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January 17, 2014

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Rogue, you have introduced some very interesting twists to fate.
Two things come to mind; first is number 3 where you say, But had Richmond enacted its version of the Newlands Act, the Salt River Valley would have become a cotton kingdom tilled by slave labor. Slaves also would have mined copper at Bisbee.
I shake my head sadly and say to myself “Ah, but Jon, the cotton fields were tilled by slave labor and copper survives on slave labor. It’s Mexican Indian slave labor.”
Second, is my disappointment in Sandra Day O’Connor. She has said that she regrets her role in the Bush v. Gore mishap. I regret it tremendously as well.

Nice column Jon, interesting what ifs. I must say I think its all about money. The brown and black slaves still are under the thumb of the one percent but they have added the white slaves or as I prefer to call them pale face zombies. Tea Party type zombies fed insane crappola by those that think they need to be richer than just a billionaire. Maybe its true that he who has the gold rules. Or as I previously noted in a e-mail I got, “"Poor man is shoveling excrement against the tide."
As to O’Connor, a much more damaging act than Saint Janet’s traitorous conduct.
Definitely altered the course of history.

This is not a Phoenix 101 counterfactual, but I just ran into it and found it fascinating:

Evolving Without Darwin

(P.S. I get a little depressed every time I think of O'Connor - the tainted pride from her initial appointment.)

From a friend. "the tide ran toward greed and the progressive moments were just moments in a reactionary and greedy sea. after all goldwater's attack on big government was simply an attack on sharing and brotherhood. I did like the mention of the whigs. hell, if henry clay had been a president that would have been something. he was no bill clinton but vastly more gifted politically."

Ray Stern had a good piece on Camelback Mountain and Echo Canyon in the New times recently.

Such are the moments that history pivots on, but there is no fore-telling whether it could have been better or worse. But here's my take any old ways:

1. Manifest Destiny pushes us into war down the historical road with Mexican anyway (that is if we survived the punches we would have thrown at British Canada -- TR was still waving his stick at in the 1890s!)

2. See No. 1

3. What a rat's nest! This splitting of the Union would have been a disaster not only for the USA but for the world, as the Imperial Powers rushed/meddled in to grab the American West. Mexico would be ruled by a Hapsburg Emperor.

4 and 6. Cal's dream comes true.

5. Would still eventually become Republican due to retirees, but the Conservative movement may have never got off the ground without Barry (not that he likes where it went), and Glen Canyon would be a riverine paradise and a national park

7. Don't know enough on this: no prediction.

8. An Arizona with good goverance in the 1990s! No Janet Napolitano and that guy Talton still works at the AZ Republic.

9. Agreed, but with aerospace mixed in.

10. O'Connor's legacy is assured; no Afganistan (INTERPOL runs down Al-Qeida (sic)); no Iraq; more blind allegiance to Israel and Saudia Arabia.

I forgot to mention, no Rogue Columnist! Maybe a Mapstone blog (a pen dipped in organic Japanese Flower Garden nector).

Why is Cal's high school graduation photo at the start of this thread?

Im famous for graduating last in my class and arresting insurance salesman.

Careful cal! In counterfactal history, insurance salesmen are Apache warriors.

I knew his grandmother. Have something of hers.

larger than a lock of hair

I noted that I went to high school with Matt Drudge on your Facebook page. I now regret that I never befriended him and persuaded him to stop being such a bitter, closeted gay dude. He may have gone on to a better career than being a cheap right wing gossip hound. Perhaps we could have been spared all the Lewinsky nonsense.

Gore might have picked someone superior to Joe "Illicit Hummers Upset Me So!" Lieberman to be his running mate and might have won his own state of Tennessee, at least.

It is to sigh.

If the North hadn't prevailed in the Civil War, either due to losing or not engaging, the inevitability would have been a massive slave rebellion abetted, funded and armed by the abolitionist movement. There is no way they would have simply allowed the "peculiar institution" to continue as it was. Marcus Garvey may have become the first black president in North America.

Cal -- thanks so much for the kind word on my Camelback story.

Jon -- Very interesting piece. I hadn't thought of Carolyn Warner in years.

I'd like to make a few more What Ifs:

* What if President Rutherford B. Hayes had not rescinded an order to make the entire Valley an Indian Reservation for the Pima and Maricopa?

