Minding The Border: A New Administration

It's been a few years since we spoke to our neighbors across the river (The Mississippi River). Prime Minister Katherine Anne Morgan was elected to a second 6 year term in 2020 and we were able to catch up with her at Capital District South, commonly called Reno, Nevada.

CG: Madame Prime Minister, congratulations on winning a second term. You may know that we had an election of our own recently. 

KM: Is that what you call that farce. We actually have to campaign to get elected around here.

CG: I take it congratulations will not be forthcoming for President Biden?

KM: There will not. The man has the personality of a rock. To be fair, I did not offer any congratulations to President Trump, either. When you have been in a semi-state of war since 1887 it's hard to keep up pleasantries.

CG: So what is the current state of relations between the United States and the Republic of Ansdale?

KM: We have been on high alert since the election. We have mobilized along our southern border since mister Biden has rolled out his welcome mat to our southern neighbors. If they want to flood into Florida, so be it, but the Republic has rules.

CG: How has the Republic handled COVID?

KM: Very well. We are open for business. The good thing about the West is that we have an abundance of the things that make for good health. Fresh air, wide open spaces, moderate population. The scientific prescription for good health. Lockdowns and isolation do not make for vitality. Otherwise the elderly would be the picture of health. They tend to be frail, however.

CG: So my vacation in the Republic is on?

KM: You are coming from the United States, so I assume you have a visa?.

CG: I prefer Master Card. In all seriousness I haven't needed anything but a Passport before.

KM: That's before your president took actions against our pipeline with Canada. We now require Visa's for entry and our Congress is considering the request of the Hawaiian King to expel the United States from Joint Base Pearl Harbor.

CG: Maybe I should cancel my vacation on account of impending war. 

KM: (laughs) War, hardly. Just some harmless sabre rattling. The Royal Family is rightfully upset about the foreign interference with our pipeline. The are reliant upon imported oil for the islands needs. At least until they figure out how to harness a volcano or run things on lava. Our Congress is more than capable of stretching the debate out for eternity, and the King will cool down. We should be back to normal in a few months. I would lay a significant bet on it at one of our casinos. If you wait a few months you may not need a visa either. Just because we separated in 1875 doesn't mean the United States doesn't need us to survive. They just need to be taught that again every so often. 

CG: Then I shall wait. I have enough news to occupy our people for a while. See you in September, perhaps. Prime Minister Morgan, I thank you for your time.

December 7, 1941: The Giants Awaken

From the moment of its birth, the Republic of Ansdale has seen itself as the Lord and Protector of the Pacific. The first step toward that end was the creation of The Pacific Alliance, a loose alliance of nations within the Pacific Ocean. This in turn led to a treaty with the Kingdom of Hawaii. Lieutenant-Commander Rachel Semmes led the Alliance from her cabin aboard the R.N.S. Prince Maksutov until King David Kalakua and the Hawaiian Parliament granted permission to place a Headquarters on Hawaiian Soil.

The first test of the Alliance occurred during the Pineapple War of 1893-95. The Republic passed the test but the verdict on the alliance is unclear. The other members: Russia, New Zealand, Canada, Japan, Australia, China and Tahiti all remained out of the conflict, saying it was an internal matter. The Republic fended off an invasion by the United States at the urging of American Business Interests. Queen Liliuokalani remained as monarch under the protection of the Republic until her death in 1917. Relations with the United States improved in time and a Joint Use Agreement with the United States came about at the end of World War One. The Pacific Command of both Nations was Headquartered at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii.

On December 7, 1941, the Imperial Japanese Navy attacked Pearl Harbor. While the U.S. Casualties have been documented, nothing is known of the effect upon the Republic. Because the Republic has often relied upon Guerrilla     tactics it was slow in building a standing navy. As a result, when the day that will live in infamy dawned the greatest casualties to the Republic were airplanes (The RAAF) and buildings.  The pirate fleet (RNS Submarines)

were on patrol and untouched.

