Alternate History 🇺🇸 November 2, 1976: President Nelson Rockefeller wins election to full 4-year term and the aftermath

[Sergeant Foley]

Aftermath of the 1982 Midterms
Fall 1982

".....It was a nice evening and turned out alright-some disappointments and some bell ringers. Lost 37 in the House------had to expect that it could've been worse.
Held the Senate 55-47. Millicent Fenwick lost in New Jersey------I'm sorry. I was very saddened to see Clements losing reelection in Texas by such a landslide margin.
But the highest bright spot of the 1982 Midterms was back in my beloved California, where we won back the Governor's Mansion and held onto the US Senate seat. Bye-bye and good riddance to that jackass Jerry Brown."
-Secret diary of President Ronald Wilson Reagan
Tuesday night, November 2, 1982

​

One can debate on whether the 1982 Midterm elections were a referendum on President Ronald Wilson Reagan's administration and especially Reaganomics. Despite Republicans holding onto their majority in the United States Senate, they suffered significant losses in the US House of Representatives by losing 37 House seats.

While Reagan was excited and gleefully happy that voters in his home State of California flipped the Governor's Mansion back to the Republicans with the election of George Deukmejian, who narrowly and I mean narrowly, defeated three-term Los Angeles Mayor Thomas Bradley by more than 50,000 votes in the open gubernatorial election. The Reagan White House was super excited when three-term San Diego Mayor (and future California Governor) Pete Wilson defeated the unpopular retiring two-term incumbent California Governor Edmund Gerald "Jerry" Brown, Jr., in the hotly-contested California US Senate election.

Losing nine Governorships in Alaska, Arkansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, Ohio, Guam, Wisconsin and Texas had been largely expected by national Republicans, however, the night proved more difficult for Vice President George Herbert Walker Bush, especially in his home State of Texas.

The Lone Star State that proved the most frustrating of the key marquee gubernatorial elections, especially as Bush strongly put it to Baker in the aftermath of the shocking Blue Wave, "Texas is our backyard for God's sake! How the Hell did Bensten and Hobby use that massive GOTV machine drive in all 254 counties? Now that Junior Senator (referencing to Governor-elect White) trounced Clements so badly, it's possible that Clements might not even try to seek a rematch in four years from now. The prospect of White being Governor for 12 years scares the shit out of me!"


There were several factors on why Clements failed to win reelection in 1982 despite the relative popularity of both President Reagan and Vice President Bush inside the Lone Star State. The national environment, which despite Reagan's gradually declining approval ratings in November 1982, was perhaps not all solid for Republicans as the party had assumed during its "Autumn of Action" and the Summer of 1982 unveiling the boldest and aggressive legislative agenda since the Rockefeller administration. Unemployment and inflation were creeping downward despite the highest inflation rates and unemployment rates skyrocketing due to the backlash over Reaganomics.

More crucially, was issues perhaps in Texas itself. The controversial and gaffe-prone incumbent Texas Governor William Perry "Bill" Clements, Jr., (who previously served as US Deputy Secretary of Defense under Presidents Nixon and Ford; later US Secretary of Defense under President Rockefeller) had faced four years of facing difficult challenges and political headaches.

Clements didn't help himself any favors at all because of his dismissive and callous comments when Ixtoc, an offshore rig owned by SEDCO (which Clements had owned himself)------suffered a blowout which caused millions of gallons of oil being spilled into the Bay of Campeche in 1979. One year later, Judge William Wayne ruled in favor of the plaintiff in the Ruiz vs Estelle case, who argued that his treatment in Texas prisons was unconstitutional. Despite vetoing new money for prisons for 1980's budget, Clements was forced to ask the Democratic-controlled Texas State Legislature for additional funding to building new prisons in order to reducing prison overcrowding. There was also skirmishes over congressional redistricting including the obviously low numbers of female and minority appointees out of the Governor's office.

Despite these controversies and skirmishes, Clements' reelection prospects had seemed bright. And I should note, seemed bright....

The Democrats nominated United States Senator Mark Wells White, Jr., (D-TX), who was widely seen as competent, experienced but not very inspiring to voters. What helped White's gubernatorial campaign was Clements' disastrous relationship with the Capitol Press Corps; the Economic Recession of 1982 and backlash against Reaganomics, quickly turned the gubernatorial election in Texas very competitive very quickly. What hurt Clements' reelection chances was obvious gaffes, shoot-from-the-hip comments, and campaign missteps: the campaign between the extreme wealthy multi-millionaire Republican incumbent and uninspiring Democratic United States Senator turned into a full-scale statewide referendum on Clements' personality and leadership from the past four years; And in the end, White trounced Clements by 16 percentage points (57% to 41%) and carried 229 out of 254 counties. According to Clements' own version of the Blue Wave of 1982 in the Lone Star State: "Losing reelection like that was so painful and humiliating. I have never been humiliated like that ever!"

What didn't surprise many political observers and analysts, Senator White, who was a protege and close friend of former Texas Governor Dolph Briscoe (when White served as Texas Secretary of State, 1973-1977), ran to the hardcore conservative right endorsing aggressive capital punishment; being tough on crime; highlighting his staunch conservative voting record in the United States Senate; even casting himself as business-friendly. White's shocking landslide upset victory also coupled with running on Nixonian lines by out-dog-whistling Clements: zero tolerance for crime, new spending on transportation infrastructure, and cracking down on corrupt urban political machines, which annoyed many progressive and liberal Democrats.

