Time line events: Crisis Era

(2001) George W. Bush took office and quickly pushed through a large tax cut as the economy continued to sputter after the dot.com bubble burst . A US submarine sank a Japanese fishing boat while surfacing off Hawaii and an American surveillance plane collided with a Chinese fighter plane off the Chinese coast. Sen. Jim Jeffords upset George W's apple cart by bolting the Republican Party and handing the Senate Majority to the Dems. US Representative Gary Condit was hounded by the media when one of his former interns disappeared mysteriously. Timothy McVeigh was executed for the Oklahoma City bombings reminding Americans of that pain. And then came September 11. Terrorists hijacked 4 airliners full of passengers and flew them into both of the World Trade Towers, the Pentagon and the ground. Many thousands of New Yorkers were killed and the country went into shock. Suddenly the tiny country of Afghanistan became a center of world focus as the United States went after Osama Bin Laden, a radical Islamic leader they believed was responsible for the tragedy in New York, and the Taliban leaders in Afghanistan who supported him. As the Terrorist network in Afghanistan crumbled under the intense bombing of the US, tensions heightened between Israel and Palistinians as well as between India and Pakistan. But New Yorkers were not given time to absorb their grief. Someone decided to take advantage of the turmoil and mailed Anthrax filled letters to US officials and media leaders. Then an airliner broke apart and plunged into a Long Island neighborhood. The world went on but not as usual. Patriotism was right again and Americans seemed to pull together even as the economy took a dive. George Harrison, Perry Como, Jack Lemmon, Eddie Mathews and Katharine Graham died. Sorcery and Witchcraft enjoyed a surge of popularity as movies "Harry Potter" and "Lord of the Rings" were released to sellout crowds. In sports Tiger Woods became the first golfer to hold all four major titles at the same time. In baseball the Seattle Mariners won a record number of games in a season but faded in the playoffs, Barry Bonds blasted 73 HR for a new record and the Little League booted a pitcher out for lying about his age.
(note from the Webmaster: There is good reason to believe that we have now passed into a crisis era in this cycle of U. S. History. This would have been sparked by the dot.com bubble bursting in 2000 and the 9/11 event of 2001. I am assuming that this is, in fact, the "fourth turning" of Strauss and Howe's generational theory and have rearranged the time lines accordingly. Of course, if this proves not to be the case, this paragraph may be moved again.)
(2002) The United States is again preoccupied with the dot-com recovery and the response to 9/11. At home a series of major corporations go under in scandal as the management tactics that fueled the dot-com revolution are found to be questionable and even criminal. The economy continues to stumble and some industries, especially the airlines, are hobbled by both 9/11 fallout and the burst dot-com bubble. As the battle continues to rage between Israel and Palestine, Osama bin Laden remains illusive even as terrorists seem to lurk in every shadow. And so President Bush continues to press his fight against terrorism with global troop deployment and, at home, passage of the Patriot act and the formation of the Homeland Security Department. At the same time he issues a challenge to the "axis of evil" of Iraq, Iran, and North Korea with an ultimatum issued to Iraq, demanding disarmament with the threat of military force. Americans approve and the Republicans score a victory in mid-term elections. Domestic terrorism is also apparent as snipers cruise the Washington D.C. area and cases of child abduction and abuse (even within the Catholic Church) fill the news. Former President Carter receives a Nobel peace prize. Legendary entertainers Peggy Lee, Lionel Hampton, Milton Berle, Richard Harris and Rosemary Clooney were lost. Popular and prolific writers Stephen Ambrose, Ann Landers and Stephen Jay Gould lay down their pens. In sports an all-California World Series and all-Williams sisters women's tennis. The winter Olympics in Salt Lake City are tainted by judging scandals. Ted Williams, Johnny Unitas and Sam Snead leave the field.
(2003) The year begins with the War on Terror in full swing. The Department of Homeland Security finally begins operation and the Bush Administration begins its campaign to disarm Saddam Hussein in Iraq. While world leaders join in opposition and people all over the globe join in protests against a military intervention in Iraq, Secretary of State Colin Powell pushes for use of force in Iraq at the United Nations. Finally, President Bush issues an ultimatum to Saddam Hussein and, not satisfied with the response, launches the Iraq War. British forces join the United States military in a campaign of "Shock and Awe" and soon after Baghdad falls President Bush declares "Mission Accomplished" at a rally aboard an aircraft carrier. Late in the year Saddam is found hiding in a tiny hole in the ground, but unfortunately, the war continued to rage and as the year came to a close there didn't appear to be an end in sight. Early in the year the Space Shuttle Columbia, and all of its crew, is lost during reentry. Rush Limbaugh, Martha Stewart and Michael Jackson run afoul of the law. Californian's throw out their Governor and put in the "Terminator" Arnold Schwarzenegger. Robert Novak "outs" CIA operative Valerie Plame. Gary Ridgeway, The "Green River Killer", confesses. Children (and former children) mourn the loss of Mr. Rogers. The World of Entertainment loses stars Bob Hope, Gregory Peck, Katherine Hepburn, Johnny Cash, Art Carney and Donald O'Conner. The South loses two of its staunchest supporters Lester Maddox and Strom Thurmond.
(2004)
(2005)

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