The Republic will always be grateful for the sacrifice borne by the United States at the outset of WWII while the republic raced to build a Force to assist the allies. The joint force effort was a point of honor and will not be forgotten.

Four Peas to Creating an Authentic Alternative History: Possibilities

My second grade teacher, Miss Kennealy, had a favorite saying: "It's a possibility". Unfortunately following that advice can lead to some pretty weak premises. I am proposing a variation on that advice, and that is the third pea.

P#3: Possibilities

We could also call this, how many links are in your chain of events (or chain reaction). Unless you are interested in writing a very short story, you should try to have your premise create as many new possibilities as possible. Among the possibilities opened up by my original premise.

1. The obvious one: The initial story of the events leading up to the war, character backrounds, etc.
2. Without the States West of The Mississippi River being counted, certain election results will be altered

• The "Stolen Election" of 1876. Hayes (R) v Tilden (D). Hayes had 185 Electoral Votes. Tilden 184. They each needed 186 to win, but Tilden had won the popular vote by 260,000. The creation of The Republic of Ansdale removed 12 States and 76 Electoral Votes, 29 from Tilden but 49 from Hayes. With a new requirement of 148 Tilden got 155 and Hayes 138. And Tilden's Popular Vote Lead held up.
• Using a benchmark that both candidates needed to be born in a State, Territory or Possession East of The Mississippi River after the year 1875 (this only affected elections after 1928, before then all the candidates would have met the rule). The elections of 1952, 1956, 1964, 1968, 1972 and 1996 would be thrown out because both candidates were ineligible. So Watergate never happened (Nixon born in CA), LBJ wasn't elected (b.TX), and Nobody Liked Ike (also a Texan)
• The Democrat Party was declared ineligible by that benchmark for the elections of 1948, 1984, 1992, 1996, 2008 and 2012. No birther, but Hawaii is West of The Mississippi. The Clinton Presidency also never happened, Bill having been born in Arkansas, which is part of the Republic. This also has the added what if "What if another President had accepted Libya's offer of Osama Bin Laden. Would 9/11 have never happened." But in a case of misery loves company, George W. Bush could still have been President, as his birthplace was in Connecticut. Reagan as well, as he was born in Illinois. Though Hillary Clinton is also from Illinois, since she made her fame on Bill's coattails, and he would never be President. No Hillary Presidency either.
• Republicans also had their chances at the White House altered, but mostly through correcting their mistakes. John McCain could have been eligible. My research on Canal Zone thinks he may, however, since Arizona was in the Republic, it wouldn't have meant anything, since that is how he ran, Senator from Arizona. Herbert Hoover was born in Iowa, which was part of the Republic, so did he cause the Great Depression. Probably not. Bob Dole (KS) and Gerald Ford (NE) would also have been ineligible, thus destroying the chances of Saturday Night Live for becoming a household name.

1. (3) The Battle of Little Bighorn (aka Custer's Last Stand) would have been a joint Republic of Ansdale/Native American effort to open up a second front in the Civil War.
2. (4) The Life of the Kingdom of Hawaii would have been extended beyond its traditional end because Queen Liliuokalani would not have been overthrown.
3. (5) The attack on Pearl Harbor (Dec 7, 1941) would have been on ships docked at the King Kamehameha Naval Base of the Republican Navy, which had United States Ships there as part of a joint operations lease agreement. Two nations were thus drawn into the conflict, not just one.
4. (6) The assassination of JFK in Dallas, TX by Lee Harvey Oswald, a known Russian agent, would have been a Soviet attempt to start a U.S.A.-R.O.A. war during JFK's friendship tour of the Republic of Ansdale

I think you get the idea. One decision creates almost unlimited possibilities. If you have passed through step three without your original premise being reduced to ashes, congratulations. If you haven't, go over it again until you find a premise that can stand the test. Once you do, you are ready for the "final" step.

Character Interview: James Davis on Family

We conclude our interview with Republic of Ansdale Prime Minister James Davis. The tough questions are done, and we finish with family.

