North American Union (1983: Doomsday)

The North American Union (NAU) began as an economic and political alliance made up of local survivor communities, provisional governments, and a few nomadic clans scattered across the Great Plains region of the United States of America and Canada. It has since grown to encompass much of the Rocky Mountains, and seems to many to be the successor state to the United States of America and Canada.

Doomsday and after
Due to the concentration of nuclear missile silos around the Great Plains area, Doomsday caused large devastation to the area. Nuclear strikes happened in North Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska, and Colorado. The strikes on the silos forced the following cities in the area to be abandoned:


 * Great Falls, MT
 * Helena, MT
 * Lewistown, MT
 * Minot, ND
 * Cheyenne, WY
 * Sterling, CO

Other targets included the Francis E. Warren AFB in Wyoming, the Malmstrom AFB in Montana, the Ellsworth AFB in South Dakota and the Minot AFB in North Dakota.

Like most places in the continental United States, Doomsday caused the collapse of state governments, except for Wyoming. The remnants of the state government, rallying around Governor Edgar Herschler, were able to reestablish control at Torrington, Wyoming. Fort Laramie was also recommissioned as a fort to be used for the training of the new state militia. The state government of Wyoming had sporadic contact with the remnants of the federal government at Mount Weather until the facility was abandoned in May 1984. Afterward, the Wyoming state legislature voted to give Governor Herschler expanded emergency powers to get the state through the crisis. One of his first acts was the Strategic Hamlet Initiative. The initiative called for the creation of walled settlements to protect farmers and ranchers from the increasing number of hungry refugees. The communities of southern Montana also adopted such a system as they looked toward Wyoming for advice and aide.

One of the unique phenomenon of the area was the creation of "nomadic clans." As the effects of Doomsday became apparent with the loss of plant life and a horrible harvest, many farmers and their families and close friends took to the road with their horses, cattle and other livestock to seek better pastures for their animals. Feeding themselves "off the hoof", these clans grew as they took in refugees who had certain skills that would be needed. The emergence of this new lifestyle was most apparent among the Sioux/Lakota of North and South Dakota. Only a few months after Doomsday, the Sioux returned to their old nomadic lifestyle, with a twist. Almost immediately they began raiding communities in the Dakotas demanding tribute for Sioux "protection." As the Sioux empire grew it became necessary for a central government to better organize the various Sioux tribes activities. Thus in 1984 at North Eagle Butte, South Dakota, the Republic of Lakotah was declared. Following the creation of the Republic, a group of Lakotah used dynamite to deface Mount Rushmore in an act of radical nationalism.

Meanwhile in the Great Plans Canadian provinces, nuclear strikes on Calgary, Regina, and Winnipeg caused similar chaos that was being seen elsewhere in the United States and Canada. As local communities struggled to survive, populations of expatriate Americans reached across the border to seek help from American communities. Doomsday had brought a spirit of cooperation between the surviving communities along the US/Canada border.

The Lakotah War
As Lakotah consolidated its control in the Dakotas, there were continued calls by Lakota leaders to expand into old Lakota territory in Nebraska, Wyoming, and Montana. Russell Means, an important leader in Lakotah, was particularly adamant about this. The only obstacle, however, was the growing power of the State of Wyoming which had managed to remain relatively united after Doomsday and was now beginning to expand its influence into fractured Montana. Some Wyoming organized expeditions father north to find out what happened to Canada even came into contact with the various Canadian survivor communities on the Great Plains. Lakotah analysts all agreed that unless Lakotah struck soon they would be unable to defeat Wyoming.

In 1986, Wyoming was dealt a harsh blow by the death of three-term Governor Edgar Herschler. The death of the man who had taken the state through its darkest days, however, would signal even worse times for Wyoming. Throughout 1986 and into 1987, increased raids by nomads coming out of Lakotah territory rocked the communities of Montana, Wyoming and Nebraska. Distracted by the raids, Wyoming and the other communities were unprepared when in May 23, 1987, Lakotah "war bands" attacked neighboring towns signaling the official start of the Lakotah War.

Throughout 1987 and 1988, the Lakotah won early victories and eventually besieged the city-state of Billings, Montana. The tide, however, began to turn against the Lakotah. First, Governor Mike Sulivan of Wyoming was successful in convincing the scattered survivor communities and the non-involved nomad clans of the threat that the Lakotah posed to the Great Plains. Volunteers and supplies reached Wyoming from as far north as Canada and as far south as Kansas. Second, Raymond Breedlove "Ray" Hunkins was called into active duty to take over command of the allied forces. A Marine veteran, rancher and law enforcement officer, Hunkins was granted the rank of General. He soon proved to be an effective leader and was able to organize the ragtag army into what was eventually called the "Continental Army."

