Alternate history

Sebastian’s and Kevin’s posts reminded me of an alternate history. A sample:

How would today’s America be different if politician’s feared citizens,rather than citizen’s fearing their government?

Imagine, if you will, the Land of the Free, Home of the Brave. Where individual rights meant something, and every citizen believed they had the right, nay, the duty, to stand up to any and all aggressors, foreign and domestic. You know, just like the Constitution says.

Government only does a few things. Doesn’t take much. Most folks just pay the bill once a year. Never amounts to more than a few hundred dollars. Just as it should be. Hell, most folks get resentful at that much. Makes sense, I guess, given we founded the damn country over a tax on tea.

Since then, government on this side of the pond hasn’t seen much sense in pissing off the people. Sure, some try now and then. There’s always some petty jerk who thinks he can tell someone else what to do. But they never last. Sure, folks put up with them for a while, just like you do with a rash or a runny nose.

But after a little while folks get tired of the whining and crying the petty jerks make when people won’t do what he figures they ought to. The petty ones get a little too uppity, and someone smacks him down. Sometimes, it takes only a little slap across the face to bring the petty jerks to their senses.

Sometimes, someone like old Carl grabs the rifle off the wall, slaps a full mag in, and says, “Time to teach these bastards a lesson.”

Damn, if that doesn’t work every time.

I like alternate histories. It’s fun stuff. I especially like some of the stories from Harry Turtledove. But that’s all fantasy stuff for recreation. When you get serious then I like what Henry Ford had to say:

I don’t know much about history, and I wouldn’t give a nickel for all the history in the world.  History is more or less bunk.  It is tradition.  We want to live in the present, and the only history that is worth a tinkers damn is the history we make today.

        Henry Ford

You can connect the dots for yourself.

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