Most strong statements on this forum against Howling Wilderness have come from US members (although given that the vast majority of members are from the US, that may be an invalid observation). Still, when we've had discussions in which members have posited more post-Twilight War damage to Australia than what I'm comfortable with, I've had a pretty strong emotive reaction too. I guess what I'm saying is, I think it's a normal bias for someone living in the US to want a post-Twilight War US to be less beaten up and more powerful than described in Howling Wilderness. I get that. I argued most strongly against suggestions that things like the climate effects described in Howling Wilderness weren't possible. I think they absolutely are possible (and my understanding of climate science is part of that belief).
As a non-US resident, I have no great negative emotional response to a post-Twilight War USA being a total mess. However I also consider T2300 to be canon for my T2K universe, so I know that the US can and will build itself back to a place of penultimate power in the post-Twilight War universe. MilGov and CivGov reunite within the PCs' lifetimes and the long road to recovery begins.
__________________
 "It is better to be feared than loved" - Nicolo Machiavelli
|