By early 1989 the Lakotah had been driven back to their pre-war borders. Meanwhile the coalition that Russell Means had managed to create to start the war had collapsed as the war turned against the Lakotah. Rodney Bordeaux established a new coalition government that presented the Wyoming-led alliance with a peace offering. At the border town of Breach, North Dakota, General Hunkins and Chief Facilitator Bordeaux signed a peace treaty ending the Lakotah War. The allied survivors communities agreed to recognize the independence of the Lakotah territory in return for Lakotah recognizing their independence as well. Though a demand to improve human rights for non-Lakotah was refused during negotiations, the Lakotah did agree to allow anyone in their territory to leave for other western states.

Furthermore, the Lakotah agreed to stop arming the nomad clans who had sided with them in the war. These clans were driven west by allied forces, some even reaching the Pacific coast were they challenged the powerful Hells Angels in what was soon to become.

Reestablishment of the USA
See main article: Provisional United States

Fresh from their victory against the Lakotah, serious talks soon began about re-forming the United States of America. With little to no knowledge of the outside world and without any contact from the federal government in years, it was assumed by all that the United States had ceased to exist. Various proposals were thus introduced by the various survivor communities to form a new nation. In 1991 a convention of delegates from the various communities met in Torrington, Wyoming, and on July 4 presented a new Constitution for the "Provisional Government of the United States of America." It was similar to the old US Constitution, however, it specifically stated that this government was only provisional and it would disband upon the reestablishment of the true federal government. Other changes also included the removal of the electoral college and a revised second amendment. Following the approval of the represented communities, the new US had their first election for the President and the Congress. Ray Hunkins, following in the footsteps of George Washington, ran unopposed and was elected the first president of the Provisional US in 1992.

Upon the formation of the Provisional United States, the various communities were divided into new states which included Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas and Colorado. Due to the difficulties in communication, President Hunkins in 1993 was able to push through Congress the creation of two new states: Kootenai (western Montana) and Absaroka (made up of parts of Montana, Wyoming and Nebraska). It was hope that these new state governments would be more efficient at providing services to their respective populaces.

Soon the Provisional United States began expanding into Idaho. Several communities located in the former Idaho counties of Lemhi, Clark and Fremont, petitioned for admission into the PUS as a state and eventually formed the state of Idaho in 1995. The panhandle of Idaho was organized as the state of Lincoln after a PUS expedition has defeated the Neo-Nazi warlord who had taken control of the area. In the 1996 election President Hunkins won a second term as president of the PUS.

The Treaty of Morgan
In 1997, President Hunkins officially extended an invitation to the Canadian communities of the Great Plains to join the PUS. Though the communities had yet to be organized into a central government, they continued to maintain close ties and acted as a confederation in all but name. Hunkins invitation touched off a renewed wave of Canadian nationalism and thus his invitation was rejected. Momentarily take aback, Hunkins nevertheless invited representatives to meet with him in the town of Morgan, Montana to discuss the future relationship between the PUS and the Canadian survivor communities.

What came out of these talks was the Treaty of Morgan. On the condition that the Canadian communities organize themselves under a democratic central government, the Americans and Canadians would be united under a political and economic alliance known as the North American Union. The Union would integrate the two government and yet allow them both to keep their sovereignty. The Union would establish a common market, a common currency and seek to encourage common policies on various domestic issues. Borders would also remain open between the two nations, neither requiring its citizens to obtain a passport before entering either nation. The treaty was singed in 1997 and is considered the start of the North American Union, despite the fact that it was not until 1998 when the PUS Senate approved the Treaty and 1999 when the newly created Provisional Government of Canada did likewise.

Lakotah joins the NAU
The years following the Lakotah War had not been good for the Republic. Infighting among the different Lakota tribes, rebellions by non-Lakotah demanding civil rights and harassment from the east by had stretched the Republic to the limit. Furthermore, it was obvious to even the dimmest Lakotah chief that the NAU was prospering. When the NAU cut off trade with Lakotah in 2002 in response to a particularly gruesome massacre of non-Lakota rebels, what little economy Lakotah had collapsed.

In the midst of this crisis a new Chief Facilitator, Charmaine White Face, was chosen. Immediately she instituted reforms granting equal rights to non-Lakota in the Republic's territory and sent a delegation to end the border dispute with Assiniboia. Her most controversial decision was to apply for membership in the NAU in 2003.

