O.U.T.R..A.G.E. members were working day and night. Monday, March 3, was the second day of the three-day voters' holiday, and the hotlines were being flooded with questions from those who wanted to participate in tomorrow's vote. TV commercials had been created and distributed to local stations; press releases were sent to radio stations and newspapers. Camera-ready artwork was available for magazines, and other kinds of publications. The goal was to saturate America with the news: an interim election was going to take place on Tuesday, March 4. American citizens were encouraged to vote either "yea' or "nay": should Colin Powell and John McCain be elected interim President and Vice-President until an offical national election could take place on the first Tuesday in November?

Activity was endless as the O.U.T.R.A.G.E. camera operators jumped from one segment to another. Phone banks were being manned by O.U.T.R.A.G.E. members; e-mails were being read and answered. All communications were being conducted through the magic of high technology. Panel discussions were taking place on why Powell and McCain had been drafted for these interim appointments. In the field, O.U.T.R.A.G.E. members were distributing literature, yard signs, and banners. Some were giving speeches at local Kiwanis clubs, Chambers of Commerce and women's groups. Some were visiting American Legions and VFW posts to plead with veterans to vote on Tuesday.

Americans were still in a state of shock and disbelief; yet, Americans also had the fortitude to understand how important it was to pull themselves up by the bootstraps and move on. O.U.T.R.A.G.E. was perceived as a group of mass murders by some; others viewed the organization as a band of renegade rebels. Still, some saw them as new revolutionaries whose deeds had certainly come at a horrible price, but were necessary. A second American Revolution was the only way to change the corrupt, immoral, self-absorbed society America had become. In one fell swoop of bloodshed and total devastation, this group had eliminated most of the negative influences in the country. Some military people were highly critical about what O.U.T.R.A.G.E. had done, and especially vocal about how many innocent people were killed. Apparently, they conveniently forgot how America's military leaders had always brushed off "collateral damage" as an uncontrollable consequence of war.

Reaction was widespread and varied, but - for the most part - O.U.T.R.A.G.E. was beginning to see its public perception change from that of evil killers to one of benignant reformers.

Every few hours, Powell and McCain would give impromptu talks before the cameras, sounding more like benevolent fathers than political candidates. "These are times that very much try men's souls," said McCain, "and urge every American citizen to take heed as to what's going on right now. Your participation and patriotic involvement is absolutely essential. Now is not the time to focus on your business, relationships, finances, or amusement. This is the time to focus on patriotism and the future of our country. Please encourage your friends, neighbors, relatives and associates to vote tomorrow. Please read the literature the O.U.T.R.A.G.E. organization has published. We know many of your have never voted in your life. Please make it a point to do so tomorrow. Powell added, "If you are one of those who has constantly complained about the state of our state; if you have nothing but disdain for politics and politicians, you have been part of the problem. Your lack of participation has allowed the idleness to set in within our government. Only your active participationn will change things, and keep the goldbricking from continuing. What O.U.T.R.A.G.E. did was despicable...but some may say it was necessary. There has never been an opportunity to make such sweeping changes since the early 1990's when H. Ross Perot and the rag-tag Reform Party attempted to challenge the staid and stagnated Republican and Democratic parties. You now have a chance to be part of awesome change that will benefit all of America's citizens instead of just an upper echelon of the wealthy elite and powerfully influential. Please help us get the word out. Please encourage everyone you know - even everyone you might pass on the street - to become an active participant in tomorrow's interim election. Whether your vote is "yea" or "nay" isn't of any matter; the important thing is that you were part of the process."

By noon on Monday professional pollsters commissioned by O.U.T.R.A.G.E. were reporting results of their latest surveys.
More than 100 million Americans were, at least, aware of what O.U.T.R.A.G.E. was doing. Some research firms were already predicting a record turn-out of voters tomorrow.

The teleconference continued throughout the day and well into the night. Polls opened at 6:00 a.m. tomorrow. What would the outcome be, and what would happen after the polls closed at 6:00 p.m. tomorrow night?

Sunday, March 2, 2008 was the first day of a three-day voters' holiday. All during the ongoing telecasts, O.U.T.R.A.G.E. was encouraging employers to honor this holiday in the interests of good citizenship. While there was no law requiring them to let employees off to vote and then paying them for the day if they could prove they voted, it was anticipated that many firms would go along with the idea. In fact, in smaller communities, local Chambers of Commerce and other civic groups strongly supported the concept and called on their members to voluntarily participate.

From midnight on, O.U.T.R.A.G.E. members were holding televised "seminars" to explain and clarify each one of the twenty-five resolutions that had been introduced. Of those twenty-five resolutions, only Article XXI had been defeated as only 44% of registered voters had agreed with the "Freedom of Consent" proposed legislation. While O.U.T.R.A.G.E. members still wrote formal legislation for this resolution and planned to keep it on the March 4 ballot, there was little expectation that it would be voted into law by the citizens. O.U.T.R.A.G.E. members blamed its defeat on a poorly-written resolution that really offered no clarity or true sense of purpose. The resolution seemed vague and misguided. Still, with the help of stronger writing, the resolution would be included in the popular vote on March 4.

The use of 'split-screens' allowd television viewers to see two, three, and sometimes four images at a time. If viewers had a particular interest in one particular resolution, they could tune to a pre-designated separate channel to learn more about the proposed resolution and study the formal legislation as it had been written. A panel of O.U.T.R.A.G.E. members were on hand to take questions or offer explanations. If you wanted more information on Article XX, for example (the resolution to legalize drugs), you were instructed to tune to Channel 20. The whole purpose of this video exercise that went on day and night was to educate viewers before they voted on Tuesdy, March 4.

Due to its technological superiority, O.U.T.R.A.G.E. was also announcing that voters who were shut-ins, disabled, or sick, could call a special toll-free number and arrange for an O.U.T.R.A.G.E. representative to visit them on Election Day so that they, too, could cast their vote. Special voting booths were being set up in nursing homes and hospitals.