Texas was the most humiliating for national Republicans considering the Lone Star State has 29 Electoral Votes heading into 1984. It was a Blue Wave hitting the Lone Star State, suggesting a pathway for the Democrats to competing for "Reagan Democrats". With his landslide victory, White was immediately launched as one of the rising stars of the Democratic Party, a national political party who badly needed fresh faces, and the urgency for Republicans to strike while the iron was hot ahead of more painful headaches for them with 1983 coming around the corner and with likely Democratic sweep of Governorships in Misssissippi (with the popular Winter heading for reelection), Kentucky and Louisiana (with the flamboyant Edwards expected to destroy Treen in campaign for historic third term in retaking the Louisiana Governor's Mansion).


Clements during a press conference inside the Reception Room of the Governor's office in the 2nd floor of the Texas State Capitol in downtown Austin on Wednesday, 3 November 1982, officially conceded the election to Senator White and offered his congratulations. "I am going back to Dallas and heading back home. Therefore, I will not be running for political office ever again." After leaving the Texas Governor's Mansion on January 18, 1983, Clements retreated back into philanthropic work in his hometown of Dallas and served as chairman of the Southern Methodist University Board of Governors. He would continue helping the Texas Republican Party rebuild from the humiliating spanking of 1982 in the later years from behind the scenes; Following the shocking assassination of President Reagan on November 13, 1983 in Seoul, Republic of Korea., Clements was tapped by President Bush to serve on the Burger Commission investigating the Reagan assassination and worked on Bush's reelection campaigns in 1984 and again in 1988. Clements would pass away on May 29, 2011 at the age of 94 and was buried at Grove Hill Memorial Park in Dallas.

As for the man who destroyed him in 1982, White encountered multiple headwinds during his first term as Governor. The Texas economy languished under watch; oil prices plunged with the Oil Boom going bust; the budget situation was dire and in danger of defaulting. Plus the controversial education reforms known as "No Pass/No Play" HB-72 in 1984 turned out to be very unpopular. Despite pleas from President Bush and national Republicans, Clements refused to seek the Governorship again in 1986. Instead, the Texas Republican Party nominated former Congressman Kent Hance, who switched from the Democrats in 1985 to challenge Governor White. Despite facing multiple headwinds and aggressive attacks, Governor White overcame these obstacles and won reelection in 1986 by 22 percentage points (59% to 37%) and carried 203 out of 254 counties. In 1990, White easily trounced Midland oilman Clayton Williams in a massive landslide victory of 25 percentage points (61% to 36%), carrying 249 out of 254 counties securing his third term and would become the Lone Star State's longest-serving Governor with 12 years of service in the Texas Governor's Mansion, leaving office on January 17, 1995 with approval ratings at 73%, when he chose not to seek reelection in 1994, resulting in George Walker Bush (future 46th President of the United States), who rode the Red Wave of 1994 defeating United States Senator Ann Richards (53% to 45%) and won a smashing massive landslide victory in 1998 trouncing four-term Texas Commissioner of the General Land Office Garry Mauro (68% to 31%), carrying 239 out of 254 counties and garnered 27% of African Americans and 49% of Latinos, strong impressive showings for a Republican seeking statewide office. Bush, Jr's coattails resulted in Republicans sweeping all of the down-ballot statewide offices including flipping control of the Texas State Senate that year. As of this day, White remains the last Democrat to have occupied the Texas Governor's Mansion. White's 12 years as Texas Governor would later be surpassed by his successors James Richard "Rick" Perry, who served 14 years as the Lone Star State's 45th Governor from December 21, 2000 to January 20, 2015 and Gregory Wayne Abbott, who served 16 years as the Lone Star State's 46th Governor from January 20, 2015 to January 21, 2031.

White would ultimately serve as the 48th Vice President of the United States under then-President Albert Arnold Gore, Jr., from January 20, 1997 until ascending to the Presidency as the 45th President of the United States upon Gore's death on December 4, 1997. White would finish out the remainder of Gore's term until January 20, 2001 when he chose not to seek reelection to a first full four-year term in 2000. After leaving the White House, White worked on construction of his Presidential Library on the campus of Baylor University in Waco, Texas: which would ultimately be debuted in the Spring of 2004. Upon his death on August 5, 2017 from a heart attack, White was first honored with a Gubernatorial State Funeral at Second Baptist Church in Houston, Texas on August 9, 2017; then he was flown aboard Special Air Mission 45 to Joint Base Andrews and given Arrival Honors along with the traditional 21 Cannon Salute. White laid in repose at the US Capitol Rotunda from August 9th-11th, where an estimated 5,373+ mourners filed past his flag-draped casket. Following State Funeral services at the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, DC., on August 11, 2017, White was flown to Austin, Texas: where he laid in repose inside the Texas State Capitol Rotunda before funeral services took place at the Shoreline Church in north Austin. Following funeral services, White was laid to rest with full military honors at the Texas State Cemetery in Austin, Texas which included a loud thundering 21 Cannon Salute and flyover from the Texas Air National Guard, making him the first US President to be buried there.