The application came as a surprise to both the NAU and White Face's opposition. While White Face dealt with dissent back in Lakotah, the NAU debated about what to do about Lakotah's application for membership. Up till now the NAU had never considered expanding its members as the NAU had only been meant to act as an organization to promote free trade and common policy between the American and Canadian survivor communities. Despite not having an official set of membership criteria for which to judge Lakotah's application, it was eventually decided that for the stability of the region it was better to accept Lakotah into the NAU or else the NAU may be forced to invade the country if things continued to get worse. Thus in 2004, representatives from the NAU and Lakotah met once again in Beach, North Dakota to sign the official documents that made Lakotah a full member of the NAU.

Lakotah's entrance into the NAU was not without opposition. Russel Means created the Lakotah Liberation Army with the stated goal of using whatever means necessary of overthrowing the White Face government and removing Lakotah from the Union. For several years he conducted with his followers a guerilla war against the NAU, until he was captured in 2007. After being tried he was sentenced to life imprisonment.

Contact
In August of 2009 contact was made with an expedition sent from the with. News of the contact with the outside world was greeted with happiness by the NAU. The NAU quickly sent their own expedition back to the MSP. Talks have already begun with the MSP about future trade between the two regions, including a joint project to build a new railway to make trade easier. This has lead to negotiations with Utah as the most accessible railway lines would pass through the Snake River Valley.

Contact with the outside world has also encouraged the NAU to think more seriously about expanding its members now that so many American survivor states have been discovered across North America. Already there are several proposals for an official membership criteria.

Further expansion
Rumors that was planning to join the NAU had been circulating since January 2010. The rumors first began spreading when both states were negotiating with the MSP about reestablishing rail lines to the Pacific coast. Reports stated that Donald J. Atchison, head of the NAU diplomatic team, brought up the idea of potential future membership in the NAU for the two other nations, but Utah was the only one who showed interest.

The rumors became official on April 8, 2010 when in Traverse City, Utah, Governor General Leavitt ceremonially signed a resolution passed by the state legislature in Fillmore before the ambassador of the NAU, signifying the accession of Utah to the North American Union. Utah's accession to the NAU was reputedly prompted by the rumors of wars of conquest to the East and the rumblings of war along the California coast. Utah's leadership, desiring to preserve the peace, felt that joining with the North American Union would act as a means of stabilizing the region further, and hopefully averting wars. This announcement was made on top of an agreement to allow train travel through Utah for supplies from and to the NAU.

Full ascension into the NAU for Utah will take about five years. During that time referendums will be held in the disputed parts of Idaho and Wyoming to decide whether the local populations will officially be a part of Utah or the PUSA. Meanwhile, Utah's telephone, telegraph and semaphore lines will need to be connected with the NAU grid. Furthermore, Utah has agreed to less participation from the LDS Church in the government and to ensure non-Mormon representation in the Utah political process.

The current status of Dinétah, however, remained an issue. suggested that Dinétah be allowed to join as a full member of the union, thus making it the second Native American state to join. Utah publicly announced that it would support Dinétah in whatever course the nation chose to follow. Following intense negotiation on the part of Lakotah, Dinétah joined the NAU officially on May 6, 2010.

On June 1, 2010, the became the next state to join the NAU after its government requested to join the Union and was accepted. This decision came shortly after a referendum was held in Pasco where voters approved a measure to join the NAU, over remaining independent or joining PUSA instead.

On July 4, 2010, the PUSA declared itself the sucessor to the USA and dropped it's "Provisional" status.

Economy
The economy of the NAU is primarily agricultural. Many towns and cities had to relocate most of their populations to local farms and ranches. These farms and ranches have been transformed with defensive walls built to protect against Lakotah raids during the Lakotah War. Today these farm and ranches are the center of life in the NAU. Only recently have the towns and cities begun to grow again and light industry has increased.

Technological progress has been slow, as the country concentrates more on building up former prosperity. Due to the lack of oil, all five members of the Union ration its use among civilians. There has been some advancement in bio-diesel and steam powered trains have become more common again. Despite this the primary mode of transportation for the common man in the Union has once again become the horse.

Trade has picked up ever since contact in 2009. Guarded convoys have already begun to move between the and the.

Currency
Shortly after Doomsday, the collapse of the world market made paper currency useless among the member states of the NAU and the economy devolved into a barter system. Following the establishment of the Provisional Government of the United States, a new currency was introduced to replace the dominant barter system. Called the "New Dollar", for its similarity to the old US dollar, it was backed by the "full faith and credit" of the government, and was somewhat successful in replacing the barter system, at least in the more developed parts of the country.

