New United States
The original United States of America – divided by bitter internal conflicts and stretched apart by dissident forces – finally collapsed into a potpourri of warring states and sprawling, abandoned territories. But when the dust finally settled and disaster became the new normal, the old dreams of unity and national pride were once more united under a new-and-improved star-spangled banner, behind which stands the New United States of America (NUSA). Rosalind Myers, the Union's incumbent president, is hell-bent on bringing the rest of the country in line, no matter the cost. Myers's government is supported militarily by Militech, so much so, in fact, that it's hard to tell where the state ends and the corporation begins. In that respect, not much has changed
Demography and Population
The last official census conducted in 1990 listed the official U.S. population at 248,709,873 people. The U.S. population then plummeted post-Collapse by roughly 100,000,000 people between 1990-2000 if the death toll established by the MIC is correct. This equates to roughly 1/3 of the population dying in a span of ten years.[1]
After the Collapse, society centralized for protection. Isolated rural towns were largely abandoned in a large migration to urban centers. The lack of protection and difficulty of acquiring food and medicine in the hinterlands has left large parts of America filled with ghost towns. As such, the vast majority of the population live in urban centers.[1]
All individuals are required to have a State Identification Number (SIN) located on a write-only and highly encrypted card. Without a SINCARD an individual cannot get a license, passport, register to vote, or get any type of job. They are not allowed civil rights, and during the martial law period were treated as prisoners of war. Millions of disenfranchised individuals exist in 2020 America; many losing their privileges as punishment, being a deserter, or even being the child of a known criminal. Roughly 70% of Nomads do not have a SIN. These people are known as Zeroes, among other names. By 2000, there were roughly 25-50 million Nomads in America.[1]
Military
Despite major losses during the post-Collapse period, the New United States Armed Forces, led by the Department of Defense, is still a potent fighting force and as of 2020 strong enough to outmatch any corporate security force despite being outnumbered by them. The DoD consists of four branches: the Army, Aerospace Force, Navy, and Marines. Reorganized into Combined Operational Groups in 1992-93, the military patrols the nation from both internal and external threats. The United States Navy is considered the most powerful navy in the world. The USAF maintains a large force of killer satellites, concealed drones, work habitats and massive battle stations in Low Earth Orbit. While the EEC is considered America's largest threat, the U.S. nuclear arsenal ensures that any EEC mass-driver attack from Luna will result in the complete destruction of the European mainland.
With the end of the Cold War, the large peacetime military that was maintained since WWII was reduced in size and scope owing to its large cost to the economy. The U.S. military disposed of the large units that used to dominate the battlefields of the world and opted for sets of small, fast, rapid deployment units that could act independently. These units were to incorporate their own organic support and, wherever possible, transport.
Technological Level
The United States has been responsible for many technological innovations throughout the Cyber Age. The first arcology was constructed in Jersey City in 1991, and that same year the first artificial muscle fiber was developed at Stanford Research Center, and Biotechnica developed CHOOH2, the predominant fuel for the next century. Cyberlimbs were fully adopted by the U.S. military in 2006. A year later, braindance is developed at UC Santa Cruz.
By 2001, the United States played a role in the foundation of the WorldSat Communications Network. By 2013, the U.S. was instrumental with the formation of Netwatch with the EEC. That same year, the United States was host to the formation of the first, true artificial intelligence created by Microtech at Sunnyvale.
Religion
The popularity of American religion has fluxed greatly owing to major scandals in various religious organizations, and led the abandonment of organized churches wholesale in the '90s. The years of martial law and ecological collapse saw a "grassroots" resurgence of religion in American life.[1]
Some of the most popular religions in America include Islam (both Shia and Sunni) and Christianity. An Islamic mosque can be found in almost every major city, and is very popular among the urban poor. Christianity is divided into three major sects: a more liberal and relaxed Roman Catholic Church, Mormonism in the West, and Fundamentalist Christianity in the form of Evangelicalism in Dixie.[1]
A sect of Jainism has emerged in America from Indian immigrants, along with a resurgence of Buddhist practice. Judaism has fared less well, and the breakdown of U.S.-Israeli relations had left the few Jews left in America feeling isolated.[1]
Fringe religions include but are not limited to: Scientology, the Beatified Circle of the Celts, The Immortal Pyramid, Worshipers of the Night, and the Coalition Against the Satanic Fellowship of the Gods. There even exists a church devoted to the worship of Elvis Presley.[
Laws
In the United States, law enforcement is largely organized around local police departments, with state police offering broader services. Federal agencies such as the Military Intelligence, Criminal Investigation Divisions have replaced the services of the defunct FBI. The Department of Justice oversees the Federal court system, among other agencies. Supplementing local police forces are heavily armored corporate police squads which can be hired and rented to patrol certain areas of a city.
The CIA LAWdiv attempts to keep track of crime on a national scale with retinal scanning and DNA work. Owing to the fact that states, corporations and other federal agencies do not typically share information on criminal offences or SIN numbers, criminals are able to "hop" state borders to escape justice.[1]
The United States has an extremely high crime rate, with murder and homicide endemic in urban areas. The ghost towns of central America are described as a new "Wild West." In addition to Vice, Homicide, Burglary and Traffic Squads; Cyberpsycho Squads hunt down cybernetic criminals. During the Collapse of the 1990's, martial law and the suspension of the U.S. Constitution and takeover by the military saw an overall decrease in the amount of crimes that had been occurring before the takeover. Law was handled by military courts, and the death penalty was liberally used for instances of looting. The Military Justice Code was used during the martial law period from 1996-1999. The Code was so effective, it inspired the Uniform Civilian Justice Code which replaced the previous criminal procedures in the United States. The Federal Weapons Statute of 1999 made it illegal to carry submachine guns and other fully automatic weapons, but is largely ignored. Criminals of minor offenses are often beaten up by police rather than arrested.
