how would the fall of america take place?

[renegade000]

i'm thinking about writing a short story about the post-american world. already have some ideas, just wanted some fresh input...any ideas?

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

1. Not thinking about the fall America.

I want it to continue inspite of G DUHbya.

[Fovea]

Civil War

that erupts as we are economically attacked by Europe, Russia, and China.
Instead of evolving past the oil economy, we will be strangled by pipelines.

[AntiCoup2K4]

2. Well, let's start with.....

...A complete moron whose only qualification to run for President is his father's name. He loses the election, but is given the office anyway by 5 Supreme Court judges nominated by his family's political machine. When the majority of the country refuses to accept him as the real President, he stages a horrible terrorist attack, plunging the country into fear and acceptance of his global fascist imperialism agenda, disguised as a war on terrorism. And despite the fact that the administration, and the media it controls continuously lie to the people, few seem to care or even notice.

Nah, that's too science fiction. It would never sell.....

[lpbk2713]

6. And throw in for good measure......

..... the complicity of a "secret society" from his college days.

[HereSince1628]

3. Well, do you mean fall and then get up, or fall and do a Humpty Dumpty?

In the first case, we are living that, keep a diary.

In the second case, it's hard to imagine fracturing into identifiably big pieces, like north vs south and mountain west vs west coast.

BUT, it is the dream of every cheesehead that the UP of Michigan be ceded to Wisconsin, resulting in a doubling of the average IQ in each state!

[HawkerHurricane]

4. A. Lincoln:

Do you expect some trans Atlantic giant to crush us with a blow? No. The combined armies of Europe will never take a drink from the Ohio. If we are to fall, it will come from among us. We are destined for greatness, or death by suicide.
Quoted (inaccurately I'm sure) from Lincoln's second inaugeral address.

[jpgray]

5. Only a revoultion, as near as I can tell

But that won't happen for many, many years. People aren't persecuted enough yet.

[jobycom]

7. Nuke in DC, then the shadow government takes over

Remember the secret government in the hills of Virginia? If a catastrophic attack takes out the government, then this shadow government has enough bureacrats left over to run things. So let's have a would-be Caesar, and call him Cheney. Cheney gets someone to set off a nuke in DC when the president and Congress are there. In aftermath, he runs the government from his undisclosed location. Meanwhile, the states, who are not touched, quickly appoint a new Congress (as they are supposed to), which is supposed to choose a new president. Cheney, however, refuses to recognize the new Congress. Since he will have a Pentagon leader with him, he orders the army to squelch the new Congress. Several possibilities-- the army splits, the army follows Cheney but the states send in the National Guards, the states acquiesce and let Cheney run the country, the states split and we have civil war. Many of these choices led to war and fragmentation of the states, which leads to economic ruin, and the end of the current style of government. Take your pick after that.

[absolutezero]

8. three choices

1. Dubya declares himself emperor and we have a civil war resulting in most of this country being left in chaos

2. A nuclear attack a la terminator, or matrix

3. WW3 leads to a world government like star trek, or starship troopers, or a bad one like 1984

[Mz Pip]

9. Elections halted

That would do it. Suspend the democratic process do to some manufactured crisis. If that happens here, it's all over.

MzPip
:dem:

[scarletwoman]

10. Take a look at this:

The Late, Great, American Republic: A Report from Mid-Century -- 2050

(link is for DU post which has the link to the article -- it's a fascinating read!)

sw

[leftyandproud]

11. bottom line

DEBT

the far right succeeding in bankrupting the government...the end of social programs...people on the street...anarchy...wars abroad and rebellion at home...

That will be the end of America
I give us 20 years

[Yupster]

12. We continue losing the ability to make things better than other countries

Our jobs keep going to India and the Philippines until our wages go down enough to meet their wages coming up. At that point we're just another big country, no longer the engine that moves the world.

That engine will be a lean and mean China in my opinion where they will eventually make things better than we can and do it cheaper than we can.