With the establishment of the NAU in 1997, a new common currency was created, called the "Buffalo Dollar" (for the American icon appearing on the reverse of both the paper and coined currency) to replace the New Dollar and the old Canadian currency the Canadian communities were using. Lakota also adopted the Buffalo Dollar when it joined the NAU. Since its admission, Utah has begun the conversion to the new currency as well. All member states, however, still honor any of their own currencies that may still be in circulation.

Foreign Relations
The NAU has only recently established contact with the rest of the world following the arrival of a sponsored expedition from the Municipal States of the Pacific. There are already plans among the NAU leadership to build a safe trade route to reach the MSP. Some plans include reopening old railroad lines between the two areas.

Though territory disputes between Utah and the NAU states of Idaho and Wyoming have caused things to be tense at times, relations with Utah have improved over the years, leading to its recent agreement to join the union. The NAU has also opened talks with ; however, due to the, the Provisional Government of Canada is hostile to Superior.

All five member states have applied to become members of the.

Expansion
Since contact the NAU has thought harder about expanding the membership of the union. In ealy 2010 Utah joined the union, becoming the first state to do so since Lakotah. Soon,the followed, joining in June. Overtures have been made to the, and the. Though West Texas rejected the initial offer, the other states have been more receptive and negotiations are continuing. West Texas has since reconsidered its decision and is leaning towards making its own formal request to join the NAU.

, may soon join its neighbor to the north as a likely candidate for membership in the Union, especially since the proposed rail line to the MSP is likely to go through its territory. Utah has been encouraging its neighbors to apply.

The applauds the efforts of the NAU to increase membership and sees the union as the even better vehicle to reestablish the USA than the member state which now goes by that name. Indications from Torrington, though, are that the name "United States of America" belongs to them and whatever states may join them as a unified nation on the North American continent.

Law Enforcement
Each City/Town in the NAU maintains its own Police/Sherrifs Department. The national Law Enforcement Agency is the Union Mounted Police (UMP) which serves as a FBI/RCMP style unit. Because of this, most of the higher ranking officers of the NAMP were formerly agents of the FBI or officers of the RCMP.

Military
The NAU requires all member nations to maintain a strong, professional Militia and Air Militia. The Militias originally were equipped with old American and Canadian weapons from National Guard stockpiles and bases that survived Doomsday, along with some new weapons built since Doomsday including the Union Standard Automatic Rifle (USAR), based on the old M63 Multipurpose Weapon (MW), designed by Eugene Stoner. The USAR has replaced all other rifles and sidearms as the main weapon of the Militias. M2 HMGs are also used, as are Dragon Anti-Tank (AT) missiles. The Union Reconnaissance Commandos (URC or "Reconndos"), made up of volunteers from the national militias, are the elite force of the NAU and keeps peace along the member nations border while also keeping brigands in check. They are also trained as counter-terrorists and in the event of war, would act in the reconnaissance and commando roles (hence their official name and their nickname). The NAU nations also maintain various pre-Doomsday military vehicles and aircraft. The standard Main Battle Tank (MBT) of the NAU is the M60A3 with the M113 operating as the standard Amoured Personal Carrier (APC). The M109 Self Propelled Gun (SPG) is also used the by the national Militia forces. The Air Militias operate a mixture of F-4 Phantom IIs and C-130 Hercules, as well as UH-1 Huey helicopters, alongside AH-1 Cobra attack helicopters. Other aircraft are also in Service, such as the F-111 Aardvark and the C-141 Starlifter. The various Nomadic clans also have there own private "armies", although they are not as well equipped or as well trained as the national Militia. In the context of the NAU, "Militia" refers to a nation's or clan's military, and not a body of citizen solders. The Militia are as follows:

The United States Armed Forces, consists De Jure of the United States Army, the United States Navy (USN), the United States Air Force (USAF), the United States Marine Corp (USMC) and the United States Coast Guard (USCG). Since the NAU and by extension the USA is land locked, only the USAF and the United States Army exsist at the moment. Their is a growing movement to rename the United States Armed Forces the United States Defence Force (USDF), in light of the situation the USA is in.

The Provisional Canadian Forces (PCF), consisting of the Provisional Canadian Air Force (PCAF) and the Provisional Canadian Army (PCA).

The Lakotan Liberation Army (LLA), which is completely non-communist, despite the name. A unique unit in the LLA is the Lakotan Forgein Legion (LFL), made up of non-Lakotans in their territory as both a Special Forces unit and a way of reassuring the Non-Lakotan population.