Every accommodation was being made to ensure that every legal U.S. citizen who wanted to vote could do so. Colin Powell and John McCain were the only two candidates on the ballot. This was not a vote about political partisanship; this was a vote to elect interim government leaders who would serve as the final authority in governmental matters until a formal election could take place in the fall. While some people believed this whole process to be illegal and unconstitutional, O.U.T.R.A.G.E. defended the need for such action under such extentuating circumstances. Others considered it to be a politically-biased elected since both Powell and McCain were registered as Republicans.

In July, 2006, a columnist for the 'Parade' magazine supplement that appeared in millions of Sunday morning newspapers across the U.S., answered a question from one of her readers. The reader asked, "Is it my imagination, or have we reached a point in this country where people either 'spin' right or 'spin' left, but no one gives it to you straight? I remember when there were politicians I trusted, even from the opposition party." Marilyn vosSavant's answer was to-the-point: "It seems that way, doesn't it? But a significant part of the apparent prolem is increasing citizen bias. For example, I have certain inescapable human waknesses, but otherwise I am as straight with my readers as I can get. Yet everytime I write about a controversial subject, no matter how exacting is my published reasoning, I get mail saying I must be a member of whichever political party is identified with a similar conclusion, regardless of its motivation or rationale, if one even exists. Readers don't realize such letters are evidence of their [own] bias, not mine."

vosSavant was right. Americans were polarized...paralyzed. And much of it came from the incredibly awful "talk show hosts" who disguised their programs as "news" shows only to aggressively shout their political beliefs to their audience of lamb-like followers who dumbly allowed themselves to be influenced by these hate-mongers instead of researching political issues and forming their own rational conclusions. Instead of reasonable, articulate debate, these programs were nothing more than crude verbal wrestling matches full of incivility, rude insults, barbs, and consistent interruptions. It was the political version of a televised boxing match where people clamored for blood and 'commentators' clashed using a barrage of iniquitous, evil language instead of gloved punches to an opponent's head. These shows on radio and Tv were America's variation of the old proaganda newsreels used by Hitler and Stalin during their respective reigns of terror.

O.U.T.R.A.G.E. had a number of priorities, one being to bring civility, honesty, and integrity back to the political process. The irony was that in order to accomplish such an objective, they had begun by inflicting untold horror on American soil. Most Americans remembered vividly where they were on November 22, 1963, when John F. Kennedy was assassinated. Millions remembered they were on September 11, 2001, when terrorists attacked the World Trade Center's twin towers in New York.
Few would ever forget where they were when thousands of American structures and tens of thousands of American citizens were killed on Thursday, January 17, 2008 - many of whom were listed among the "Who's Who in America" and Forbes' list of the "America's Richest People".

In an ironic twist of fate, news came from south Florida that talk show personality Rush Limbaugh's body had been found amidst the wreckage of his mansion. Dubbed one of 'America's most dangerous' people, his radio show had attracted millions of listeners during the 1990s as he lamblasted liberals and degraded Democrats. His "dittoheads" would have agreed with him if he'd have claimed Ronald Reagan had been named God. Rarely did Limbaugh ever say anything that could be documented as factual, and on unusual occasions when he was caught in a lie, he then reverted to the claim that his show was strictly 'entertainment' and not mean as factual political commentary. He spread his brand of hatred and bigotry to millions of gullible listeners under the guise of 'free speech'. At the turn of the century, Limbaugh got caught up in his own little scandal involving an addiction to prescription drugs. His addiction problems would never completely go away. To many, it was apparent that Limbaugh was a hapless, helpless addict, as much as those cretins whom he lamblasted on his show for not being able to fight their own drug addictions. The only difference was those cretins he so callously berated were the street addicts who had no money, no support system, no lawyers or doctors to keep them out of the legal system. Luckily, Limbaugh's million-dollar-a-week salary made it easy for him to continue his habit while avoiding serious infractions with the law. Limbaugh's body had been buried under tons of brick, mortar, and steel. He was seated on a toilet; in his hand was a bottle of Oxycotin. The medicine cabinet, containing countless vials of Vicotin and other pain relievers, had been twisted away from the wall. The long, tubular stainless steel overhead light has been separated from the medicine cabinet. Force of the explosion had forced the lighting fixture, which closely resembled the shape of a microphone, into Limbaugh's mouth and protruding from his left jaw. The 'mouthpiece of the Republican Party' had been freakishly silenced forever.

All day Sunday the television programs continued. Callers asked questions, debated issues, sent e-mails of support, studied final versions of legislation on which they would vote in two days, and criticized O.U.T.R.A.G.E. for the damage it had done.
Powell and McCain both had ongoing 'segments' wherein they explained their strategies for re-uniting the country. By using their remote control devices from the comfort of their own homes, Americans could tune into those topics or discussion, or issues, that interested them most. The telecasts continued all day and all night. New polls reflected an exciting fact: as of noon on Sunday, more than seventy-two million Americans were watching at least some of these broadcasts....almost a quarter of the entire U.S. population.

More than ten million viewers had tuned in to the first twenty-four-hour telecast, according to plls conducted by independent research firms hired by O.U.T.R.A.G.E. E-mails were flooding in from all over the country; the toll-free phone lines were ringing continuously. Curiosity attracted many citizens; outrage drew some, particularly those whose families had been decimated by the brutal killings on January 17; but the preponderance of viewers wanted to find out how they could get involved, where they could vote, or what would happen next.

O.U.T.R.A.G.E. called in technicians to install more phone lines, set up new e-mail addresses, and even established a special chat room so that viewers could comment, ask questions, criticize and complain. The country was alive with conversation as viewers phoned friends and neighbors and asked them to tune into the continuous programming. Those officials who escaped annihilation were keenly interested in these proceedings as they pondered what - if anything - they might do in an official capacity. While most public servants had worked at local levels to help maintain order and restore some degree of civility, others were trying to determine how they might best combat this O.U.T.R.A.G.E. organization. Could it be brought down before it 'took over' control of the country? That worry seemed to penetrate most commonly among those who were used to being the authority in control. Still, from all outward appearances, there didn't seem to be any immediate threat to the nation's security or stability. In fact, O.U.T.R.A.G.E. seemed to have everything under control. Other than a few isolated incidents of looting or civil unrest, Americans seemed to be accepting the role this massive organization played.