CG: Tell me about Katherine. First of all, is it spelled with a K or a C.
JD: With a C. To blend with American tradition she has been known to use both spellings. Catherine Anne Bradford was the teenage daughter of one of the British Embassy staff when we met at one of the numerous Washington balls in 1849. Tall, golden blond hair, blue eyes, feisty attitude, and that captivating British accent. When we married the following year I was twenty-four ans she was eighteen. I don't know how she's done it, but she still has the accent, though it has faded a little over the years.

CG: How has Catherine adjusted to life on the frontier?
JD: She loves it. When John showed up at my Georgetown townhouse she was the one who volunteered me for what she called "a Grand Adventure." That adventure has taken her from London to Washington, DC, and to Fort's Pierre and Ansdale. After seven years in the Dakota Territory I thought that was all, but the adventure has continued with Montana, Alaska and now Nevada.

CG: How about your taste for adventure.
JD: I like it now. Reno isn't Washington, but it is civilization compared to the frontier of Alaska. And, as Prime Minister, I direct the entire war effort, so I direct the action.

CG: How have your children fared?
JD: We have three children. James Andrew Davis III, my eldest. Yes, I was a "junior". James is 28 and has followed his fathers path, this time in the Republican War Department, though as a civilian clerk. Paul, the middle child, is 23, born in Dakota. I thought we were done, and after a while so did Catherine, but God had other plans. My baby girl, Ellen, was born in 1866. Catherine was 34 at the time and we were in Montana. Since there was now an infant in the family there was no way I was going to ask Catherine to move to Alaska.

CG: So Ellen is with you at Reno?
JD: No, Catherine is convinced that at least one member of the Davis clan must have a British accent, so she has been sent away to a private school in London. She is now 15 and has been in London for the past three years.

CG: Have there been any additions to the Davis clan yet?
JD: Not Yet. James became quite smitten with Captain Semmes when she was in Reno last.

CG: How does Catherine feel about it? I know your sister isn't too happy about Robert courting Captain Quantrill, though she was happy with Katherine marrying Major Morgan. The vote seems to be split as to her approval of Confederate relations.
JD: Catherine likes Rachel, so that helps. She did hope James would have found someone younger than him, to maximize the potential for grandchildren. Still, Rachel is a beautiful girl, and you can't take living in Hawaii out of the equation.

CG: Probably not. Still it makes for a difficult courtship when one party is in Nevada and the other party is in Hawaii.
JD: James has that problem solved. He has asked me to transfer him out of the War Department and into the Department of The Navy.

CG: Will you approve the transfer?
JD: It's not up to me alone. Captain Semmes is Minister of the Navy. I think it's safe to say she will approve of the transfer. I'm Prime Minister, and he's my son. My brother in law is Minister of War for a few more months at least. But there is Catherine to consider.

CG: I thought you said Catherine approved of Rachel?
JD: She does, but approving of a marriage and allowing her baby to move to Hawaii appear to be two different matters entirely. She would much prefer Captain Semmes to relocate to Reno.

CG: That doesn't make much sense, considering the major naval theater of war is the pacific.
JD: California would be an ideal choice, but it has only been two years since its secession, and the State is still being shelled by the United States Navy.

CG: I was hoping to keep this part of the interview on family, and yet how quickly we get back to military matters.
JD: Things get intertwined quickly in a time of war. Alaska was remote and secure, but disconnected from the main body of Republican troops. Reno is connected to all but Alaska and Hawaii by telegraph and railroad. However it is landlocked and California would provide better access to the Pacific. Since the United States Navy is constantly bombarding the California coast it is unsuitable as a Capitol. I will not make the Confederacy's mistake of moving the Capitol closer to Washington, DC. We will stay at Reno, and Captain Semmes will have an autonomous command at Pearl Harbor. We will make a Hawaii wedding work.

CG: Prime Minister Davis, I thank you for your time.