The Utah National Guard (UNG) and Utah Air National Guard (UANG).

The Dinetah Defence Force (DDF). This is the combined military of Dinetah, which operates under a similar structure to the old USMC.

The Free State Guard and Air Guard.

National symbols
For most of its history, the NAU had no need for a flag of its own. Union buildings flew the US, Canadian, and, after 2004, the Lakotah flag side by side. As the NAU evolved into a supranational government with more of its own institutions and activities, there was a need for its own identifying symbol. The NAU government authorized the creation of a new flag in 2006. It was first unfurled in 2007 in time for the tenth anniversary of the Treaty of Morgan.

The flag shows three mountain peaks for the three member nations. The NAU's terrain is mostly flat prairie, but all three nations include some mountains: the peaks are said to represent the American Rockies, Canadian Rockies, and the Black Hills, as well as "the lofty goals of our Union". The colors combine the red and white of Canada with the red, white, and blue of the USA; the specific dark shade of red comes from the Lakotah flag. The flag also represents a landscape with red earth and a blue sky, symbolizing commitment to the land of North America. The white stripe on the flag represents peace, both within the NAU and throughout the world.

Utah's admission to the Union in 2010 makes it appear likely that the NAU will continue to grow and acquire new members. The committee that first adopted the current flag has recommended that the number of peaks remain fixed at three, to avoid what what the report calls "a seismograph effect" of multiple peaks.

Member nations

 * Flag of the United States of America.pngd States of America
 * CanadasFlag.pnga (Provisional)
 * Republic of Lakotah.pnglic of Lakotah
 * Deseret.gifnwealth of Deseret
 * 700px-Navajo_flag_svg.png Dinétah
 * Pascoflag.png

Associated Nomadic clans
Some survivors in this part of North America adopted a nomadic lifestyle in an effort to survive the aftermath of Doomsday. They have evolved into clans made up of several large extended families. Their wealth comes from their large herds of animals which they take to different pastures during the years, following them in the few remaining motorized transports or horse-drawn wheeled tents based off the yurt design used by Central Asian nomads (this became popular thanks to a history professor who joined a nomadic clan after Doomsday).

During the Lakotah War several clans fought as mercenaries on both sides of the war. Afterward, a few clans moved west and challenged the Hells Angels of the MSP for control of the area. Those few who remained eventually all became associated members of the NAU.

Member clans (named after their patriarch/matriarch):
 * Johnson
 * Balis
 * Carmichael
 * Williams
 * Holt

Sports
Within the states that comprise the provisional United States government, the traditional American sports -, , and, in the northern states, ice hockey, along with tennis and golf - retained their interest and popularity among the public.

In Alberta and Saskatchewan, people are interested in the same sports as their U.S. counterparts, with a few notable distinctions. is the most popular team sport. The Canadian version of American football is the preferred code in the two states. And, the Canadian sport of curling has retained some interest and popularity.

In the nation of Lakotah, sports meshed well with Lakotahian life, particularly basketball and American football. Basketball is very popular in Lakotah, and former high school and college coach Larry Brown has worked for years helping build up the sport in Lakotah and elsewhere in the NAU. Lately, as news of the outside world has come to Lakotah, some in the country have proposed that association football (aka soccer) be considered as a national priority, with the idea that as the world's preeminent sport, it would help raise Lakotah's awareness and status in the eyes of the outside world. Many tribal leaders have failed to understand this, but nevertheless preliminary work on establishing a Lakotah Football Association has begun.

The oldest existing gridiron football club in North America, the Saskatchewan Roughriders, are based in Saskatoon and play in the North American Football League, under American football rules. There is currently no professional league for Canadian football.

Professional leagues
There are professional leagues for American football and ice hockey. The key here is they are 'professional' in the sense that players do get paid for their services, but not enough for them to give up their day jobs. Thus, games are played on the weekends, which has the added effect of easing travel expenses.

The North American Football League teams are:
 * Assiniboia Blue Bombers
 * Billings Cowboys
 * Dodge City Chiefs
 * Lakotah Warriors
 * Nebraska Cornhuskers
 * Saskatchewan Roughriders
 * Wyoming Broncos

The Northern Hockey League teams are:
 * Assiniboia Jets
 * Billings Rangers
 * Lakotah Thunderbirds
 * Lethbridge Oilers
 * Medicine Hat Maple Leafs
 * Red Deer Canucks
 * Saskatoon Riders
 * Swift Current Flames