 

[Sergeant Foley]

Backstory of Mark Wells White, Jr.,
11:01 AM CST, December 21, 1982
West Lake Hills, Austin, Texas

But before we get to the Inauguration festivities later in Chapter 13, here's some of the backstory on Mark Wells White, Jr., and how his road to the Texas Governor's Mansion was completed:

Born on March 17, 1940 in Henderson, Texas to the parents of Mark Wells White, Sr., and Sara Elizabeth Wells. When he was a year old, the family moved to Houston, where he attended public schools in the Houston Independent School District: graduating from Lamar High School in 1958. White worked his way through Baylor University in Waco, Texas: graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration in 1962 and Juris Doctorate from Baylor University Law School in 1965. He was elected Lawyer of the Year by the Baylor Law Fraternity, Phi Alpha Delta in 1977.

White married the love of his life, Linda Gale Thompson (where they met during their college days at Baylor University) in November 1966 and would become the parents of three children: Mark Wells White, III; Robert Andrew White and Elizabeth Marie White Russell.

His career in public service began with an outstanding record of tasks accomplished and goals achieved. It began in 1966 when he served as Assistant Attorney General of the Insurance, Banking and Securities Division, where he spent three years handling some of the first consumer protection investigations and representing state agencies in both trial and appellate cases. He also served in the 36th Infantry Division of the Texas Army National Guard during this time.

Following practicing law for four years with the Houston law firm of Reynolds, Allen and Cook, White was appointed as the 74th Texas Secretary of State by then-Texas Governor Dolph Briscoe and was sworn into office on January 19, 1973, serving until February 1, 1977 when he was appointed to the US Senate seat of then-United States Senator John G. Tower (R-TX), who resigned his Senate seat after becoming US Secretary of Defense under then-President Nelson Rockefeller.

During the nearly five years he served as the Lone Star State's Chief Elections Officer, White supervised the first state-supported voter registration drive, including postage-free, annually updated registration which resulted in a record 6.3 million registered voters. He also streamlined the legal operations and making services more responsive to the public during his tenure. White was elected president of the National Association of the Secretaries of State in 1976, this was the association's highest office-and-he was elected secretary and treasurer earlier. He also improved communications between state agencies with the publication of the Texas Register, and made his office more responsive to the public by installing 24-Hour toll-free telephone service to answer questions on election law, bilingual voter assistance and other information.

Using the position of Texas Secretary of State very aggressively in promoting his name identification across the Lone Star State in all 254 counties and gaining national acclaim. In 1975, White took a high profile and controversial stand in in staunchly opposing the inclusion of Texas under the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965, to the chargin of then-US Rep. Barbara Jordan (D-TX) and United States Senator Lloyd Bentsen (D-TX), who were championing the extension of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Following the resignation of then-Senator Tower after being confirmed as President Rockefeller's US Secretary of Defense on February 1, 1977, Governor Briscoe appointed White as the junior United States Senator from Texas to finish out the remainder of Tower's second full term. He overwhelmingly won a special election in June 1977 with 72% of the statewide vote and carried all 254 counties in a field of 16+ candidates; White would then go onto winning reelection to his first full six-year term in 1978 defeating former Houston Mayor Louie Welch in a landslide victory with 60% of the statewide vote.

During his nearly five years in the United States Senate, White co-sponsored multiple pieces of legislation and among them: the Puerto Rico Statehood Admissions Act of 1977 (which passed overwhelmingly and signed into law by President Rockefeller); Department of Energy Organization Act; Food and Agriculture Act of 1977; National Agricultural Research, Extension and Teaching Policy Act of 1977; Federal Reserve Reform Act of 1977; Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act of 1978; Civil Service Reform Act of 1978; Airline Deregulation Act; National Energy Conservation Policy Act; Panama Canal Act of 1979; Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act; Bayh/Dole Act of 1980; Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981; Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981; Military Cooperation with Civilian Law Enforcement Agencies Act among plenty other achievements. White also supported the Rockefeller, Holton and Reagan administrations' foreign policy and national defense policies including supporting the implementation of stimulus tax cuts, including then-President Holton's 1979 loan guarantees in saving the Chrysler Corporation from bankruptcy. White also voted for majority of judicial nominees of Presidents Rockefeller, Holton and Reagan; he also voted to confirm Sandra Day O'Connor to the US Supreme Court in 1981 and voted to confirm William Rehnquist as Chief Justice including Antonin Scalia to the US Supreme Court respectively in 1982.

Due to his staunch opposition of including Texas under the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965, White's relationship with civil rights leaders was distant due to the controversy during his tenure as Texas Secretary of State. However, once he won statewide office as United States Senator in 1977 and 1978, White voted in favor of the 25-year extension of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and also supported the Reagan administration's establishment of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities to increasing African American participation in federal education programs. He also voted in favor of establishing Juneteenth as a federal holiday, which was signed into law by President Rockefeller in 1977. White served on the following Senate committees: Armed Services; Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs; Judiciary Committee; Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry; Appropriations; Energy and Natural Resources; Foreign Relations.

