Republic of Vermont (1983: Doomsday)

The Republic of Vermont is an American survivor nation in former New England. Vermont was a former British possession, then became an independent nation in 1777 and became the 14th state to join the United States of America in 1791. After declaring its independence in 1984, it maintained a policy of "independent isolationism" from the rest of the world until the 1990s, when it began taking steps out of its isolation and establishing itself as a neutral country, similar to the former status of Switzerland in Europe. Its capital city is Montpelier, and its largest city is Manchester. Jim Douglas is its current president.

History

 * See main article: 

Military
The Vermont Army, including its Air Force, was established in 1986 and is unofficially known as the "Green Mountain Boys", the nickname of the former Vermont state National Guard. In fact, its battle flag is also the official national flag.

The Army is primarily comprised of conscripts, aged from 20 to 35. There is a small percentage of professional soldiers and officers in the military. Compulsory service is for men and women, although women have not yet seen combat. All citizens receive conscription orders at age 19, and are trained in boot camp for a five-month period. They then return to civilian life or, if they desire, go into the military; civilians remain "on call" for service in case conscription is needed

Though Vermont is officially a neutral nation, its Army has trained in offensive tactics against warlords. Vermont's military and political leadership believes that "a strong defense" is a must in a post-Doomsday society and will strengthen the country's neutrality. Vermont has not yet participated in any peacekeeping missions, but there are provisions for such scenarios. Training for potential peacekeeping missions in former New York state and in former Quebec has been ongoing since 2008.

The Army headquarters is in Burlington; bases exist there and in Manchester, Burlington, Rutland, Torrington and Dartmouth.

The Vermont Air Force (formerly the Vermont Air National Guard pre-Doomsday) is based in Manchester. Consideration is being given to relocate it, in part or whole, back to Burlington.

Law enforcement
Law enforcement is handled primarily by city and town police officers. The Vermont Republic Police act in the same capacity the old Vermont State Police did, with jurisdiction over railroads and matters occurring between outside towns and cities.

National
Vermont is governed as a democratic republic with an executive branch, led by a president; a bicameral legislative branch; and a judicial branch. The Constitution of the Republic of Vermont is the supreme law of the land, followed by the Vermont Statues/Codes. Through 2010, all members of the executive and legislative branches could be elected for unlimited terms of two years each, including the President and senators. The President's term was changed to four years through approval by both houses, and signed into law by President Jim Douglas. Talk of extending terms for other offices continued in early 2010, with separate bills extending senatorial and representative terms undergoing intense debate.

Given Douglas's recent activity in regards to international relations, and Vermont's growing political importance in the region, the idea of extending the President's term to four or even six years was raised in 2009, and a bill proposing unlimited terms of four years each was drafted in late 2009. The rationale was that if the President is going to play an important role in world affairs, a two-year term is too short for anyone to see to the domestic and international obligations of the office, while campaigning for the next term. The General Assembly approved the bill, which Douglas signed into law in February.

The legislative branch is known as the General Assembly, a bicameral body composed of the House of Representatives (the lower house, comprised of 180 members) and the Senate (the upper house, comprised of 46 senators), both of which meet at the Vermont State House.

The executive branch consists of the President and Vice President, and enacts and enforces the laws of the state. The President and Vice President are chosen on separate tickets, regardless of party affiliation. In a change from Vermont's former status as a U.S. state, the President appoints the Secretary of State, the Attorney General and the head of the Department of the Treasury.

The highest court, and sole appellate court, in the judicial system is the Supreme Court, made up of five justices who serve six-year terms. The Chief Justice is the head of the judiciary and, with the other justices of the supreme court, oversees the judicial branch. Vermont has three additional courts and one division, and has no intermediate appellate court. Appointments to the state supreme court, superior court, and district courts are made by the President, from a list of names submitted by the Republic's Judicial nominating committee and then are confirmed by the Senate. At the end of each six-year term, the General Assembly votes by joint ballot (each member, senator or representative, getting one vote) on whether to retain the judge or justice (known as a judicial retention vote). Judges on lower courts are elected on a partisan ballot.

Local
Internally, Vermont consists of ten cities, nearly 200 towns and several unincorporated gores, governed by guidelines set by the state statutes and constitution. Towns govern themselves by Town Meeting. The governing power is found in the City Councils in cities.

