alternatehistory.com
McCain Administration- Winter 2011
Winter 2011
"What the hell happened in Tucson?!"
"Welcome to the world, South Sudan..."
"Happy Groundhog Day everyone..."
A brand new year and the world was already on edge... after all, the Arab Spring brought attention back to the Middle East and North Africa regarding autocratic governments and nations of varying stability. To alot of people and governments, it warranted importance because of humanitarian purposes, even if people could not afford it as much due to the worsening economic conditions, even if stimulus packages were passed, though their effectiveness has been varied thus far. Additionally, no real changes or punishments were made to the banks behind this. The sense of relief would slowly give way to one of realization, of betrayal, of anger... however, during the course of that time, many other events came. Tucson surprised the nation with the news; U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords and several others were shot during a constituent meeting held in a supermarket parking lot in Casas Adobes, Arizona, in the Tucson metropolitan area. The only casuality was Giffords herself. Giffords was holding the meeting, called "Congress on Your Corner", in the parking lot of a Safeway store when Jared Lee Loughner drew a pistol and shot her in the head before proceeding to fire on other people. The entire tragedy sparked a firestorm, especially into the investigation of the shooter, Loughner. Despite Loughner's record of questionable behavior, he was permitted to purchase the handgun. The entire ordeal served as a call for bipartisan unity even with the discussions of things like gun control or investigation on Loughner's behavior. Loughner would end up being shot dead before he could be subdued. Feelings were of widespread anger and frustration and some thoughts were being floated on what could be done.
Roadside sign at the scene the day of the shooting.
Meanwhile, the world deals with its own ups and downs. Through stimulus packages and bailouts, all while finger-pointing over the banks failign was being done. Hell, there was massive protests going on in Iceland that would see a quiet overthrow of the government with the installation of a new Prime Minister, which spread all across social media and held as an exemplar on how to hold accountable corrupt governments. However, other nations were seeing progress with their government, one of which being the future new state of South Africa. A referendum took place in Southern Sudan from 9 to 15 January 2011, on whether the region should remain a part of Sudan or become independent. The referendum was one of the consequences of the 2005 Naivasha Agreement between the Khartoum central government and the Sudan People's Liberation Army/Movement (SPLA/M). On 7 February 2011, the referendum commission published the final results, with 98.83% voting in favor of independence. While the ballots were suspended in 10 of the 79 counties for exceeding 100% of the voter turnout, the number of votes was still well over the requirement of 60% turnout, and the majority vote for secession is not in question. Several nations commented on the hopes of growing independence and autonomy, while others expressed concern regarding structural integrity and infrastructure. These concerns have led to delaying the date of independence, going from July to December of the year, all while growing connections with their neighbors. McCain has showed his support and also concern on the matter.
South Sudan flag
Of course, disaster have ways of striking or causing problems back at home. As January went over to Febuary, the United States and Canada would become buffered by a large winter storm. Coming to be known as the 2011 Groundhog Day Blizzard, it was a surprising and massive storm of snow that hit over several parts. Predicted and prepared for in part because of the satellite and systems placed by the Gore Administration prior, it still served as a colossal shock for the populations of both nations. An ice storm ahead of the winter storm's warm front also brought hazardous conditions to much of the American Midwest and New England, and many areas saw well over 1 in (2.5 cm) of ice accumulation. Numerous power outages, flight cancellations, airport closures, road closures, roof collapses, rail and bus cancellations, mail stoppages, and school, government, and business closures took place ahead of and after the storm; many of these disruptions lasted several days. Several tornado touchdowns were reported in Texas and a tornado watch was issued for parts of Alabama, ahead of the cold front in the warm sector of the storm. In addition, thundersnow was recorded at some locations, including downtown Chicago. Surprises laid everywhere, including how the cold aur that touched down in a certain spot in Mexico would damage heavily much of the tropical trees there. Up further north, a prior blizzard ended up serving as the appetizer to this intense storm. All in all, it tested many people and the idea of climate change returned into people's minds. However, while the prepartions and plans did well, some of the budget cuts and mishandling did lead to some criticisms down the line.
In a winter marked by several crippling storms, the storm of February 1–2, 2011, stands out. Heavy snow, ice, freezing rain, and frigid wind battered about two thirds of the United States, making it “a winter storm of historic proportions,” said the National Weather Service. In the image, the storm measures about 2,000 kilometers (1,240 miles) from west to east.