During his time in the United States Senate, White was known for his staunch pro-business and pro-life stances; staunch supporter of the oil and gas industry; promoting prosperity in agriculture, the energy industry, the finish and maritime industries. He also worked stimulating economic growth, improving opportunities for small businesses and entrepreneurships; improving transportation systems and encouraging strong financial institutions and systems. Plus White also increased the hiring of women and minorities in administrative and policy-making positions and successfully pushed legislation called The National Student Code of Conduct Act of 1979 which has been adopted by school districts throughout the nation. And he continued his outstanding performance while serving in the United States Senate, 99% of his legislation (sponsored or co-sponsored) were passed by both houses of Congress and signed into law, White also modernized the internal operations of his Senate offices in Washington, DC., and Austin, Texas: by making it more responsive to the public installing 24-hour toll-free telephone services to answering questions on constituent services; computerization and good management.

 

[Sergeant Foley]

@The Immortal Watch Dog @49ersfootball @Ibanez
This upcoming installment is just for y'all.

Bracing for Impact: Argentine Republic
December 1982​

Following an explosive bombshell expose revealing the gruesome and grisly details of the late Queen Elizabeth II being violently and sadistically tortured including how she was thrown out of the helicopter falling to her death in June 1982, the British people's hostility toward the Argentinians exploded into full-blown fury.

Incidents of violence against Argentinians had been common in parts of Europe including parts of the United Kingdom, where violent beatings and in some instances, innocent Argentinian women were mysteriously kidnapped and raped by a group of five British males, who wanted to "cleanse the world of these Argentinian bitches by putting them in their place." (more on this later on).

The Falklands War had been dragging on throughout all of 1982, especially since Argentine Republic President Lieutenant General Leopoldo Galtieri and many inside the Military Junta gave the green-light for the invasion of the Falklands on April 2nd. In one of the most worst days of the British Armed Forces in what many called "The San Carlos Bay Incident".

During the week of May 21st-26th, the British had lost a Harrier and two Royal Marine Gazelle helicopters to ground fire (where the Argentinians used Exocet weapons systems, which consisted of Exocet missile radars) during aggressive airstrikes on Argentinian airfields and installations in the Falklands on the morning of May 21st. Once they were alerted about the landing by the British, the Argentinians responded by sending 75 aircraft from the Argentinian Air Force in attacking British ships on that day. By staging in flights of four, the Argentinian Skyhawks and Daggers dropped 100-foot altitude for the last 100 NM to San Carlos Bay. Once they arrived, the Skyhawks and Daggers popped up over the hills and bored straight into British ships.

Now the British had dozens of air defense missiles that consisted of Sea Wolves, Sea Darts, Sea Slugs, Sea Cats and Rapiers including numerous anti-aircraft guns in defending the ships. The HMS Ardent was heavily damaged in an early attack by the Argentinians, who successfully sunk the ship later in the day. The HMS Antrim suffered horrific damage, which resulted in the deaths of 29+ British Naval and Marine soldiers; However, the HMS Brilliant, Argonaut and Broadswore had sustained moderate damage. Both British landing ships, Sir Galahad and Sir Lancelot both suffered devastating damage from the kinetic energy of the bombs, which exploded on impact. The Sir Bedivere narrowly escaped due to having some slight damage.

On May 25th, the day of the Argentine Republic's independence day and national holiday, the Southern Air Force upped the ante even further by attacking the British fleet, HMS Conventry with five bombs, causing it to sink in about three and half hours. This was accomplished by the FAS Skyhawks. If that wasn't enough, Super Etendards of the 2nd Escuadrilla launched three devastating Exocet missiles at the HMS Invencible, which had been stationed north of the landing site. One of the Exocet missiles struck at the cargo ship Atlantic Conveyor, which didn't have any chaff protection and as a result: it was struck, crippled and sunk into the sea; the British lost 10 out of 12 men and 10 helicopters that the Atlantic Conveyor was transporting.

The Falklands War had dragged on non-stop throughout the entire Summer and Fall of 1982, which escalated to a full-scale fever pitch when an expose in the French Republic leaked out a story which would have horrific ramifications.....


COMING SOON IN CHAPTER 13 OF THE AMERICAN REPUBLIC: Part II of Bracing for Impact in the Argentine Republic.

 

[Sergeant Foley]

......"it was assumed by some inside the Military Junta of the Argentine Republic that the Falklands War was supposed to be a short war within six months at the most. However, despite some victories along the way, it became more apparent that the Argentine Republic was going to become more isolated on a diplomatic scale. Over 57,000+ Chilean military personnel troops had been deployed at the orders of Pinochet and there was speculation about the Brazilians getting into the act as well in terms of doing questionable joint military exercises with the British Armed Forces in undisclosed locations.

Mexico was facing constant pressure or lobbying efforts from the Reagan administration and especially from Schultz at the US State Department to do something in order to prevent the Falklands War from escalating into a full-scale quagmire that is already happening. Robles ordered Mexican diplomats to leave the Argentine Republic effective immediately sometime around early October 1982. Televisa had reported that Robles was hosting British Prime Minister Geoffrey Howe and it's unknown what was discussed in the meeting, but it's being alleged that Robles was rumored to have agreed to deploying somewhere around 25,000+ Mexican Army personnel troops in assisting the British in their fight of the Falklands.