As O.U.T.R.A.G.E. members in cities all across the country began distributing election materials, the country seemed to be settling into a kind of calm acceptance of what had happened in these past few weeks. Questions and e-mails provided clues as to the mood of the nation, demonstrating that most people were awestruck by what had happened, and seemed to have confidence in how O.U.T.R.A.G.E. intended to drive this 'Rebellion o '08' into the most meaningful and dramatic change in America's 232 year history.

Tuesday - election day - would be proof positive (one way or another) that the citizenry was behind this 'revolution'.
The teleconference dragged on through the night. Before midnight on Saturday, new survey results indicated that more than twenty five million people were now aware of - and in some way, participating in - the O.U.T.R.A.G.E. movement.

Fierce interest had been sparked by Colin Powell and John McCain's address to the nation. While rescue operations were still going on around the country, people still took time out to learn about the O.U.T.R.A.G.E. mission. Countless thousands of people were still listed as 'missing'. Everyday more families buried their dead after a body had been found and identified. In some metropolitan areas, funeral directors were beseiged with so many viewings and services that they often would put two or three caskets in the same room; cemeteries were holding multiple burial services. Those in the business of death were firmly - yet compassionately - advising cremation more out of the need for expediency. In many communities, makeshift morgues were still operating. A government building in suburban Atlanta had been demolished by bombs. Ironically, the multi-story structure had resembled the infamous Murrah Building in Oklahoma City. Either by sheer coincidence, or perhaps by deliberate design, the architecture was strikingly similar and many government employees had often remarked how they felt a spooky similarity - almost an uneasy kinship - to those government employees who had died when Timothy McVeigh unleashed his vicious bombing attack back in the 1980's. Now that building in Georgia stood as a ghostly reminder of the Oklahoma City event. To some, the similarities were eerie. You could compare photos of the two destroyed buildings and hardly be able to tell which building was which. It was almost as if O.U.T.R.A.G.E. members had duplicated the scenario, perhaps using the same 'recipe' that McVeigh had used to inflict his destruction more than two decades before.

Questions poured in from around the country. Since O.U.T.R.A.G.E. was now televising 24/7, a panel of 'moderators' was on camera most of the time, answering those questions of general interest. Multiple toll-free numbers were in service, and it closely resembled the fund-raising telethons most people were used to seeing on PBS stations; some would see them as reminiscent of the Labor Day extravaganzas that the late comedian Jerry Lewis used to host for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. As these moderators worked in shifts, many members of O.U.T.R.A.G.E. had an opportunity to participate, some who had not yet been involved in the teleconferences "on camera", and others who had appeared before, usually having introduced particluar resolutions. Other O.U.T.R.A.G.E. members were busy responding to the thousands of e-mails, but were only answering those of a more personal nature. As could be expected, thousands of e-mails were asking 'Why?" and thousands more were hatefully chastizing O.U.T.R.A.G.E. for the crimes it had committed in the name of a 'rebellion'.

A caller on a speaker phone (all lines featured a one-minute delay mechanism so that inappropriate calls could be screened before being put on the air "live") asked, "Is O.U.T.R.A.G.E. a new political party?" Janie Baker, a farmer from Iowa who had introduced one of the 25 resolutions, took the call. "No, O.U.T.R.A.G.E. is not a new political party. We are an organization that was formed for one purpose: the deliberate intent of destroying the vile influences that have poisoned our national honor and integrity. Just as members of the original American Revolution fought to bring specific freedoms to a new nation, our intent is only to restore those freedoms and return America to its rightful owners: the people." Her flaxen hair, generously tinged with matronly gray streaks, was set off by her intense dark eyes as she spoke. Sitting next to her was her husband, Phil, who said nothing; uncomfortable in the limelight, he unexpectedly passed gas, audibly enough for the Tv microphones to pick it up for all of America to hear.

Another call was answered by a beautiful blue-eyed ponytailed blonde woman. Probably in her early forties, her exuberant smile shined for the camera, even though she was seated in the back row of the three-tiered panel of phone banks. When the caller indignantly asked her name, she hesitantly replied, "I'm Jil...what's your name, and how can I help you?" It was apparent that Jil was used to dealing with belligerent people. "None of your damn business," came the voice over the speaker phone. "I want to know what your group intends to do after the election. Do you plan to take over the country?" With infectious calm, Jil answered in her most communicable manner. 'No, ma'am," she explained. "Once the election is over, we plan to help rebuild our country, assist in the restoration of our executive, legislative and judicial branches of government, and work toward ensuring that Americans enjoy the freedoms and lifestyles for which our forefathers fought. Men died for our freedoms in the American Revolution, the Civil War, World War I, and World War II; they perished so that we could live in freedom and without oppression. Unfortunately, over these past five decades, our society took those freedoms for granted, refused to participate in the political process, which allowed the leaders of our country to create a rule onto themselves. Corrupt politicians, greedy corporate executives, wealthy elitists, self-absorbed celebrities, dangerous special interests, and those who coveted power and position above equality and fairness - including two decadent political parties - put an evil and unbreakable stranglehold on this nation, causing it to decay from the inside out. America was on the verge of financial, political, social, and moral bankrputcy. There was no way the rich and powerful were going to give up their wealth and authority. We believe we did what had to be done. Now, we ask your help in rebuilding our country into the strong, vibrant, moral society which it once was - and to which it can return." The caller seemed disarmed; not knowing how to respond, she rudely hung up on Jil.

The calls kept coming in; the cameras kept rolling. The moderators kept answering questions. Sometimes a moderator would take the caller off the speaker phone and talk directly to the national audience. It was an astonishing display of patriotism, perhaps like nothing since the days when the founding fathers had assembled in Philadelphia and New York as they spoke so eloquently about the need for independence - at any cost of life or limb.