* What if the Gadsen Purchase had included a chunk of shoreline on the Gulf California, as originally had been intended?

* A joint project between Mexico and the US to build a desalination plant powered by a nuclear plant was proposed in the late 1960s. What if that project had been completed by the late 1980s, as considered?

* What if (after my parents found a good home here at a good price) developers were forced to adhere to strict land-use laws that limited development and mandated "green" housing communities?

The Salt River Reservation really got the shaft. But happily, Camelback Mountain isn't off-limits like Red Mountain. That was a great Camelback series RS!

I know I keep repeating myself about Malthus but
http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-un-global-unemployment-20140120,0,2974558.story#axzz2qygLP4zw
there may be no solution since "Technology ruined the future."

A reader writes:

"What if Joe Arpaio wasn't elected sheriff, or re-elected in 1996, and Russell Pearce didn't rise to the level of legislative power he made it to before finally being impeached? Right off the bat there'd have been no SB1070. Secondly the law enforcement priorities of the state wouldn't have been rounding hop day workers on corners."

My reaction is that things were probably too far gone by the time Arpaio and Pearce came along. The reader says,

"I don't know? Joe sure paved the way thanks in large part to the pr skills of Lisa Allen and a weak local media."

Arizonans made Joe famous.
Residences that dont get "A day without a Mexican" Arizonans that are easily scared by bullshit. Arizonans that think arresting an illegal Mexican dishwasher is more important than investigating homicides and the sexual molestation of young children or having a strong effective state agency to protect children and the elderly. Given the intensity of the anger created by these policies has caused wannabes to pull back into the shadows. Many in law enforcement in Arizona prefer to be as professional as possible. We need sensitive, caring professional law enforcement not gun slinging, militarized robocops.

SB1070 definitely sealed it for the GOP sweep in 2010. It was always going to be a tough year for Democrats due to the Tea Party racist rage wave going on that year but Goddard had been beating all GOP challengers in the polls until Brewer signed that bill, after which her approval rating, and election prospects, soared. That thing was a scam designed to usher in Republicans. The business community, which today likes to pretend it was blindsided by the bill and the ensuing boycotts and bad publicity, deliberately stood down on it after the AZ Chamber cut a deal with Russell Pearce to strip out employer enforcement language. Chamber President Glenn Hamer bragged about it to the Capitol Times (4/23/2010 edition). The Chamber went on to endorse every single GOP statewide candidate. Something that should be thrown in the faces of "business leaders" every time they whine about Arizona's bad government and
reputation.

Saw a guy downtown today doing fine civic duty by flogging a petition for marijuana legalization today.

Thing was, he was wearing an Anonymous (nee Guy Fawkes) mask, hipster porkpie... you know.

Downtown.

All of these people in business suits and business casual trucking by. He was hailed by a guy who wasn't registered to vote and just got out of the pen anyway so he couldn't be registered.

Love ya, man, but that's some dumb-assed marketing.

That dude's probably OK... I dress down, and like a hippie, all the time. But... context.

Reb:

Why is Cal's high school graduation photo at the start of this thread?

Oh god, this killed me.

But most Arizona profitable business are owned by folks from the the Pearce "community" Of course they never use illegals!

Petro, see if I loan ever you a book again
or give U a ride.
Its the lite rail for you buddy!

Appears that Phxsunfan and Bill Gates have formed an Optimistic club for the world.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/21/bill-gates-annual-letter_n_4637379.html?ncid=webmail9

"Arizonans that think arresting an illegal Mexican dishwasher is more important than investigating homicides and the sexual molestation of young children or having a strong effective state agency to protect children and the elderly."

cal, that is spot on! Best one sentence explaination I've read on this.

Also, you forgot WBIYB after light rail in another post.

cal, you made another mistake. That New Mexico Piñon coffee you gave me is frikkin' delicious. Should've kept that one for yourself. :)

I have more
plus Pinon chocolate

Good to know.

What If had legalized all drugs in 1933.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/22/global-war-on-drugs_n_4571117.html?ir=Politics&ref=topbar

I'm at Bratsky's way station? Yes No?
Emil where r u.
The train is about to leave.

What IF we had not?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/the-hidden-history-of-the-cias-prison-in-poland/2014/01/23/b77f6ea2-7c6f-11e3-95c6-0a7aa80874bc_story.html

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