After the 1982 Midterms on November 2nd, Reagan held a closed-door meeting of the National Security Council and monitored the escalating situation in the Falklands. Nobody knew what to expect in terms of how this long dragged-out war would end between the United Kingdom and the Argentine Republic...."
-The Falklands War of 1982: 41 Years On.

 

[Sergeant Foley]

......"The United Kingdom had received full political support from member countries of the Commonwealth such as Canada, Australia and New Zealand: where they withdrew their diplomats from Buenos Aires and expelling Argentinian diplomats out of their countries once the Falklands War broke out. I knew right then, with the mysterious kidnapping of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II during the Spring of 1982, some of us were distracted by her whereabouts and the suspect list was very long..."
-Excerpt from the Autobiography of Geoffrey Howe: Leadership during Tough Times (1991)

....."The military rulers of the Argentine Republic must not be appeased.... New Zealand will back Britain all the way."
-Opinion piece from New Zealand Prime Minister Robert Muldoon in The Times (Spring 1982).

..."If you're asking me: 'Are the French duplicitous people? The answer is: 'Of course they are, and they always have been."
-John Nott
Former British Defence Secretary
5 March 2012
How France helped both sides in the Falklands War.

 

[Sergeant Foley]

......"we assumed that by invading the Falkland Islands because I assumed that this would be a very short war and I thought the British wouldn't dare send any military troops to getting the Falklands back. I was wrong and so were we.. While we were distracted fighting the British over in the Falklands, it exposed our southwestern flank when Pinochet launched an invasion of the Argentine Republic from the right side when Operacion Brito was launched. The Chilean Navy was ready along with the Marines, who accompanied by 29,000+ Chilean Army personnel troops touched down on Freycinet and Horn, which turned into an easy Chilean victory...."
Reynaldo Bignone
Former President of the Argentine Republic
-How Chile played a key role in the downfall of the Argentinian Military Junta
Spring 2004

......"Galtieri was hoping for more assistance from the Peruvians, Venezuelans and Bolivians including others, who were sympathetic to the Argentinians' cause of believing the Falklands belonging to them. Now with the British counteroffensive getting more and more successful in the most recent months, it wasn't if the Military Junta would fall, but when. And backlash against Galtieri was brewing amongst the populace once a particular expose was leaking graphic details on how the late Queen Elizabeth II was tortured and eventually killed."
-Operation Sociopath and the international backlash
Summer 2011

 

[Sergeant Foley]

....."The Taiwanese government had gotten the green-light in Fall 1975 to reinstate their nuclear weapons programs, which was completed within a year later. Something was bound to escalate as the KMT dictatorship was itching to start an invasion by taking parts of their lost territory from the 1948 Civil War that forced Chiang Kai-shek to fleeing to Taiwan. Chiang's son, Taiwanese President Chiang Ching-kuo was determined to follow through with his father's policy of "Reclaiming the Mainland" by any means necessary.

And he had good reason of doing so since Taiwan was officially a nuclear power nation. While the world was distracted with the shocking death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II including the dragging Falklands War between the Argentine Republic and United Kingdom, this was the time for Taiwan to strike at their mainland rivals, the People's Republic of China and launch a bloody war regardless of international criticism."
-Taiwan: How they become an international nuclear superpower in the Asian Pacific
Spring 2011.

 

[Sergeant Foley]

......"An expose from TF1 in Paris revealed gruesome and grisly details of how the late Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was violently and sadistically tortured by the infamous Argentinian 601 Intelligence Battalion death squad members, who gleefully took turns torturing her, even raping her before they placed her into a helicopter in the middle of the night in June 1982, where they shoved her out of the helicopter, causing her to fall to her death somewhere over Brazil or the Argentine Republic.

It took months for anyone to find her body because the world didn't know where she was. Sometime around September of 1982, when the Brazilians confirmed the body identified at an undisclosed location was that of the Queen. The world mourned the death of Queen Elizabeth II and questions began to ensue: who were the suspects, what was their motives of kidnapping and killing the Queen? How far and deep does this sinister and deadly conspiracy goes...."

As word broke out throughout the United Kingdom in regard to how the Argentinian 601 Intelligence Battalion death squad's involvement in the Queen's death, anti-Argentinian sentiment inside the United Kingdom escalated even further and incidents of violence against Argentinian citizens occurred in parts of Europe especially in the United Kingdom. There were some instance of the disappearances of 37 young Argentinian women by a group of British right-wing paramilitary groups in the name of "Avenging the Queen".

-Excerpt from "Conspiracy to topple the British government: How the Argentinian Military Junta almost brought down the United Kingdom"
Summer 2011.