It seemed that American Presidents who were elected after Franklin D. Roosevelt were always ready to "go to war" as long as that 'war' was on another country's soil. Politicians - and executives within the military-industrial complex - suddenly realized how inordinately profitable 'war' could be. It was simply a matter of creating the appropriate world tensions, orchestrating the right rationale, and convincing gullible Americans that all this fighting was done in the name of protecting our freedoms. It was a "North Korean Threat", a "Cold War", a "Cuban Missle Crisis", a "Vietnam Conflict", a "Desert Storm", or an "Iraqi Insurgency" that threatened America's precious freedoms. As the body counts piled up, so did the massive mountains of money that funneled from taxpayers' pockets directly into corporate coffers. And those corporate benefactors knew they had to share their newfound wealth with the people who could perpetuate the profitability of war: the very politicians whom the people elected to insure domestic tranquility.

The news spread like a California wildfire: Colin Powell was going to make a statement at Thursday's afternoon telecast. All of America's media that could still operate boldly announced the news and encouraged their respective viewers and readers to visit a site convenient to them to hear the telecast. On Thursday morning, February 28, 2008 the same TV and radio stations were notified by O.U.T.R.A.G.E. that a direct feed would be available to them, allowing the 4:55 meeting to be televised - for the first time - over public airwaves. It was clearly evident that O.U.T.R.A.G.E. had the know-how, resources, and capabilities to make this happen. Some news directors marveled at the state-of-the-art ability of this rebel organization. As NBC, CBS, ABC or Fox News affiliates, they had rearely seen such technical quality and expertise.

Promptly at 4;55 P.M. EST, the meeting began. Colin Powell and John McCain were seated at a large table. In front of them were stacks of files, papers, books and computer discs. The camera focused on Powell as he began to speak deliberately and with with a tone that conveyed absolute authority and confidence.

"A lot has happened since six Thursdays ago when our United States government, along with much of America's political, commercial, and social structure was obliterated by a massive group of individuals who call their revolution the 'Rebellion of '08' and who have named themselves the Oppressed United Taxpayers Revolting Against Government Excesses - O.U.T.R.A.G.E for short. I was - and still am - bitter about what this band of outlaws did, and believe there might have been other ways to address and resolve the issues they so valiantly defend. However, we cannot undo what has been done. We must now move forward and rebuild our great country. Senator John McCain and I have been drafted to help start this vital and necessary process. If we delay, our country will become vulnerable to predator nations who might see our situation as an opportunity to launch a hostile take over of our country. That is unacceptable.

Mmebers of O.U.T.R.A.G.E. had a comprehensive plan for their revolution. They decimated much of that which they considered repugnant to our American culture. They left intact all of that which they considered beneficial to our American society. After intense review of those 'targets' which O.U.T.R.A.G.E. destroyed using simple explosive devices, I confess that I recognize what their intent had been - and respect the integrity with which they went about trying to pinpoint their specific objectives. Casualties were in the millions - unfortunately, among those millions were thousands of innocent people whose lives put them in the wrong place at the wrong time. Any war results in 'civilian' casualties; this 'war' was no exception.

Next Tuesday, March 4, 2008, we will hold an interim election wherein Senator McCain and I will ask for your vote to elect us as temporary President and Vice-President of the United States. This is in clear violation of the rules of succession as outlined by our laws. However, it is necessary in deference to the circumstances at hand, as they exist. It is necessary to start fresh without any undue animosity toward the events that have recently affected our great nation. Objectivity, unbiased leadership and bold perspective is imperative if we are to propitiously and expeditiously make a transition to a new kind of democracy that will intimately involve all the people of this nation, and take away the power, influence, wealth, and avarice of the few."

As if under professional direction, the camera immediately framed John McCain's face within its lens. "To encourage popular participation in next Tuesday's vote, we are declaring a three-day Voter's holiday beginning Sunday, March 2, as first proposed on Monday, January 28: Article VI. All qualified American citizens will be given three days to review in earnest all twenty-five resolutions that have been introduced. Special committees and panels of ordinary citizens have generated formal legislation that will also be voted on next Tuesday. Only that legislation voted on in the affirmative, by the majority of those casting votes, will become part of federal law. The same condition applies to your election of an interim President and Vice-President. If you are against the two candidates, you have the full power to keep it from happening. All it takes is a majority vote against the referendum. This telecast will now run twenty-four hours a day until after the election, and after all votes have been counted publicly. Toll-free numbers are set up - and will be displayed at the bottom of the screen soon - so that voters can call if they have questions of need more information. O.U.T.R.A.G.E. members will man the phone lines around the clock. There are also e-mail addresses if you have questions or comment. Due to the large volume of e-mail expected, it might not be possible to reply to each individual; however, the most popular questions will be answered at different intervals during these telecasts."

Now the camera showed Powell and McCain seated at the table as various messages began to appear, superimposed on the screen over the images of the two drafted candidates. Soon the toll-free numbers and e-mail addresses scrolled along a bright lime-green banner at the bottom of the screen. From field reports, it was estimated that the crowds in theaters, community centers, libraries, warehouses, taverns, and other locations had more than tripled. Realistic expectations were that as many as ten million Americans heard the statements from Powell and McCain.

Now the biggest challenge facing O.U.T.R.A.G.E. members around the country was to convert these passive viewers into active voters; voters who would not only participate in the voting process themselves, but would also enthusiastically recruit millions more to come to the polls on Tuesday.

Now, millions more Americans had access to the constant coverage of what was going on at O.U.T.R.A.G.E. 'headquarters' - as well as the thousands of sites across America. Those radio and Tv stations still in operation began round-the-clock coverage of the events as the United States started to rebound from what was perhaps the worst domestic disaster ever to be inflicted on any nation in modern history.

Sites across the country had all received their election materials, which included everything from press releases to outdoor yard signs. Locally, these materials were being freely - and generously - distributed in an attempt to 'get the word out" about next week's important election. America was on its way to recovery. America was about to vote for renewal.

When the teleconference opened at 4:55 Wednesday afternoon, the cameras first gave attention to the results of yesterday's vote.

ARTICLE XXV. RESOLUTION: AN APOLOGY TO THE WORLD
TOTAL NUMBER OF VOTES CAST: 3,009,071
NUMBER OF "YEA" VOTES: 1,595,809
NUMBER OF "NAY" VOTES: 1,413,262

Since only 53% of the voters agreed with the resolution, it was apparent that many citizens believed in America's position as a world leader and global superpower. Only a thin majority of voters were comfortable with what might be perceived as weakness if the United States apologized to the world. If this resolution were to be passed into law, the panel of common citizens working on the final version of the legislation would have to word it with meticulous care.

