THE REAL LIVEJOURNAL IDOL -- SEASON 10, WEEK 8 -- No Comment

[ellakite]

Comments

[majesticzaichik]

I really liked the history behind the Zimmerman telegram and how you wrote about the intense meetings!

[ellakite]

The historical record clearly states that Secretary Bell didn't believe the document was real at first, and quickly became angry by what he thought was an underhanded trick by the British Government... but he rapidly became convinced that it was real. Similarly, the vast majority of Americans became absolutely furious when they learned that Zimmerman confirmed that he had actually sent that telegram... so while I haven't found any specific notes regarding what the American reporter actually said and felt when he heard Zimmerman's admission, it wouldn't be much of a stretch to assume that he'd react the way most Americans did when the news got back home.

Thanks for the feedback... and I'm glad you enjoyed my piece!

[shadowwolf13]

<3

[ellakite]

Yes, I do rate less than 3 (on a scale of 1 to 10). I usually rate around a 1.5, and even on a really good day I only rate about a 2...

[sinnamongirl]

Excellent work! I wasn't sure what to expect at first; based on the intro I thought, maybe, an essay perhaps about the current U.S.-Mexico problems, then it turned a great historical story!

[ellakite]

Thank you. To put it mildly, the "relationship" between the United States and Mexico has always been "complicated" -- Hell, the truth as to why the Mexican Government branded Pancho Villa as a "rebellious outlaw" is a whole story unto itself! And don't get me started on the truth as to why a group of Americans left the United States to settle a sparsely populated area of Northern Mexico called 'Tejas'... or the real reason why these American ex-patriots later seceded from Mexico to found what they called The Texian Republic, or why Mexico repeatedly attacked the fledgling nation, which lead to the 'Republic' eventually joining the United States after all. The truth behind these events is rather ugly, and rarely spoken of in modern times... *ESPECIALLY* in Texas!

Again, thank you for the feedback!

[sinnamongirl]

I'm a bit embarrassed I don't know much about this side of history, so you can "get started" all you want ;)

My family, on one side, did some intense colonizing (as we'd think of it now). It's sort of a joke on that side of the family, at least between me and another cousin who does genealogy, that we want Fort Worth "back." That side had come into the area and built a big old ranch in the late 1700s or early 1800s, then the U.S. basically seized the property and built Ft. Worth itself over part of it. So, despite them being intrusive white people, me and the cousin are like "we want Forth Worth back! The government stole it from us!" which... obviously is actually a joke in rather poor taste considering, but there it is.

I was going to delete that because it looks worse the longer I look at it, but.... yeah.

[ellakite]

Nah, what you wrote is fine -- I'm not going to blame you for the acts of your ancestors, and about a decade back a couple of friends of mine lost the house they were renting due to "Eminent Domain", because the city government said they *NEEDED* that location, so I can understand your family's feelings about having the land "wrested" from you

[halfshellvenus]

If Germany's intent was not to pull the United States into the war, then this offers a terrific example of the unpredictable influence of psychology in decision-making. The "backup threat" was seen as an actual threat (and overreach), and instead of hedging your bets, you have precipitated what you hoped to avoid.

[ellakite]

That is all technically true... but remember that the telegram also revealed that Germany was going to renege on its agreement to stop attacking American merchant ships, and as such the German government thought it likely that the US would eventually declare war in response. Admittedly, Zimmerman's public declaration that he had sent the telegram massively sped up the American rush to war, but in my opinion I think it likely that the US would have still declared war on Germany within a few months as a result of the attacks on American merchant ships. Still, in retrospect, Zimmerman probably should have kept his mouth shut -- talk about Honor before Reason!

Thanks for the feedback!

[rayaso]

This was very interesting. You do a great job with historical fiction and "recreating" dialog, etc. This was a pivotal moment in WWI for the U.S.

[ellakite]

Thank you for the feedback. I've always been fascinated by Zimmerman's decision to publicly acknowledge that he sent the telegram; he obviously did not understand how the American population and government were going to react to his revelation!

Thanks again!