extremism. "We are worried that far-right and far-left organizations will tap into the experiences of those veterans for what they call a Second American Civil War."
Three weeks ago, a joint FBI and NSA raid into a suburban neighborhood of Salem, Oregon, had resulted in nabbing the so-called Salem Seven. The Salem Seven refers to the seven ringleaders of a far-right survivalist/militia movement who were planning to trigger an armed conflict within Oregon against the far-left activists. All of them, like many other veterans of the civil war in the former Soviet Union, had fought on the side of the National Redemption ARmy, albeit as part of the Grey Legion. The Grey Legion acquired a notorious reputation as a unit consisted entirely of far-right volunteers who wanted to gain combat experience for their eventual war against their ideological opponents. The capture of the Salem Seven also reveals their connections to various white supremacist organizations that are rife throughout the Pacific Northwest, and was believed to have played a role in the infamous 1997 Vancouver Car Bombings, when several car bombs were detonated along Vancouver's Chinatown in July 25, 1999. The incident was carried out by Canadian supporters of the Salem Seven, though ironically, they were helped by three Filipino automotive repair workers who were either unwitting or actively willing collaborators in the attack. The Salem Seven themselves formed the so-called Oregon Battalion, which was going to become the 'official' paramilitary group of the far-right movement in the Pacific Northwest.
As for President Kemp, he condemned the violence that was prevalent in the protests, but re-affirmed both sides' right to peaceful protest.
"While I duly respect Americans' right to gather in a peaceful protest, we cannot have any kind of political violence during a presidential campaign, lest we follow in the footsteps of the former Soviet Union," Kemp warns the protesters on both sides after his team was successfully relocated to an undisclosed area of Portland. "America does not need the repeat of the first Civil War that nearly tore our nation apart, and we certainly don't want to repeat the destructive conflict that destroyed the former Soviet Union."
--- "Lieberman and Bradley aren't going to do anything to threaten the hold that President Kemp has on the Presidency. Not with the half baked policies that they wanted to implement, and given the last time we had a candidate with that very same half baked policy, he was nearly impeached by a House Representative from his own party. No, what we need to do is to build up on our popularity with the anti-war movement, as well as the activists who share our beliefs. We may not have succeeded in the last election, but we will certainly target any state with a small electoral college vote, and turn it into our strongholds for a better America. It's time we need to move past the duopoly of the American political system. I will say this: I wish to redefine what it means to play politics, both on the domestic and international arenas, and only by adopting certain tenets from both our progressive movement, and that of the libertarians, can we succeed in creating an era of peace. Give us a chance, and I will promise you four years of gradual progress!" Lyndon LaRouche, during a Social Progressive Party rally in downtown Portland, Oregon, October 21, 2000.
--- KEMP RE-ELECTED TO SECOND TERM, BUT DEMOCRATS AND SOCIAL PROGRESSIVES INCREASE GAINS IN HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AND SENATE
Washington Post
November 8, 2000
(Washington, DC) - In what appears to be one of the most contested elections in recent American history, incumbent President Jack Kemp is re-elected to a second term, and has defied the naysayers who predicted that Kemp would only be a one-term president, much like his Republican predecessor in former President Bob Dole. However, Kemp's re-election victory may prove to be costly, as the Democrats flipped the states of Utah, Colorado, and West Virginia. Only a Republican hold in Missouri had foiled the naysayers' predictions and stopped the rise of Joe Lieberman as President from happening. At the same time however, the Social Progressives had increased their share of the popular vote by a significant margin, causing panic within the Democratic camp, but some Democrats are in fact relieved that the Social Progressives are taking away votes that would have ended up going to the Republican Party.
"This is a great blow to the Republicans, and hopefully when Jack Kemp is no longer allowed to run for the third term, we should become the sledgehammer that breaks down the Republican domination of the Whitehouse," says Illinois Senator Carol Moseley Braun, during an interview by local reporters. "At the same time, we also have to maintain our distance from the Social Progressives and leave it as a party that would attract the extremists from the left, because frankly, we don't need fanatics within the Democratic Party."
Carol Moseley Braun, who was known for her staunch defense of former US President Jesse Jackson, had ironically been one of his biggest critics that came from within the Democratic Party. Although she had not supported House of Representative member James Traficant's attempt to impeach former President Jackson, she understood the reason behind it.
"I don't wish to admit it, but former President Jackson is not preaching to the choir when he's in the Oval Office, so the mentality that he had when he approached foreign policy was horrible. It is as if he was totally reliant on Ms. Albright for help, like a student with a learning disability, and I don't mean to offend Americans with learning disabilities," Senator Moseley Braun commented on the differences between Jackson and Kemp when it came to foreign policy. "However, Jack Kemp's usual solution to every single foreign policy problem would be to send in the troops. How's that working out for you, Mr. President?"