The frenzied activity continued unabated as O.U.T.R.A.G.E. members worked around the clock preparing for next Tuesday's interim election. Everyone hoped for a massive voter turn-out, which would be a show of support for what the revolutionists were trying to achieve. The 'Rebellion of '08' couldn't be considered a success until - or unless - the preponderance of American voters ultimately stood behind it.

TV stations around the country were reporting that the O.U.T.R.A.G.E. 'headquarters' had been located in a warehouse just outside of Roswell, New Mexico. A news team from Santa Fe was on its way to try and confirm that rumor. A newspaper in Seattle, Washington reported the 'headquarters' was near Barrow, Alaska, where severe weather conditions might have easily hampered transmission of last Thursday's telecast. Commentators all had their opinions as to the secret location; many assumed it to be in inaccessible places. Op-Ed pages carried letters-to-the-Editor from people expressing fears about the ultimate O.U.T.R.A.G.E. purpose.

Today's on-camera activities were limited to a "man-in-the-street" kind of format, where clusters of O.U.T.R.A.G.E. people were interviewed as to what they were doing and how they felt this massive undertaking of recovering the U.S. government was proceeding. Most remarks were positive and casual. A few O.U.T.R.A.G.E. members became very emotional on camera, and one young woman even broke down in tears, questioning if there could have been "any other way" to affect the reforms they believed were necessary to keep America strong and stable.

The stock markets, of course, were in complete disarray ever since the initial explosions on January 17. Many of America's largest publicly-traded corporations were either not operating at all, or were operating only at disjointed local or regional levels. Shimmering glass towers that once were the 'international headquarters' of companies like Ford, General Motors, GE, Exxon-Mobil, and thousands of other big-name companies had been reduced to mountains of scrap, some still smoldering from the bombs that destroyed them forty-two days ago.

Trying to pull all this back together was a daunting task. Even with its tens of thousands of members, O.U.T.R.A.G.E. could not complete its mission without the support and cooperation of millions more Americans. Because communications were so sporadic and divided, it was difficult to bring people together. It was hard to even get a feel, or put a pulse on, the mood of America. People were still going about their daily duties, feeding their children and doing their jobs. But some psychiatrists were reporting a flood of new patients experiencing deep, desolate depression and severe bouts of fear and uncertainty.
Churches across America were seeing throngs of new faces; many churches were conducting services daily. Soup kitchens and rescue missions were serving more people whose homes or jobs had been destroyed as a result of the bombings. Those millions of middle-class and upper-middle-class Americans who always believed their lives to be secure, stable, orderly and untouched by financial loss or social disruption suddenly found themselves without money, food, jobs, or status.

The camera approached the table where Colin Powell and John McCain sat with a small group of former White House staff members. Having all worked for George Bush and Dick Cheney, these people were experiencing a lot of trauma, and Powell and McCain appeared to be trying to console and counsel them.

Powell turned to the camera, and made a very concise statement: "Folks, tomorrow is the sixth Thursday since America was struck by an internal revolution. Tomorrow we will have a public statement. Please encourage all your friends, neighbors, co-workers, and relatives to join you for tomorrow's viewing." He turned away from the camera and rejoined his meeting.

Without warning, the screens across America suddenly went black after displaying the familair two-line message. The next telecast would begin at 4:55 P.M. EST tomorrow.

Ron Oetting had worked in advertising, commercial printing, sales, and publishing all of his life. He had been involved in the start-up of America's first national daily newspaper, USA TODAY. The company that founded the paper had transferred him from his native Fort Wayne, Indiana to its glittery new headquarters in Arlington, Virginia. Seven-and-a-half years after he'd uprooted his family out of loyalty to this multi-billion-dollar corporation, the company tossed him out like yesterday's newspaper. His position was eliminated; security escorted him out of the building so he wouldn't have opportunity to take any sensitive information with him; and he went home with a letter informing him that his position had been "eliminated" and a severance check representing six weeks' pay. At the height of the recession in the late 1980's and early 1990's, Oetting remained out of work for over a year-and-a-half until finally deciding that the head hunters weren't able to find him a job any better than he could find one himself. He persuaded his wife to return to Indiana where he bought a failing community newspaper, and started all over again at age 48. The transition from Indiana to Virginia had been especially hard on his wife, whose chronic drinking problem escalated as he traveled extensively on business, and was rarely home during the week. Now another transition - and her inability to accept that his job loss wasn't his fault - caused her drinking to to become the focal point of what she considered to be her wretched life. As she drowned her sorrows in alcohol, he consumed himself with trying to pull a newspaper out from under the tentacles of almost certain bankruptcy. He had faced obstacles before: a former wife whose paranoid schizophrenia wasn't apparent until after they married...a circumstance that clearly had broken him financially, emotionally and physically as he tried to keep everything together. Trying to revitalize his dying newspaper proved to be more of a challenge than he could muster. After fifteen years, he finally threw in the towel and went into early 'retirement', content to live on a meager Social Security check while his wife lived in what he referred to as his "ex-house", lived off the savings they had accumulated, and kept all the assets and valuables of the car-wreck they called a marriage of almost 29 years.

In 2002, he'd finally walked away from that marriage, though he never bothered to file for divorce. It was a 24-1/2-year stormy relationship that had been punctured by countless fights, arguments, and painful memories. Although he'd stopped loving her years and years ago, he still cared for her in some twisted way. He knew his bitter memories would never allow them to be "friends", but he tried to at least be civil to her, even as she battled to stay off the booze. Alcohol was more important to her than her job, her health, her property, her friends, her family, or her self-esteem. Oetting himself was what he jokingly called "a moderate-to-heavy social drinker", who would meet friends in local taverns. For forty years, drinking had pretty much been a daily part of his life, as he entertained clients and limited his socializing to meeting people in bars and restaurants. It was as if he'd allowed himself to be defeated. He had never had any desire for the "finer things in life". New cars, fancy homes, elegant clothes never mattered to him much. By 2006, nothing mattered to him much. He was a shell of his former self, resigned to sitting in bars with his Morgan & 7-Up and bantering with friends who listened to his stale old jokes again and again and again. At times a male victim of domestic abuse, Oetting chose to walk away from what little "net worth" he had and live alone, trying to barely sustain himself.