 

[Sergeant Foley]

COMING UP IN CHAPTER 14 OF THE AMERICAN REPUBLIC
Tuesday, January 18, 1983: Inauguration of Mark Wells White, Jr., as the 43rd Governor of Texas

......"Texas Democrats were super excited having swept all of the statewide offices from United States Senator to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals including expanding their majorities in both chambers of the Texas State Legislature including the countywide levels. Leading the party into a future of uncertainty was Mark Wells White, Jr., who took office as the 43rd Governor of Texas on January 18, 1983 and despite party unity on his Inauguration, there were some growing signs of chaotic tension: progressives led by Ann Richards wanted more influence in state government and policy matters while old-school moderate-to-conservatives such as Bob Bullock, who immediately declared his intention to seek the Governorship in 1986, wasn't going to make White's first term an easy one. However, Mark Wells White, Jr., was determined to avoid the pitfalls that took down three of his predecessors: Smith, Briscoe and Clements."
-Excerpt from the Governorship of Mark Wells White, Jr.,
43rd Governor of Texas
January 18, 1983 to January 17, 1995
Texas Governor's Mansion: Inaugurations of Texas Governors Through the Years.

 

[Sergeant Foley]

AUTHOR'S NOTE: During the Labor Day weekend holiday break, I'll be putting together upcoming installment in Chapter 14 on the Inauguration festivities of Texas Governor Mark Wells White, Jr., as Texas' 43rd Governor from 18 January 1983.

Spoiler Alert: It'll be quite long and likely will be taking awhile.

Plus I'll post more Pop Culture Wiki-esque Infoboxes on the following television shows:
*"General Hospital"
*"Quincy, ME"
*"McMillan and Wife"

Upcoming Installments in Chapter 13:
*Brace for Impact: Downfall of Argentine Republic President Lieutenant General Leopoldo Galtieri.
*Falklands War of 1982 Highlights
*The Argentinian people revolt against the Military Junta.
*Aftermath of the British kicking Argentine Republic's asses in Falklands War of 1982.
*Personal PoV's (Fall 1982)
*Marvin Zindler of ABC 13 KTRK-TV Houston.
*Personal PoV's (Spring 1983)
*Personal PoV's: National (Spring 1983)
*Personal PoV's: International (Spring 1983)
*Pop Culture: Movies and Television Specials (Spring 1983)
*Wiki-esque Infoxbox: "The Candidate II: The Sequel"
*Wiki-esque Infobox: "The Candidate III: Senator McKay shakes up the United States Senate"

 

[Sergeant Foley]

COMING SOON IN CHAPTER 13 OF THE AMERICAN REPUBLIC
Sequels plus much, much more of "The Candidate"

​

 

[Sergeant Foley]

......"Merry Christmas from the White House. Nancy and I wish we could personally thank the thousands of you who've sent us holiday cards, greetings, and messages. Each one is moving and tells us a story of its own------a story of love, hope, prayer, and patriotism. And each one has helped to brighten our Christmas.

Some of the most moving have come from fellow citizens who, unlike most of us, are not spending Christmas day at the family hearth, surrounded by friends and loved ones. I'm thinking of the 12 US Marines sent us a card from Beirut, Lebanon, where they'll spend their Christmas helping to rebuild the shattered hopes for peace in a suffering land. And I'm thinking of the petty officer serving aboard the USS Enterprise who asked that we remember him and his shipmates this holiday season. "Christmas in the Indian Ocean is no fun," he writes, "but it's for a very good cause."

Well, that's right, sailor. You're serving a very good cause, indeed. On this, the birthday of the Prince of Peace, you and your comrades serve to protect the peace He taught us. You may be thousands of miles away, but to us here at home, you've never been closer.

One of my favorite pieces of Christmas mail came early this year, a sort of modern American Christmas story that took place not in our country's heartland, but on the troubled waters of the South China Sea last October. To me, it sums up so much of what is best about the Christmas spirit, the American character, and what this beloved land of ours stands for------not only to ourselves but to millions of less fortunate people around the globe......."
-Radio Address of President Ronald Wilson Reagan
Cabinet Room of the White House
25 December 1982

 

[Sergeant Foley]

@Ibanez @TheRomanSlayer @The Immortal Watch Dog
......"To this day, I never thought that the stalemate of the dragging Falklands War of 1982 would explode into full-scale chaos within an entire week, where more crazy-ass shit happened in Latin America during the stretch of the 12th and 19th of December 1982. All at once, it was feeling like the entire world was going to explode. It was unreal and scary at the same time."
-Former US Secretary of State George P. Shultz
Spring 2004
"America's Diplomat during the Chaos of the 80s"

BREAKING NEWS ALERT: CHILEAN AND BRITISH MILITARY TANKS ROLLING INTO THE ARGENTINE REPUBLIC; GALTIERI FLEES FOR SAFETY; BIGNONE TO BECOME 43RD PRESIDENT OF THE ARGENTINE REPUBLIC
-Washington Post Headline: 12 December 1982

REPORTS: TAIWANESE ARMED FORCES LAUNCH FULL-SCALE INVASION OF CHINA IN GOAL OF "TAKING BACK THE MAINLAND"
-BBC News Special Report: 13 December 1982

FALKLANDS WAR OF 1982 ENDS WITH BRITISH VICTORY, BUT WITH DEVASTATING COSTS
-The Times of London: 15 December 1982

BIGNONE'S TOUGHEST JOB AS PRESIDENT OF THE ARGENTINE REPUBLIC: REPAIRING DAMAGED RELATIONS WITH THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY
-Chicago Sun Times: 16 December 1982

BLOODBATH AND CARNAGE IN MEXICO: ARMY UNLEASHED ON LEFTIST PROTESTORS; ALLEGATIONS ROBLES DEPLOYED INFAMOUS DEATH SQUAD BATTALIONS TO CRUSH DISSENT
-Denver Post: 17 December 1982

