Slappy, I will go a bit further reguarding California. And this is something that I spoke with durring the elections.
We have some sizable populations in our urban areas. Alot of these people are the welfare class and illegals and other urban poor. I made the comment with a freind in Washington state election evening.
We the NORMAL PEOPLE, are forced to go along with the masses and their will dragged along by the will of the urban megatropolises. And this will drag the folks in the country and suburbs along that route too against their will and beleifs.
Now, with that being said, California is a widly spaced state. We do have a bit of distance to our East, however, we have several major highways that go north to South, a couple go from Mexico to Canada. The 101 and the 5, and the 22 goes a fair piece.
As for East to West we have the I-15 which goes straight to Vegas <another place that will crumble with the falling of the infrastructure. I beleive Vegas in the middle of the desert with its massive population that is based on entertainment would turn into something WORSE than Armies of the Night or City of the Angels, although, they may have lighting if the Hoover Damn remains intact> And then we have the I-10 which does to almost Mexico and then cuts East into Arizona.
As for Southern California, I agree we will have an urban vs Country folks war, but I will say it will be more. Not just the rural folks, it will be more Inner City verses the Suburbs.
I also think it would be a big race issue in Cali. One just needs to look at the rallies they had a couple years ago, or look on the roads and you will see countless vehicles with mexican flag stickers. I can see it turning into something akin to Yugoslavia in California. Drought, social unrest and ethnic tensions and fighting for the limited resources available for the survivors. And a total disreguard for what is left of government as they have failed miserably.
I can see catonments based on race and social class. And some raids and clashes between groups. Inner city types with gang members forming a nucleus of their fighters would always venture out to raid the catonments in the rural and suburbs, and those from the suburbs and rural areas will basicaly shoot anyone of city dwellers on sight and even conduct punative raids on the urban dwellers and camps of bandits and groups of mexicans.
Thats what I would guess would happen.