Attribute to L. Neil Smith’s The Libertarian Enterprise

A fictional timeline:

5 June 1968: Palestinian immigrant Sirhan Bishara Sirhan struck and killed by drunk driver.

6 June: Robert F. Kennedy wins California Presidential Primary, clinching nomination for November Election.

June 1968: Much watered down gun control act passed. Mail order sales of guns banned, amnesty to register unlicensed NFA weapons through December 1968 passed, sale of guns to persons convicted of violent felonies or adjudicated mentally incompetent forbidden. Persons under 18 banned from purchasing firearms without parental signed consent at store. Form to purchase weapons and ban on importing machineguns, silencers, military surplus, or other "non sporting guns" not passed.

26-29 August 1968: Robert F. Kennedy Nominated Presidential Candidate by Democratic Party. Peaceful demonstrations supporting his nomination occur outside convention.

5 November 1968: RFK wins election by land slide.

22 July 1969: Congress votes to fund manned space program through 1980 in reaction to Moon landing.

April 1970: RFK presents evidence to American people of Communist insincerity in negotiating peace and of high traffic of troops along Ho Chi Minh Trail, orders incursion into Cambodia after evidence is spread widely by press. Peaceful demonstrations against action, leaders of anti war movement admit his actions reasonable.

September 1970: US and South Vietnam and North Vietnam agree to 2 year cease fire.

November 1970: MI-6 and Chinese intelligence expose USSR plot to overthrow Ho Chi Minh for making cease fire. Cease fire extended indefinitely.

July 1971: Permanent peace treaty in Indochina signed. Calls for reunification elections in April 1975, monitored and guaranteed by UK, PRC, France, and Sweden.

August 1971: US Congress devalues dollar to fifty dollars to an ounce of gold. Europeans and others complain dollar is now undervalued.

March1972: NASA begins atmosphere tests of passenger carrying "space plane."

July 1972: President Kennedy begins investigation of FBI using agents provocateurs against both left and right wing radical groups.

7 November 1972: RFK reelected president. Moderate Democrats and Republicans dominate both Houses of Congress.

1973: Mild recession in US is short lived as strong export market and expanding new space industry buoy economy. Government is trusted but subject to healthy scrutiny.

Events too different from what really happened occur after May 1973 to make predictions of what could have been.