In 2003, he had become part of the O.U.T.R.A.G.E. group. Now, on Tuesday, February 25, 2008, he was the designate who would introduce the next resolution. "This is something we believe must be 'on the record', for all the world to hear." Oetting spoke in deliberate tones, unusually serious for someone who even considered himself a 'buffoon'.

ARTICLE XXV. RESOLUTION: AN APOLOGY TO THE WORLD

"Since the beginning of this new century, the Bush administration has turned the world against the United States. We became a 'bully' nation, throwing our weight around wherever we damn well pleased. Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld destroyed nations they didn't like, often tearing down cultures and societies that weren't compatible with America's idealogies. The Bush administration was by far the most evil, corrupt, incompetent, reprehensible, reckless, irresponsible ever to occupy the Oval Office. It was understandable why some countries thought it necessary to develop their own nuclear weapons of mass destruction as a defense against the world's newest 'evil empire' - the United States of America. Bush ignored the rules of the Geneva Convention and looked the other way as so-called 'detainees' were psychologically, physically, emotionally, verbally and sexually absued. Failed economic policies initiated by the Bush adminsitration has resulted in American taxpayers now being mired with trillions of dollars in debt to pay for a senseless 'wars'. Economic analysts have been predicting that a severe depression is about to impact Americans. Everyday we see that possibiity looming closer. By the time George Bush was out of office on January 20, 2009, the recession would have certainly started turning into a more pronounced economic catastrophe.

On September 11, 2001, I was one of few Americans whose eyes weren't glued to the television as terrorists attacked the World Trade Center twin towers in New York City. I felt it was a long-overdue, expected response to what 'terrorists' viewed as America's escalating wickedness, egoism, arrogance, disproportionate wealth, avarice, political power play, gluttony, and elitism. As more nations weave themselves into 'developing countries' with more consumer demands, it certainly seemed unfair that the United States, whose population was only 5% of the world's total, should enjoy more than 50% of all the world's resources. Whenever this was pointed out, our national 'leaders' would claim a 'survival of the fittest' position, pretty much saying that the rest of the world had no reason to believe it should share in the greater good. That same theory was abundant within the United States. The wealthiest 1% of American citizens owned and controlled the preponderance of this nation's wealth, held all the power, and paid proportionately fewer taxes than those citizens in the middle and lower-income brackets of our society. I believe I understood the terrorists' need to attack America's most prolific symbols of wealth and power. While I didn't necessarily condone it, I think I understood why they did what they did.

Anyone who debated in favor of 'sharing the wealth' was accused of promoting socialism. For the past decade, the U.S. Congress superciliously gave themselves an automatic cost-of-living pay increase while refusing to raise the minimum wage so that our poorest working Americans could at least live slightly above the poverty level. It has been acceptable for the owner or chief executive officer of a multi-billion-dollar corporation to loot their companies while laying off millions of workers whose only crime was that they wanted more than subsistence wages for their labor. Jobs were arbitrarily eliminated and replaced with cheap labor from China, India and Malaysia. Meanwhile the average CEO was paid over 600 times what his average employee earned, even when the corporation (s)he led was experiencing severe financial losses.

The Bush administration abandoned the American workers, but it also abandoned the world. By shoving its influence, wealth and power down the throats of the world's population, George Bush forced other countries to lower their economic standards turn their labor pools into servile work forces. In collusion with a corrupt, evil, contemptible, cowardly U.S. Congress, Bush tried to impose his ideals, his religion, and his power on the peoples of the world.

For such despicable practices, the tens of thosuands of O.U.T.R.A.G.E. members would like to offer this sincere apology on behalf of the people of the United States, to the people and governments of the world. Our revolutionary organization has effectively wiped out the majority of the U.S.A.'s wealthiest, most powerful and most influential people in an effort to bring America into sync with the rest of the world. We believe that togther we can collectively share the Earth's bounty for the betterment and enrichment of all mankind. That does not mean to imply that we are taking away the spirit of capitalism or entreprenuership. On the contrary, we believe we can create an atmosphere of infectuous economic prosperity for all the productive members of our planet. We earnestly implore the world communities to accept this as formal apology and to join us in the construction of a global economy that benefits everyone without employing the injustices of excessive wealth, excessive power, or excessive greed. We believe this is the only way for our ever-expanding world to survive. Our goal is to start the process here in the United States and - ultimately - see such vision of equality and prosperity spread to all other communities on Earth. Our shattered world cannot continue to fight wars with each other, compete mercilessly with each other's economies, and think only of our own well-being. It is imperative that we begin - now - to form a world of genteel cooperation and mutual convenience. If we don't, we will become the next endangered species to eventually become extinct. We cannot fight over resources; we must learn to share resources for the mutual benefit of everyone. That is not to say that 'everything is equal' - certainly there should be latitudes that allow for those who work harder to reap greater rewards. But, there must be a point where each man says, 'I have enough money, or power, or influence. It is time for me to share my good fortune with others.' Our goals are not easy goals. We will need everyone's agreement. What the members of O.U.T.R.A.G.E. did to our own upper-echelons of social and political entities must not be repeated. However, we earnestly believe that it was the only way for us to begin this process. Please cast your ballots using the portable voting devices at your disposal. Please understand that if you vote "Yea" we will take that to mean you have also committed yourself to the ideals and principles as the formal legislation will outline. Thank you for you attention, as always."

Oetting's face disappeared from the screen. For the first time in almost twenty years he felt he'd done something productive.
The two-line message appeared. The screen faded to black until tomorrow's telecast.

It had been a long week. Interim elections were set for March 4. An unusual situation because there were no opposing candidates. The only two candidates on the slate would be Colin Powell and John McCain. Actually, it was so much an election as it was a reaffirmation: O.U.T.R.A.G.E. was asking voters to confirm their choice for a temporary President and Vice-President. It was a public referendum...designed to break the Constitutional hold on who's next in line to lead. The objective was to eliminate "passing the baton" to another corrupt elected official. If the public agreed by voting for Powell and McCain, it was a strong indication that there was also agreement to the theory that the political system had become corrupted.

