No W-An Alternate 2000s TL

[Lost Freeway]

US FORCES DISPATCHED TO VENEZUELA

Washington Post, April 11, 2003


One year after a coup plunged Venezuela into civil war, President Cheney has committed American forces to the Latin American country.


In a press conference, Cheney said the US was intervening in Venezuela to restore peace to the war-torn country. Critics charge that Cheney is simply trying to get his hands on Venezuela's oil.

 

[Lost Freeway]

PRIME MINISTER BLAIR ASSASSINATED

The Telegraph, May 7, 2003

Prime Minister Tony Blair was killed today in the first successful assassination of a sitting Prime Minister in 191 years.

Blair was going on a morning jog in Hyde Park when a Pakistani male walked up and shot him twice in the chest. The shooter, 20 year-old Shehzad Tanweer, was subsequently gunned down by Blair's bodyguards. Despite efforts to resuscitate him, Blair was pronounced dead on the scene.

 

[Antonio]

PRIME MINISTER BLAIR ASSASSINATED

The Telegraph, May 7, 2003

Prime Minister Tony Blair was killed today in the first successful assassination of a sitting Prime Minister in 189 years.

Wouldn't be 191 rather than 189? Spencer Perceval was killed in 1812, not in 1814.

 

[Lost Freeway]

Wouldn't be 191 rather than 189? Spencer Perceval was killed in 1812, not in 1814.

Error noted and corrected.

 

[Lost Freeway]

LABOUR HOLDS EMERGENCY MEETING TO REPLACE BLAIR

The Guardian, May 7, 2003

After the untimely death of Prime Minister Tony Blair, the Labour Party held an emergency leadership election to choose his successor.

Ultimately, Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown was elected to succeed Blair.

 

[Lost Freeway]

BLAIR'S FUNERAL ROCKED BY PROTESTS

The Daily Mail, May 12, 2003

The funeral of slain Prime Minister Tony Blair was interrupted by protests over the late PM's foreign policy.

As Blair was being laid to rest in his hometown of Durham, several demonstrators gathered to protest British involvement in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iraq.

 

[Lost Freeway]

"PURIFIER" RETURNS AFTER FOUR-MONTH SILENCE

The Telegraph, May 16, 2003

Four months after the attack on the Bristol Jamia Mosque, the bomber calling himself "The Purifier" has struck another mosque.

The Croydon Mosque & Islamic Center was conducting Friday services when a black Mercedes-Benz TN panel van pulled into the parking lot. After the driver, described by witnesses as a white male in a grey hooded sweatshirt, walked away, the van exploded.

22 people were killed, and nearly 50 were seriously injured.

 

[Lost Freeway]

SINHALESE: SRI LANKA UNDER LTTE "APARTHEID" STATE

The Guardian, May 22, 2003

One year after the LTTE destroyed Sri Lanka's government and took over the island, Sinhalese citizens report widespread discrimination.

The LTTE, currently the only legal political party, has enforced strict limitations on the rights of the majority Sinhalese while giving preferential treatment to the Tamil minority. International observers have compared the situation to South Africa during the Apartheid era.

"This is an unacceptable situation" says former Sri Lankan ambassador to the UN John De Saram. "Whatever injustices the Tamils may have suffered in the past, it does not excuse what the LTTE is doing now."

In an effort to expand the Tamil population, the LTTE has invited Tamil immigrants from India, which is still suffering the after-effects of the December 2001 exchange.

 

[Lost Freeway]

REVOLUTIONARY GUARD LAUNCHES COUP IN IRAN

New York Times, May 25, 2003

The Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution has launched a coup d'état against the government of Iran, following months of tension.

Iranian president Mohammad Khatami was placed under house arrest at the Sa'dabad Palace in Tehran.

Worryingly, although the Revolutionary Guards claim to acting on the orders of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, he has not been seen in public since May 20. The Guards claim he is hiding out at an undisclosed location for his protection.

 

[Lost Freeway]

CHINA ACCUSED OF ETHNIC CLEANSING IN NORTHEAST INDIA

Wall Street Journal, May 30, 2003

The People's Republic of China has been driving out Indo-Aryan people from occupied territory in Northeast India, according to refugees from that region.