The United States has one of the largest prison populations in the world. Handled by the Bureau of Prisons, prisons are overcrowded and deadly. Officials have largely given up on rehabilitation and are mostly concerned with penning up society's "mad dogs," as they call it. Many prisons force prisoners into "braindance," suspended in cryo tanks for two to three years on repeat interface loop programs. The simplest method of punishment is execution, and most states have a State Executioner who is also empowered to hunt down escaped criminals from Death Row.
The underfunded educational system and the lack of public schools in many states has resulted in a rapid rise in gang membership. Almost 90 percent of streetkids are involved in some form of youth-gang; either simplistic and feral child-families; a block gang; or as a junior affiliate to a larger Boostergang.
The United Civilian Justice Code is a series of laws implemented in the USA during the period of martial law following the Collapse.
- Assault & Battery : Any unprovoked attack on another person, Punishable by personality adjustment or 1D6+1 months in jail.
- Assault with Deadly Force : As with Assault. 1D6+1 years in jail, mandatory braindance.
- Burglary : Entering private property with intent to steal. Punishment: Exile, prison (1D6+1 years) or braindance.
- Conspiracy : the crime of conspiring to commit a felony, Subject to Exile, prison (1D6+1years) or braindance.
- Counterfeiting & Forgery : the crime Of Creating false coinage, money, or documents with intent to defraud. Punishment; prison (1D10+5 years).
- Extortion or Blackmail : the crime Of obtaining something from another through threat of injury. Punishment: Prison (1D10+5 years).
- Homicide (1st Degree) : Premeditated murder, or murder while in the commission of a felony. Punishment is death.
- Homicide (2nd Degree) : Accidental murder, murder without premeditation; Punishment: Prison for 1D10+10 years, braindance, personality alteration.
- Homicide (justifiable) : Self defense, preventing the commission of a felony. No punishment.
- Kidnapping or False Imprisonment : To hold another against his will. Punishment: prison for 1D10+10 years, braindance, personality alteration.
- Larceny, Theft or Robbery : The theft of another's property, either through force threat, or embezzlement. Punishment varies by-severity of act from exile, to prison for 1D10+10 years, braindance, personality alteration.
- Malicious Mischief, Vandalism : the wanton destruction of an another's property. Punishment: Exile, jail for 1D6 months.
- Rape : Forcing another to have sex by use of threat or force, Punishment: Prison for .1D10+5 years, braindance, personality alteration.
- Resisting Arrest/Obstructing an Officer : Attempting to escape legal arrest by a police officer, or preventing an officer from carrying out his legal duties. Punishment: Exile, braindance, jail for 1D6+1 weeks.
- Riot or Unlawful Assembly : A gathering with the purpose of destroying property, inciting violence, etc, Punishment: exile, jail for 1D6+1 days.
- Trespassing : Entering private property of another. Jail for 1D6 days
Trade & Transport
American transportation is built around major metropolitan areas surrounded by relatively empty, deserted ghost towns and wilderness. The civil strife of the Collapse prevented any new revolutions in mass transit from taking place.[2] There is very little non-direct mass transit. Completed in 2008 by the military, the Maglev bullet train runs underground across the nation and connects coast to coast; and is now operated by Planetran company.[1]
The extremely high cost of jet fuel means flights are largely regional, such as from Night City to Seattle. Longer flights are handled by luxury airships known as Dirigible Liners for the rich. Cars, buses, subways, and shuttles are largely used within cities themselves; travel outside of them usually being too dangerous and lacking the necessary infrastructure.
Education
The American education system is operated by state and local governments and regulated by the Department of Health, Education, and Human Services. A lack of funding has resulted in the rapid deterioration of the public schooling system. By 2020 many states simply do not have a public school system. As a result, gang membership has risen drastically.[1]
Any schooling in rural areas focuses on day-to-day survival rather than mathematics or higher education. Nomad culture and its deep respect for teachers has seen better rates of education among Nomad children; and some Nomad schools open their doors to strangers.[1]
Corporate education is an alternate for those that cannot attend public schooling, and is fairly complete. However, it is known for producing very high stress levels and rates of suicide. Furthermore, individuals are subjected to behavior modification, loyalty testing, indoctrination and propaganda; and all curriculum is based on an individual's aptitudes.[1]
Virtual reality is another possible method of schooling, however it has the potential to be the most damaging to the psyche. Chips and other inorganic means of consuming information are likewise also known to be dangerous due to the effects of cyberware on children; and corporate ad-loops are rampant in the chip market. Self-education is one of the hardest methods of all owing to the difficulty of finding materials and accurate, unbiased information
Higher education
Most urban areas only have one university. Some of the most prestigious universities include but are not limited to: Stanford, Yale, University of FC Berkeley, USC, MIT, Cal Tech, and the Princeton Institute. American universities are notorious for being extremely expensive and having very long waiting lists. Since there is no common education system there is no common education theory. As a result, the process has fragmented, mostly due to new technology.
Capital
Head of State
Government System
Democracy, Presidential
Power Structure
Federation
Economic System
Market economy
Gazetteer
Guam, Panama Canal Zone
Currency
The Eurodollar
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