Talk:Second American Civil War

From Alternative History

Question: What is your POD (Point of Divergence) from our timeline? It seems a huge stretch that Iraq, in 2005, suddenly agrees to be the 51st state. What causes this? It doesn't seem very plausible. Also, once it goes into the future, it becomes a Future History, and arguably, not an alternate history, which usually look back from the present to some point in the past where some event has changed. Nhprman 19:31, 9 February 2006 (UTC)

Well the POD is sometime after January 2004, since the inauguration is definitely real. I consider this althistory because it is told as if it was history, with the narrator looking back at these events from some time in our future 68.160.203.27 01:19, 10 February 2006 (UTC)

Don't get me wrong, it's an entirely legitimate timeline, regardless of what it's called, I'm just saying that from that January, 2004 POD until today's date, most would see that as an alternate history in the purest sense, while after today's date until the end of the timeline, most see it as a Future History. Of course, one also has to see this as a political statement, too, and as such, you're opening yourself to critique on that level. Nhprman 05:05, 10 February 2006 (UTC)

Also, there seems to be an error in your last date (2009?). I do have to say that this is kind of a paranoid and extremist view of American politics. I think it's rather transparent that you hate Bush. (Personally, I'm not a fan of any member of the family, but I'm not a knee-jerk hater, either.) I find that it's always more interesting if I can't figure out the author's biases in a story or timeline. But that's just me. In books, I have found personal political "digs" (as in the "Nixon as janitor, rather than president" genre of character) rather tiresome. Nhprman 05:22, 10 February 2006 (UTC)

Well the intent of this article is not to express hate of Bush but to rather poke fun at him and the plot of this timeline is also intended to be semi-humorous and sometimes ridiculous, and by referencing to Star Wars, etc. Greekmythfan 17:27, 12 February 2006 (UTC)

I suppose it's very clever, but as I said, I suppose it's more political satire than alternate history, and the fact that it mostly takes place in the future seems to indicate it isn't part of the AltHist genre. Then again, the ludicrous and outlandish series by Harry Turtledove about invading aliens during WWII is for some reason considered AltHist, too, so I suppose definitions are kind of fluid, giving commentary like this some legitimacy. Nhprman 23:39, 14 March 2006 (UTC)

Fascinating. I had an almost identical idea, which led to a three-way WWIII ending in 2012. The concept saw the development of battle-planes (steampunk) UK exits the Middle East, allies with PRC, and fighting intensifies on the West Coast. cymra37

Well, 68.160.203.27, you tihnk you could put that as the POD? Also, Iraq and Israel becoming the 51st and 52nd states? Sure... To me, this feels like it could be borderline ASB. Unless you can get an earlier POD, this to me feels implausible.

2012--In a titanic battle, Darth Cheney reveals to young Mary Skywalker that HE is her father. 2013--President Bush is thrown down a reactor core by Darth Cheney who regains his humanity