As the teleconference opened, the red glare of the readerboard sign displayed the results of yesterday's vote.

ARTICLE XXIV. RESOLUTION; HOLD NATIONAL ELECTIONS ON THE FIRST TUESDAY IN NOVEMBER, 2008
TOTAL NUMBER OF VOTES CAST; 2,680,980
NUMBER OF "YEA' VOTES: 2,600,550
NUMBER OF "NAY" VOTES; 80,430

Clearly, Americans wanted to hold new elections and give rebirth to their government. National elections were scheduled for November 4, 2008. That left just over eight months to find candidates and establish new political parties. Should the Republican or Democratic parties wish to renew themselves in light of this new democracy, they would have to abolish their former "winner take all" arrogance and adjust to the idea of competing on equal playing fields with candidates representing other political parties with unique and radical ideas. No longer would lobbyists, wealthy individuals, rich corporations or powerful special interest groups be able to 'buy' an election. O.U.T.R.A.G.E. would see to that, having pledged itself to be the bodyguard of a fresh new electoral process in which the people ruled.

Most sites received their election materials today. They had one week to distribute them and 'get the word out' about the upcoming interim election. It was imperative that voting turn out was high. In each kit were 'orientation manuals' which suggested ways to mobilze volunteers and rally voters. Still, everything O.U.T.R.A.G.E. had done seemed so simplistic. There didn't seem to be a need for layers of bureaucrats and empirical levels of command.

Television stations were taking a keen interest in these daily videoconferences, and were duly reporting the events to their local viewers. Now. with the news of an interim election next week and national elections in eight months, public interest was escalating. More people were stopping by the thousands of sites across the country - perhaps not to attend the 4:55 P.M. telecasts, but at least to ask questions about what was going on. As could be expected, many were still grieving. Some were unabashedly bitter. Hundreds of thousands believ e this group called O.U.T.R.A.G.E. to be a radical band of terrorists, exactly the kind the late George Bush and Dick Cheney had warned Americans about. Television cameras roamed around the huge hall and televised shots of all the activities taking place. Viewers in movie theaters, taverns, community centers, libraries, and reception halls around the country watched with intense interest and a cat-like curiosity. Could this organization that had so willfully and deliberately murdered tens of thousands of people - could this organization actually be a benevolent group of patriots dedicated to refreshing the 'tree of liberty"? Were their computerized techniques simply a contemporary means of warfare which they implemented to achieve the first step of an even longer-termed objective? Was their intent real and genuine - or might they have ulterior motives of taking over the United States of America and ruling it as their own empire?
These questions caused many to ponder the future...and, surprisingly, also generated more interest in American politics than
had been witnessed since Ross Perot's presidential run in 1992 when he garnered 19% of the popular vote. As usual, those who had a vested interest in the outcome of the electoral process claimed Perot's victory to be flawed and not within "the rules". It obviously terrified the career politicians, though, because they pulled out all stops to ensure it might not happen again. In 2000, the Bush administration was accused of stealing the election, and - again - in 2004 many people believed Al Gore, the Democratic opponent, should have contested the outcome more vigorously. The voting process had been rigged by too many "insiders" for too long. O.U.T.R.A.G.E. was committed to making the voting process simple, clean, and unencumbered so that all U.S. citizens could vote with ease, confidence, and assurance that their vote actually counted.

The videoconference lasted about ninety minutes, after which the familiar two-minute message appeared prior to the screen going dark. There had been no new resolution introduced today. Who knew what tomorrow might bring?

With elections now scheduled, the O.U.T.R.A.G.E. headquarters was abuzz with new activities. Teams were formed to begin working on all the details. Had outside observers been present, they might have recognized how well-mobilized and superbly structured this organization was; it was just as obvious that this group of modern revolutionists was well-financed. Strucutre, however, came from a collective effort of purpose and dedication to duty. An organization chart seemed unnecessary...there appeared to be no one in command...no highfalutin hierarchy. It was as if there was a list of things to do and everyone picked what they wanted to do, based on their personal interests and skills.

The Sunday afternoon teleconference opened, as always, at 4:55 P.M. EST. The camera caught a glimpse of Colin Powell and John McCain seated at a large conference table with about thirteen others. While their discussion seemed perturbatious and somewhat heated, there was also a sense of mutual cooperation and camaraderie. These people were part of a group that numbered in the hundreds of thousands, had used modern technologies to inflict immediate destruction and death on untold thousands of fellow citizens. Now, these 'warriors' were peacefully planning how to rebuild their nation's government from the ground up. In addition to the formidable challenges of simple organization and structure, there were other obstacles. Deep emotional wounds had to be healed. Damage to individual psyches had to be repaired. The hardest battles involved those of trying to bring unity to the nation; it was not going to be easy. Still, it seemed that this band of renegades who called themselves Oppressed United Taxpayers Revolting Against Government Excesses had an integral plan in place to bring everything together. Their 'membership' was vast, with 'members' from all walks of life. Every 'soldier' in this 'army' was able to bring his or her own aptitudes to the table. Comparatively few of these individuals were military personnel; 'armed' mostly with high-tech television equipment, computers, cell phones, and assorted 'gadgets', these people had started a 'war' without the use of guns, tanks, jetfighters, or typical military artillery.

Reminiscent of a heavier Juan Valdez of Folger's coffee commercial fame, a man who called himself Paul Garcinia peered into the camera's lens. His jowls bounced as he talked. "It's time we started telling the American public more about our organization," he announced. "We know millions of Americans are stymied by the events that have taken place in recent weeks. We know many of you have suffered great personal loss. And we know that, for some, there will be no motivation or capacity to forgive. Over the next few months we will reveal ourselves to you, explain our mission and the reasons we did what we felt we had to do. By this time next year, we would expect to have a fresh new government in place, operating within a true democracy where all federal government activities are monitored by the people." Garcinia then introduced his new resolution.