BOTCHED ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT OF IRANIAN EMPRESS FARAH PAHLAVI RESULTS IN VIOLENT REPRESSION OF ISLAMISTS WITH HEINOUS VIOLENT, GRUESOME AND DEADLY RESULTS: IS WAR INEVITABLE WITH IRAQ?
-TF1 News (French Republic): 17 December 1982

EXPLOSIVE ALLEGATIONS REVEAL MILITARY JUNTA'S COMPLICITY IN POPE JOHN PAUL II ASSASSINATION: COULD THE ARGENTINE REPUBLIC BE MORE ISOLATED DIPLOMATICALLY?
-Houston Chronicle: 18 December 1982

BREAKING NEWS ALERT: GALTIERI'S WHEREABOUTS UNKNOWN; INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT AND OTHERS LOOKING TO ARREST DISGRACED FORMER ARGENTINE REPUBLIC PRESIDENT
-Baton Rouge Advocate: 18 December 1982

ARGENTINIANS TRAPPED BY ANGRY BRITISH MOB; BIGNONE USING DIPLOMACY EFFORTS IN PERSONAL APPEAL TO KING CHARLES III AND BRITISH PRIME MINISTER GEOFFREY HOWE
-The News & Observer: 19 December 1982​

 

[Sergeant Foley]

......"It was important that we needed to take full control of the Argentinian government after the disastrous and humiliating defeat in the Falklands War of 1982 and especially after we were invaded by Chile and the United Kingdom in double-pronged sucker-punch attack. We couldn't allow Galtieri to remain in office as President of the Argentine Republic as it had become apparent that uppity Yankee jackass Harlan Wade leaked out over 773 pages out of an expose revealing how the late Queen Elizabeth II was kidnapped, violently tortured and killed under mysterious circumstances.
Bignone was the new President and he was being pressured or what I would say, threatened with more reprisals from overseas outside forces if he didn't begin opening the country back to democracy. Galtieri was gone with members of his family at an unknown destination for fear of someone alerting the British or Chilean authorities. The Argentinian people were beginning to launch protests against the military government and it was only a matter of time before we would all have to answer for the heinous human rights violations, but we needed to slow-walk the path to democracy and it was the intention of Bignone in attempting to slow-walk or even placate the demands of the people, it was decided that democratic elections were going to be held within a year."
-Major General Javier Martinez
Argentinian Air Force

......"Galtieri facing the reality of the explosive situation did something his big-ass ego wouldn't do: he resigned from the Presidency and fled like a fucking coward by taking nearly all of the damn money along with his family, fleeing to an unknown destination and only to discover that Bignone personally communicated to him that resignation was much better than ending up like Mussolini. By the morning of December 19th, the Galtieri's were guests of flamboyant Portuguese President Major General Winfield Gonsalves, who flaunted his arrogance to the world by angering the British government especially when he personally greeted the disgraced former Argentinian President with the full-scale red carpet treatment. Classified documents revealed that Gonsalves, who took power in 1976, was a staunch supporter of the Dirty War and had strained relations with foreign Heads of State including then-US President Nelson Rockefeller over foreign policy areas."
-The Crazy of the 1980s: International Ramifications of a World in Turmoil

 

[Sergeant Foley]

......"The United Kingdom had barely recovered from the shocking news of the mysterious kidnapping of Queen Elizabeth II from March 13th when the horrific bombing attack of the Brighton Hotel on April 5th resulted in the death of then-British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher had shook the United Kingdom to its core. The country was at war and no amount of diplomacy was going to prevent things from escalating to deadlier results. Soon after Thatcher was laid to rest, Galtieri launched the invasion of the Falklands which kicked off a long, dragged-out war between the United Kingdom and the Argentine Republic: forcing many countries to take sides. While the world was distracted with the mystique of the Falklands War, Mitterrand spoke both sides of his mouth: some of his cronies inside the French government supplied the Argentinians with military weapons, arms, etc., this angered London to no end: Mitterrand was up to no good and needed to be put in his place somehow.

Portugal's Gonsalves was a mini-Galtieri wanna-be, openly backing the controversial Dirty War and supplying the Argentinians weapons, arms and other means of support greatly made the British angrier, which caused diplomatic relations between Lisbon and London to implode even more. What's more outrageous was allegations that Gonsalves-ista's were itching to instigate a coup attempt against the Spanish Royal Family. With Robles of Mexico aligning himself with Reagan and Howe along with everyone else in the Western camp, Gonsalves used diplomatic flexibility by saying "There are good people on both sides of the equation."
-Winfield Gonsalves: Rise to Power
How he turned Portgual into a mini-Galtierista-style dictatorship

 

[Sergeant Foley]

......"In 1980, Gonsalves' lead in the polls expanded to more than 23 percentage points against his opponents. While he was self-promoting the international foreign affairs front and campaigning for reelection, there was something happening behind closed doors. His popular wife, Catalina, was a popular former actress and beauty pageant contestant, who was crowned Miss Universe Portugal 1971, before eventually going into the entertainment industry and ultimately marrying Gonsalves in 1973 (a marriage which surprised many Portuguese people considering he was like 24 years older). Following her husband's election to the Presidency in 1976, Catalina became First Lady, a ceremonial position which also had lots of influence and becoming one of the youngest First Ladies in Portuguese history and accomplished quite a lot during her time holding the ceremonial position.