"What the hell happened in Tucson?!"
"Welcome to the world, South Sudan..."
"Happy Groundhog Day everyone..."
A brand new year and the world was already on edge... after all, the Arab Spring brought attention back to the Middle East and North Africa regarding autocratic governments and nations of varying stability. To alot of people and governments, it warranted importance because of humanitarian purposes, even if people could not afford it as much due to the worsening economic conditions, even if stimulus packages were passed, though their effectiveness has been varied thus far. Additionally, no real changes or punishments were made to the banks behind this. The sense of relief would slowly give way to one of realization, of betrayal, of anger... however, during the course of that time, many other events came. Tucson surprised the nation with the news; U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords and several others were shot during a constituent meeting held in a supermarket parking lot in Casas Adobes, Arizona, in the Tucson metropolitan area. The only casuality was Giffords herself. Giffords was holding the meeting, called "Congress on Your Corner", in the parking lot of a Safeway store when Jared Lee Loughner drew a pistol and shot her in the head before proceeding to fire on other people. The entire tragedy sparked a firestorm, especially into the investigation of the shooter, Loughner. Despite Loughner's record of questionable behavior, he was permitted to purchase the handgun. The entire ordeal served as a call for bipartisan unity even with the discussions of things like gun control or investigation on Loughner's behavior. Loughner would end up being shot dead before he could be subdued. Feelings were of widespread anger and frustration and some thoughts were being floated on what could be done.
Roadside sign at the scene the day of the shooting.
Meanwhile, the world deals with its own ups and downs. Through stimulus packages and bailouts, all while finger-pointing over the banks failign was being done. Hell, there was massive protests going on in Iceland that would see a quiet overthrow of the government with the installation of a new Prime Minister, which spread all across social media and held as an exemplar on how to hold accountable corrupt governments. However, other nations were seeing progress with their government, one of which being the future new state of South Africa. A referendum took place in Southern Sudan from 9 to 15 January 2011, on whether the region should remain a part of Sudan or become independent. The referendum was one of the consequences of the 2005 Naivasha Agreement between the Khartoum central government and the Sudan People's Liberation Army/Movement (SPLA/M). On 7 February 2011, the referendum commission published the final results, with 98.83% voting in favor of independence. While the ballots were suspended in 10 of the 79 counties for exceeding 100% of the voter turnout, the number of votes was still well over the requirement of 60% turnout, and the majority vote for secession is not in question. Several nations commented on the hopes of growing independence and autonomy, while others expressed concern regarding structural integrity and infrastructure. These concerns have led to delaying the date of independence, going from July to December of the year, all while growing connections with their neighbors. McCain has showed his support and also concern on the matter.
South Sudan flag
Of course, disaster have ways of striking or causing problems back at home. As January went over to Febuary, the United States and Canada would become buffered by a large winter storm. Coming to be known as the 2011 Groundhog Day Blizzard, it was a surprising and massive storm of snow that hit over several parts. Predicted and prepared for in part because of the satellite and systems placed by the Gore Administration prior, it still served as a colossal shock for the populations of both nations. An ice storm ahead of the winter storm's warm front also brought hazardous conditions to much of the American Midwest and New England, and many areas saw well over 1 in (2.5 cm) of ice accumulation. Numerous power outages, flight cancellations, airport closures, road closures, roof collapses, rail and bus cancellations, mail stoppages, and school, government, and business closures took place ahead of and after the storm; many of these disruptions lasted several days. Several tornado touchdowns were reported in Texas and a tornado watch was issued for parts of Alabama, ahead of the cold front in the warm sector of the storm. In addition, thundersnow was recorded at some locations, including downtown Chicago. Surprises laid everywhere, including how the cold aur that touched down in a certain spot in Mexico would damage heavily much of the tropical trees there. Up further north, a prior blizzard ended up serving as the appetizer to this intense storm. All in all, it tested many people and the idea of climate change returned into people's minds. However, while the prepartions and plans did well, some of the budget cuts and mishandling did lead to some criticisms down the line.
In a winter marked by several crippling storms, the storm of February 1–2, 2011, stands out. Heavy snow, ice, freezing rain, and frigid wind battered about two thirds of the United States, making it “a winter storm of historic proportions,” said the National Weather Service. In the image, the storm measures about 2,000 kilometers (1,240 miles) from west to east.
- CountDVB
- Word Count: 910