Ever since the People's Liberation Army moved into the region after the December 2001 nuclear exchange, Indo-Aryan residents have faced harassment from both the Chinese and the native ethnic groups. Many have fled into neighboring Bangladesh, which has eased up on the closing of its border.

The Chinese government has denied these accusations.

 

[Deleted member 87099]

Huh, I wonder who the 04' election will bring to us.

 

[Lost Freeway]

SRI LANKA WITHDRAWS FROM UN

The Daily Mail, May 31, 2003

The LTTE-controlled government of Sri Lanka has withdrawn from the United Nations amidst strident criticism of its policies towards the Sinhalese population.

 

[Lost Freeway]

DEMONSTRATORS MASSACRED IN CHENNAI

The Guardian, June 1, 2003

A peaceful protest against the Indian military junta in Chennai turned into a bloodbath when the army opened fire on the unarmed demonstrators.

It all started when several hundred people gathered in the provisional capital to protest the government's repeated delaying of elections. The demonstrators demanded an end to martial law and a return to civilian government. The Indian Army responded by dispatching soldiers and demanding that the demonstrators dispersed. When the demonstrators refused, the Army opened fire on them.

The exact number of casualties is unknown, due to the junta refusing to divulge information, but is estimated to be anywhere from 100 to 500 people killed.

 

[Lost Freeway]

Huh, I wonder who the 04' election will bring to us.

I'm still mulling that one over.

 

[Lost Freeway]

UN CENSURES INDIA FOR CHENNAI MASSACRE

New York Times, June 2, 2003

The United Nations has censured India for yesterday's massacre of demonstrators in Chennai. Secretary-General Kofi Annan called on the Indian government to end its authoritarian rule and allow a civilian government to take control.

Provisional Prime Minister Sundararajan Padmanabhan was unrepentant, calling the victims "violent rioters" and accusing them of threatening the rule of law, in spite of the fact that none of the demonstrators engaged in any acts of violence.

 

[Lost Freeway]

"PURIFIER" CAPTURED IN POOLE

The Telgraph, June 9, 2003

"The Purifier", a far-right terrorist responsible for three mosque bombings, was identified and captured in the town of Poole.

Tim Ablitt, 38, was captured after police received a call from his roommate claiming that Ablitt had owned up to the bombings in a conversation.

A search of Ablitt's computer revealed searches on how to make explosives.

 

[Lost Freeway]

MASSACHUSETTS SUPREME COURT CHIEF JUSTICE MURDERED

Boston Globe, November 23, 2003

Five days after issuing a landmark ruling that granted same-sex couples the right to marry, the chief justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Court was brutally gunned down in her backyard in Boston.

Witnesses say that Margaret H. Marshall was gardening in her back yard when a .308 bullet suddenly struck her in the head. Marshall was pronounced dead on the scene.

No one was able to pinpoint where the shot came from, leading authorities to believe that the shooter used a silencer on his gun.

 

[Lost Freeway]

"Let's not kid ourselves. While the death of Chief Justice Marshall is a tragedy, let's not forget how she acted as an enabler for homosexuals with her gay marriage ruling."

Scott Lively, November 23, 2003


"I'd like to find that shooter and buy him a beer."

Free Republic user

 

[Lost Freeway]

AYATOLLAH KHAMENEI MAKES FIRST APPEARANCE IN MONTHS

Wall Street Journal, November 25, 2003

Amid continued resistance to the Revolutionary Guards junta in Iran, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has made his first appearance in six months.

In a televised broadcast from an undisclosed location, Khamenei denounced the anti-junta resistance and encouraged the people of Iran to support the new government.

Some observers have noted odd mannerisms in Khamenei's speech, possibly indicating that he had been drugged beforehand.

 

[Lost Freeway]

PRESIDENT CHENEY DIES OF HEART ATTACK

New York Times, January 20, 2004

President Dick Cheney has died after suffering a fatal heart attack during his State of the Union speech.

As he was addressing Congress, Cheney's speech became strained and he began grasping at his chest before collapsing. Cheney was rushed to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead four hours later.

Vice President Colin Powell was sworn in as President in the hospital waiting room. It remains to be seen whether he will run in the upcoming presidential election.