Catalina was also secretly suffering from a secret undisclosed illness that nobody tried to figure out what was causing her severe health decline, which had been going on since 1980. Allegations surfaced it might've had to do with her secret sex escapades which Catalina's sexual appetite was well-known behind closed doors: ranging from having sex with Afro-Portuguese men and women including Spanish women due to her being bisexual. Whispers among her opponents assumed it might've been HIV or worse. Of course, Gonsalves also had his fair share of secret extramarital affairs as well: with plenty of different women: British women, French women, Irish women, Afro-Portuguese women, Brazilian women and plenty of others. While Winfield and Catalina loved each other, they also had separate and secretive lives: even sleeping in different rooms in the private quarters of the presidential palace.

As election day rolled around on 7 December 1980, Gonsalves was reelected to a second term as President of the Portuguese Republic with 63 percent of the nationwide vote. The reelection campaign was over, but the secret health situation of his wife was getting more precarious each day and night with no miracle of recovery despite surgery. Realizing his wife's terminal illness, Gonsalves was determined to do something in honoring Catalina's memory and the two began putting together plans for a de-facto State Funeral including building the grand tomb that would be her final resting place."
-Final Days of Catalina Gonsalves
Excerpt from the Autobiography of Portugal's Secretive First Lady

 

[Sergeant Foley]

......"Now that Galtieri was living in exile in Portugal and as long as Gonsalves was in power, the British couldn't go after the former disgraced President of the Argentine Republic. This frustrated Howe to no end and especially annoyed Reagan and everyone else. Meanwhile, the Argentine Republic was in complete shambles: having been invaded by both the British and Chileans (who helped themselves by annexing disputed territory from the 1978 Beagle Conflict days); the economy was also in the toilet with no signs of improving and they were isolated diplomatically as well. None of their neighbors wanted anything to do with them especially after the explosive expose revealing the heinous, graphic and violent details of the infamous 601st Intelligence Battalion Death Squad caused a violent revolt against the Junta, who pushed too many trigger buttons.

Something had to give and there was slow, growing political pressure to extradite Galtieri to face more than human rights violations charges, but crimes against humanity with ordering the assassination of Thatcher and also approving the murder of Queen Elizabeth II. Howe was determined to bring Galtieri to justice no matter how long it took, or how many years it would be."
-The Economist: Obituary: Geoffrey Howe"

......"The United Kingdom and the Commonwealth countries were looking to King Charles III for guidance and how to move forward following the mysterious kidnapping and death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II. Although devastated at his mother's gruesome death, Charles III was determined to keep the traditions intact of the British Monarchy and moving the country into the chaotic decade of the 1980s and beyond. The British people were still shell-shocked and devastated by the horrific death of their beloved Queen, which to this day, nobody could ever comprehend what possessed Galtieri to green-light Operation Sociopath in the first place. In the aftermath of the British victory in the Falklands War of 1982, the eyes of the world turned to the 34-year-old British Monarch and he KNEW it."
-The Times Call for King Charles III
Special Documentary: BBC News Fall 1982

 

[Sergeant Foley]

@Ibanez @The Immortal Watch Dog @49ersfootball @TheRomanSlayer @bintananth

As I close out 1982, what particular Pop Culture Spring 1983 events: Movies, Television Shows, etc., would you like me to research and place on here in Chapter 13 of The American Republic?

Please give input on Pop Culture for Spring 1983.

 

[Sergeant Foley]

......"To this day, I just cannot believe why we lost the California Governor's Mansion to Deukmejian. We had him on the ropes following the June primaries with double-digit leads throughout the Summer. After the backlash against Reaganomics, I thought we would turn the corner and use it against Deukmejian. Then came the dumbest political move ever: running a pathetic campaign commercial talking about Watergate? What in the absolute FUCK? Next, Bradley supported a pathetic gun control measure, which alienated swing voters and Independents. The leads in the polls for Bradley began to suffer and dwindling very quickly because of the lack of political discipline in the final months of the campaign. Before we knew it, we watched helplessly as Republicans flipped the Governorship by less than 50,000 votes and I know it sure as Hell didn't help that Brown's deep unpopularity killed his chances to winning the California US Senate race against that conniving jackass Wilson, who's up to no good."
-Leo McCarthy
Former Lieutenant Governor of California
3 January 1983-2 January 1995
Summer 2004
"The Bradley Effect in California"

 

[Sergeant Foley]

......"The 1982 Midterm elections were mixed bag on Tuesday evening, November 2nd. While Republicans held onto their majority of the United States Senate, they got smoked in the US House of Representatives where Democrats flipped 26 seats, which was going to make President Reagan's job of getting major priorities passed slightly difficult. As 1982 was closing out, we all assumed that 1983 would be calm both here at home and internationally....... Boy, were we strongly wrong?"
-Excerpt from "The Deadly Chalice: Presidency of Ronald Wilson Reagan
41st President of the United States
20 January 1981 to 13 November 1983"