Rhode Island was the latest state to have fallen to the Social Progressives, although there were calls for a vote recount in Oregon when it became apparent that there were some problems with the manual and machine counting of votes in Oregon. From what Oregonians claimed, the electoral race was too close between the Republicans and Democrats that ultimately went to the latter. However, Pat LaMarche, who represented the Social Progressives, had captured around 17.4% of the vote, to Joe Lieberman's 43.2% of the Oregonian vote and Jack Kemp's 39.4%. The shock of the Social Progressives almost overtaking the Republican Party in the Oregon Presidential Race would also raise similar alarms in Washington State and California, which also saw an increase in the support for the Social Progressives. Yet, the newly established National Revival Party founded by former Democrat House of Representative Member in James Traficant managed to capture the only seat in his current riding.
--- "Jack Kemp's re-election in 2000 was not surprising to everyone, due to his popularity from the ongoing war against Cuba and Nicaragua. However, what was different this time around is the increased gains for the Democrats and the Social Progressives. Even James Traficant's National Revival Party has made only minimal gains, and the Libertarians barely increased their share of the popular vote. Yet, already the cracks within the wall of Republican invincibility had already started to appear when Peter Fitzgerald had declined to take a position within the Kemp administration. Moreover, his attempt to regain his Senate seat for Illinois was crushed by Carol Moseley Braun's growing support from the recent arrivals of Cuban and Nicaraguan refugees who settled in Chicago a while back, so he temporarily retired from politics until 2004, when he would launch a new campaign to regain his Senate seat with Ms. Moseley Braun's successful Presidential election campaign that led her to the Presidency. Another challenge that faced the Kemp administration was in foreign policy. On the same day as his re-inauguration for his second term, the world was stunned to learn that the East Slavic Federation had launched the invasion of Kazakhstan, sparking a conflict that would be etched in the minds of the entire world, known as the Central Asian War on Terror. The first two years of Kemp's second term was dominated by Russian military adventurism in Central Asia, and at the same time as China's own military adventurism in other parts of Central Asia and a mounting crisis in the Caucasus. The military base in Gyumri that is occupied by the People's Liberation Army had been a source of hostile tensions between the ESF, Turkey, China, and the United States. Turkey saw the Chinese presence in Armenia as a mortal danger to its eastern frontier, while the ESF saw their presence as an unwelcome intrusion, since they saw the Caucasus as their sphere of influence. Likewise, the growing pro-Chinese Armenian government is milking their alliance with China for all it's worth, as Chinese companies have quickly bought up much of Armenia's run down factories that no longer produced anything. In a surprising turn of events, Iran had condemned the Chinese presence in Armenia as potentially destabilizing, since they don't have any interest in the Caucasus, except for commercial purposes. It was in the beginning of 2000 that Corporate America's real masterminds had began to whisper into President Kemp's ears on creating future geopolitical changes that they wanted to see. Zbigniew Brzezinski was now promoted to Secretary of State, which signalled America's unwillingness to treat the East Slavic Federation as equals, and Gary Bauer was reassigned as US ambassador to Canada. In the newly updated US War Plans, codenamed Atlantic Assertion, Plan EuroPeace would envision the destruction of the East Slavic Federation, and pushing the borders of Russia with Eastern Europe to a similar line to the former Arkhangelsk-Astrakhan Line proposed by the Nazis during WWII, only the areas around Moscow would be preserved, as to ensure that the Russian government would remain in Moscow. In addition, the Caucasus would theoretically function as an independent entity, but in reality it would become a Turkish sphere of influence. This also complimented with the Turkish-Azerbaijani plan for the total destruction of Armenia as a sovereign state, with not only partitioning of Armenian lands, but forcible expulsion or extermination of the Armenian population. Kaliningrad Oblast would be absorbed by Poland, and the Russian population of the Baltic States, Ukraine, Belarus, and Kaliningrad Oblast would be forcibly expelled in a similar fashion to the post-war expulsion of the Germans from Eastern Europe. Plan AsiaPeace would see Sakhalin Island and the Kuriles being ceded to Japan, in exchange for US recognition of Japan's role as the dominant power in Asia. China on the other hand, would not be spared from Plan AsiaPeace, as Kemp's idea would envision the reunification of Inner Mongolia with the Mongolian Republic, the independence of Xinjiang and Tibet, and carving out southern Canton to form a buffer zone that would separate Vietnam from China. Manchuria would have either been independent, merged with an already reunited Korea, or ceded to Japan as well. What remains of China would be reduced to what it was during the Ming Dynasty, while in Central Asia, the territories occupied by Russia during the Second Russian Civil War would return to Kazakhstan, with the Russians there expelled. By far, the worst case scenario for AsiaPeace would happen to Iran, as it would be shorn of its western, northern, and eastern territories as punishment for its continued anti-Israeli stance. Plan AfroPeace would have seen all of the African continent organized in a new African Union that would ensure stability in the African continent, and a massive investment into their economy, to prevent the brain drain from occurring. Plan Homefront Stability would be unkind to Latin America: they were to become dependent on the United States, with additional plans for breaking up Mexico, Brazil, and even Canada, in the event that they were to become hostile. In the case of Mexico, the Yucatan and the Sonora region that includes Baja California in its entirety would be targeted for secession from Mexico, and has also funnelled money into the moribund and chronically unsuccessful Western Canadian separatist movement, if only to circumvent the Ottawa government when it came to energy deals. The plans were kept a secret, until it was leaked by a Department of Defense whistleblower during a meeting in Manila, Philippines in 2018. One crucial part of Plan AsiaPeace would envision the retrocession of the US Pacific Islands of Marianas and the Carolinas to the Philippines, along with Guam, in exchange for the Philippines entering into the Compact of Free Association. It was the one thing that damaged the legacy of the Kemp administration, long after Kemp's death in 2008. Of course, those plans were primarily designed to benefit the multinational corporations, who would be given free reign to place profit over people." Alex Jones, from "Corporate America's Dirty Little Secret", sponsored by 'The American Cause'.