Although the cities and towns have much autonomous power, the Republic is divided into 24 subdivisions called counties. They are:


 * Addison
 * Belknap (from former New Hampshire)
 * Bennington
 * Berkshire (New Hampshire)
 * Caledonia
 * Carroll (New Hampshire)
 * Cheshire (New Hampshire)
 * Chittenden
 * Southern Coos (New Hampshire)
 * Southern Essex
 * Franklin (from former Massachusetts)
 * Grafton (New Hampshire)
 * Grand Isle
 * Northern Hillsborough-Rockingham (New Hampshire)
 * Litchfield (from former Connecticut)
 * Merrimack (New Hampshire)
 * Orange
 * Rutland
 * Strafford (New Hampshire)
 * Sullivan (New Hampshire)
 * Washington
 * Windham
 * Windsor
 * Worcester (Massachusetts)

Vermont also claims the following areas as territories, for possible future administration by a regional authority:


 * southern Hillsborough and Rockingham counties of former State of New Hampshire
 * Clinton, Essex, Washington, Rensselaer and Columbia counties of former New York state
 * remainder of former Commonwealth of Massachusetts
 * remainder of former State of Connecticut
 * all of former Rhode Island and Providence Plantations

Politics
The Democratic and Republican parties, considered to be the successors to their counterparts in the former state of Vermont (as well as to the former U.S. national parties), dominate Republic politics, although a number of ranking legislators consider themselves independents.

Relations with other countries
After a year of debate, Vermont officials decided to pursue membership in the League of Nations. Vermont President Jim Douglas traveled in October to its headquarters in Tonga, as Vermont's representative in its official application for LoN membership. There are said to be no barriers preventing Vermont from joining the LoN.

Vermont has officially established relations with Aroostook, Canadian Remainder Provinces, Saguenay and Superior; each nation has embassies in Burlington, and Vermont has established embassies in all four countries. Superior's embassy is scheduled to officially open in November.

Vermont also is in the process of establishing official relations with the following nations: the Alpine Confederation, the ANZC, Kingdom of Bermuda, the Celtic Alliance, Cuba, Deseret, Dinetah, the Dominican Republic, the East Caribbean Federation, the Free State of Hawaii, the Municipal States of the Pacific, Nicaragua, all member nations of the Nordic Union and the North American Union, Pais del Oro, the Kingdom of Tonga, the Republic of Victoria, the Virginian Republic and the Republic of West Texas.

Economy
Vermont, pre-Doomsday, was the leading manufacturer of maple syrup in the United States, and has once again began manufacturing and selling that product in the region.

Almost all of the large businesses in the region have headquarters or presences in Manchester, Vermont's largest city. Manchester is fast becoming a regional center of commerce in the Atlantic region.

Important businesses in the Republic include the Bank of New Hampshire; Vermont Butter and Cheese Company; Fisher Scientific; C&S Grocers; Merchants Motors; NSS Corporation; Stonyfield Farm; Timberland; Green Mountain Coffee; Burton Snowboards; King Arthur Flour; Manchester Textiles; Merchants Bank; Vermont Transit Lines and Rail; Merrimack Brewery; and Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream.

Barre and Rutland are the centers of Vermont's granite quarrying and carving industry, which Vermont hopes to capitalize on at a regional and international scale.

Dairy farming is the region's primary source of agricultural income.

Vermont leaders also hope to greatly expand the Republic's tourism industry over the next ten years and make the Republic a popular center for skiing, fishing, hiking and other outdoor recreational pursuits. Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire County has become a popular vacation destination in recent years.

On February 18, 2010, Vermont opened up talks with Aroostook in regards to rebuilding either of the former Maine towns of Kennebunkport or York Harbor as a port. President Jim Douglas thought it was important to negotiate with Aroostook regarding both potential sites, as both lie in the borders of former Maine and Vermont considers Aroostook the bona fide successor to the state of Maine. Douglas also wanted to offer Aroostook access to the port, which would give Vermont access to the Atlantic Ocean and allow for trade with European, Caribbean and South American countries and for expanded trade with Canada.

Culture
In November 1983, the Vermont Theatre Company committed to continue putting on productions throughout the state as it was able. As the television channels disappeared, and there were no new movies being produced, the Vermont Theatre Company's productions became quite popular. Even now, with the Republic's three television channels, and new movies from ANZC, and South America being shown in the Republic's movie theaters, the Vermont Theatre Company still has a large, and loyal, following. Its most popular event is the Shakespeare Festival held in Battleboro each summer. The Vermont Symphony Orchestra, based in Montpelier, also is quite popular.

Broadcasting
The Republic's Vermont Broadcasting Service (modeled after Celtic Alliance's RTE and the old BBC and NPR, established in 1994) owns and operates three television stations, with transmitters in Montpelier, Manchester and Pittsfield and translators in the northern township of Swanton and the southern town of Torrington. VBS One, which carries news, sports and entertainment programming, recently went 24 hours a day, 7 days a week; VBS Two (programmed much like the old PBS affiliates, with programming ranging from classical music to educational programming, with the occasional special session of the General Assembly) and Three (movies, sports, popular music, entertainment) broadcast primarily in the evenings during the week and from 7 am to 1 am on Saturdays, 8 am to midnight on Sundays

The Republic also operates five radio stations, with transmitters running from the northern townships down into Torrington, and broadcasting in the following formats:


 * News/sports
 * Classical/opera
 * Modern top 40 (music from Europe, South America and Australia)
 * "Classic" top 40 (US music before 1983)
 * Beautiful music/easy listening

There are also 10 privately-owned stations throughout the Republic. Especially popular are Rock 94 and Hits 101, both operating out of Manchester, and NewsTalk 1450 out of Montpelier (which can be easily heard as far north as Saguenay and St. John's, Canada)

The source material for the VBS and private television and radio stations comes from vinyl records and cassettes taken from the TV stations in Burlington and Manchester and radio stations from throughout the Republic, as well as from abandoned radio stations in neighboring states that were found by Vermont Army personnel or Republic scouting parties over the years. One private party also donated his entire collection of classical and opera music to the VBS, another party his father's diverse collection of pre-Doomsday albums and cassettes, including works by Led Zeppelin, John Coltrane, the Beatles, Bruce Springsteen and Frank Sinatra.