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Below: The Electoral map in the 2000 US Presidential Election. Gold Stands for LaRouche-Bevel, BLUE stands for Lieberman-Bradley, and RED stands for Kemp-Alexander
 
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Post by TheRomanSlayer on Oct 17, 2021 17:25:29 GMT
Portland is like going the way of OTL where the extremist left is at. Now we are also getting equivalents of the Oath Keepers and QAnon for TTL. How will the 21st century look like in this TL? I know there will still be smartphones, video gaming consoles, and social media but it will be different from OTL due to the butterflies. Not sure yet, but we're seeing a more dangerous version of the Oath Keepers ITTL that has actual military combat experience gained during the Second Russian Civil War. Social media wise, there is a hint of VossCode that's TTL's version of Facebook, and it's the Winklevoss twins who develop the social media giant instead of Zuckerberg.
WTF!! That last big shows that Kemp had gone totally insane with plans for mass murder and destruction of just about every other state. Really channeling his inner Hitler! Plus IIRC when he's defeated in the next election by Braun isn't she murdered by one of his death squads? Is the US going to survive as a democratic state, let alone escape another civil war?
Steve
IOTL, Kemp supported the use of anti-communist Contras during the conflict in Nicaragua. Here, he's expanding on that kind of support, plus we may start seeing another trend that will define the later years of Kemp's second term: is he really in control, or are there shadowy figures pulling the strings? The US would definitely survive as a democratic state, but given the rise of the Social Progressives, it's only a matter of time before American politics gets a major overhaul and becomes a gigantic version of the OTL French politics. It would also have an effect on the electoral system too, since it would give minor parties a chance to pitch their voice in the debates. Due to term limits though, Kemp wouldn't run for a third term, but we might see the flip version of TTL's 2000 election where the Republicans are scrambling to find a good candidate to take on the Democrats. And if Kemp's ideas ITTL sounded a bit insane, remember that this is the same nation that devised War Plan Red, which was a planned conflict with the British Empire. |
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stevep
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Post by stevep on Oct 18, 2021 15:02:52 GMT
Portland is like going the way of OTL where the extremist left is at. Now we are also getting equivalents of the Oath Keepers and QAnon for TTL. How will the 21st century look like in this TL? I know there will still be smartphones, video gaming consoles, and social media but it will be different from OTL due to the butterflies. Not sure yet, but we're seeing a more dangerous version of the Oath Keepers ITTL that has actual military combat experience gained during the Second Russian Civil War. Social media wise, there is a hint of VossCode that's TTL's version of Facebook, and it's the Winklevoss twins who develop the social media giant instead of Zuckerberg.
WTF!! That last big shows that Kemp had gone totally insane with plans for mass murder and destruction of just about every other state. Really channeling his inner Hitler! Plus IIRC when he's defeated in the next election by Braun isn't she murdered by one of his death squads? Is the US going to survive as a democratic state, let alone escape another civil war?
Steve
IOTL, Kemp supported the use of anti-communist Contras during the conflict in Nicaragua. Here, he's expanding on that kind of support, plus we may start seeing another trend that will define the later years of Kemp's second term: is he really in control, or are there shadowy figures pulling the strings? The US would definitely survive as a democratic state, but given the rise of the Social Progressives, it's only a matter of time before American politics gets a major overhaul and becomes a gigantic version of the OTL French politics. It would also have an effect on the electoral system too, since it would give minor parties a chance to pitch their voice in the debates. Due to term limits though, Kemp wouldn't run for a third term, but we might see the flip version of TTL's 2000 election where the Republicans are scrambling to find a good candidate to take on the Democrats. And if Kemp's ideas ITTL sounded a bit insane, remember that this is the same nation that devised War Plan Red, which was a planned conflict with the British Empire.
True although that was more to give planners something to do and because the USN needed to argue that the RN was a potential threat to support their own budget claims than serious planning for conflict I think. Here ideas not just to fight potential wars with X,Y,Z etc but to dismantle or cripple assorted ones. As well as plans for attacking and annexing chunks of Canada for instance. The plans for Russia seem especially off as who's going to control the vast area that's suggested will be removed from any Russian state and preventing it rejoining the rest of the country? Let alone the idea of supporting a further Armenian genocide!
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