Print media
The Republic's two newspapers of record are the Montpelier Times-Argus and Manchester Union-Leader, both of which publish separately Tuesday through Saturday, and combine for Sunday and Monday editions. Eight other newspapers, including the Rutland Herald, publish weekly.

A small magazine industry has surfaced in the last few years, with various entrepreneurs focusing on such areas as gardening and exercise. One Montpelier entrepreneur publishes Vermont, Vermont Life and Wildlife on a monthly basis and the Vermont Farmers' Almanac each December.

Manchester entrepreneurs have recently restarted Newsweek as a monthly newsmagazine, initially focusing on Vermont with plans to expand its focus on regional and international affairs.

Education
The most notable university in the Republic is Dartmouth, which managed to survive the chaos of Doomsday and intermittent attacks by raiders and warlords. It was renamed from Dartmouth College in 1985. Its facilities have long been used in the rebuilding of Vermont education and society, and today officials wish to establish it as a regional and international center of learning, carrying on the ideals and goals of the now-defunct Ivy League of universities in the northeastern former United States..Other notable colleges and universities include the University of Vermont, with campuses in Burlington, Montpelier, Marlboro, Bennington and Battleboro; Bennington, Granite State, Keene State and Saint Michael's colleges; the Vermont Law School, attached to the University of Vermont in Montpelier; Franklin Pierce University; Norwich University; and the University of New Hampshire in Manchester.

Some universities, most notably Dartmouth, Vermont and New Hampshire, have begun accepting students from the northern townships, Aroostook and Canada.

Elementary, middle and high schools exist in every county.

Sports
In general, Vermonters are very active people. Walking, jogging and fishing have long been popular activities, and in recent years skiing and golf have become popular.

Organized sports returned in the early 1990s, after the Republic stabilized and it became clear that civilization would survive. Even now, organized sports exist only at the youth, high school and amateur levels. The Vermont Baseball League, made up of high school stars who have graduated, is played from June through August, and the Vermont Hockey League is headquartered in Manchester.

The Manchester Bruins team in the VHL has attempted to apply for membership in the Canadian Hockey League and the Republic of Superior Hockey League, only to run into resistance from the Vermont government over the ongoing Saguenay War.

Intercollegiate sports will return in the fall of 2010, under the oversight of the Vermont Collegiate Athletic Association (VCAA). Five Vermont universities and one from Aroostook are the founding members.

There's also a small, but growing, fan base for motorsports. Bryar Motorsports Park in Loudon runs a limited schedule of three events each summer of go-kart races, and in 2010 plans are to begin a Formula One-style series using ethanol engines, funded by Vermont entrepreneurs and by European and Brazilian entrepreneurs who are working toward restarting the Formula One auto racing series by 2013.

Transportation
To conserve oil, the Vermont government encourages walking for short distances and use of public transportation for longer distances in all cities and townships. Very few people own private automobiles, in large part because public transportation is extremely reliable and safe at all hours.

An extensive train system (officially called the Vermont Rail System and New England Central Railroad) has been developed in the past 15 years and is used to transport goods and people around the state; raillines into the northern townships and Aroostook are being repaired, with the aim to open them for use by Thanksgiving 2009.

The Manchester Regional Airport and Edward K. Knapp Airport in Montpelier are currently being remodeled and brought up to international standards, especially as the government's Department of Tourism plans to ramp up efforts to draw tourists from Canada, Saguenay, Europe and even Mexico over the next few years.

Tourism


Lake Winnipesaukee, between Belknap and Carroll counties in the eastern part of the Republic (former New Hampshire), drew 60,000 visitors in 2009. It is one of the centerpieces of the Vermont Department of Tourism's efforts to attract international visitors.

Ski lifts reopened in the past decade in the Republic have also attracted both domestic and foreign visitors, especially those from Canada and Aroostook.

Utilities
The Republic is served by the Green Mountain Public Service Corporation and Public Service Company of New Hampshire and Vermont.

Demographics
There were 759,164 people in the Republic as of the 2009 census. There are an estimated 40,000 people living in the northern townships that border Vermont and Aroostook.

Religion
64% of Vermonters identify themselves as Christians, of different denominations and sects. Roman Catholicism makes up 35 of the population, followed by 28% Protestants. 18% of people identify as atheists or agnostics. 14% declined to state their religious preference, while 4% are adherents of other religions, mainly Judaism and Buddhism.