ARTICLE XXIV. RESOLUTION: HOLD NATIONAL ELECTIONS ON THE FIRST TUESDAY IN NOVEMBER, 2008

"In a few days you will officially elect a new interim President and Vice-President who will then take command of our federal government, or at least its tattered remains. While they manage the rebuilding of the government, those of us in the O.U.T.R.A.G.E. organization will work toward recruiting people to become true public servants within our new democracy. We will be bringing forth new ideas and proposals for public consideration on a frequent basis. We urge your personal participation in this process as we move forward toward the creation of a federal government that lacks the bureaucratic and political snafus we all suffered in the past. Some of our basic new rules for these fall elections might include the following prerequisites:

1. TERM LIMITS FOR ALL ELECTED OFFICIALS AS PROPOSED IN ARTICLE X ON FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 1
2. ELECTIONS WILL BE HELD BY POPULAR VOTE; ALL BALLOTS WILL BE HAND-COUNTED IN A PUBLIC, TAPED FORUM
3. NO PROJECTIONS WILL BE ALLOWED UNTIL AFTER THE POLLS CLOSE AND ALL VOTES ARE COUNTED
4. 178 CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATES WILL BE ELECTED FOR A TWO-YEAR TERM; 179 WILL BE LECTED FOR A THREE-YEAR TERM, AND 178 WILL BE ELECTED FOR A FOUR-YEAR TERM. TERMS OF OFFICE WILL BE DECIDED BY A PUBLIC LOTTERY. FROM THEN ON, ALL ELECTIONS WILL BE FOR THE SAME LENGTH OF TERM. THIS WILL PREVENT ANYONE FROM ESTABLISHING TOO MUCH OF A POWER BASE IN CONGRESS.
5. CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS WILL BE RE-DRAWN AND ESTABLISHED BY POPULATION AND GEOGRAPHIC BOUNDARIES INSTEAD OF MISH-MASH OF DISTRICTS NOW DESIGNED TO ENSURE INCUMBENTS' RE-ELECTIONS.

Please cast your vote now. Thank you."

The videoconference ended at 7:00 P.M. sharp as TV screens at thousands of sites all went black at the same time.

Saturday was a crisp, bright, beautiful day around most of the nation. It had been a mild winter; that had been a blessing for rescue teams around the country as they continued to dig through wreckage for more bodies. Large cities like Washington, D.C., New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Houston, Dallas and Atlanta had encountered proportionately more devastation, and heroic recovery efforts continued. Each day another shipment of bodies would be received at morgues. Most coroners had ordered that no autopsies be performed since the cause of deaths were obvious. "Just identify the bodies," a brusque M.E. in Philadelphia said, "notify the next of kin and get them out of here so we can make room for more." As bodies were claimed, the list of those still missing diminished gradually. Thousands of people still remain listed as "missing", however, and rescue team leaders knew that identification would become more difficult as time passed. Most major municipalities had crews working around the clock, both on the streets amid the bombed-out buildings and inside the morgues and labs where the tedious work of piecing torn limbs together with the appropriate decaying torso became assembly-line duty for interns and medical volunteers.

At 4:55 P.M. EST the daily videoconference opened. By now news had spread about O.U.T.R.A.G.E. and attendance at the thousands of sites across America began to mushroom. Mostly out of curiosity, sometimes out of fear - but more and more citizens were watching the daily activities. No resolution was introduced yesterday, but there was feverish activity going on as the camera roamed the huge O.U.T.R.A.G.E. "headquarters". Even with all the recent searches, no one had been able to identify the location of this mammoth hall, where thousands of people mingled everyday to help facilitate these nation-wide telecasts.

The same man who had introduced resolutions to elect Colin Powell and John McCain as interim President and Vice-President again stepped up to the cameras. "On the first Tuesday of March, 2008," he solemnly announced, "we will hold interim elections to formally vote on some of the most significant resolutions, passing them into federal law. Every site which is now receiving these daily TV transmissions will become an official polling place. Each site will be sent a large shipment of signs, posters, banners, and typical campaign paraphernalia with which to promote the election. This is your election kit, which will include all data and information necessary for each site to conduct an official election. We encourage you to work as a team to accomplish a number of important efforts:

1. Distribute press releases, media kits and information to area TV and radio stations, newspapers, and other news outlets;
2. Post yard signs, banners, and posters in strategic locations in your community;
3. Conduct door-to-door surveys and leave behind informational literature;
4. Work the polls on election day;
5. Count and record ballots at a taped public event the day after the polls close.
6. Serve as an official polling officer to inspect and verify votes as they are counted.

Each polling site has been sent a large revolving container in which all ballots will be deposited. These containers are sealed and can only be opened with a special combination of keys which will arrive at each polling place on the morning after the polls have closed. Only at that time will these containers be opened and the actual hand-counting of each ballot will begin. While the activities will be open to the public and videotaped, no official announcements or projections will be issued until all ballots have been counted, verified and audited.

Full instructions will be included in each kit. Most sites should receive these shipments no later than Tuesday, February 26, 2008. If your site has not received these materials by that date, please send an e-mail to O.U.T.R.A.G.E. and we will see to it that another kit is shipped immediately.

As always, we appreciate your attention and cooperation. God bless America."

The telecast was a brief one, lasting just over an hour. Soon the usual two-line message appeared, and the screen returned to black.

Metamorphis is good. But the instantaneous, radical changes that had taken place across America were having negative effects on much of the population, particularly those who lost friends or relatives as a result of the multiple explosions.
Hospitals and psychiatrists' offices were beginning to fill with patients who - having retrieved, then buried, their dead - were now just beginning to deal with what had happened. Millions were not dealing with it well, as severe depression. People were unable to pick up the pieces and resume their lives. Many millions feared that more bombings were imminent. Few recognized how the O.U.T.R.A.G.E. attacks had been specifically targeted, particularly those whose friends or relatives were not part of the targeted groups - just innocent individuals who had the misfortune of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

A consumptive feeling of dread invaded the minds and hearts of millions of Americans as they struggled to comprehend the enormity - and the consequences - of this 'Rebellion of '08'. It were as if a disease had spread through the land, not unlike the great European plague that killed millions centuries before. In fact, disease was still a major concern for municipal health officials since many decaying bodies remained buried under tons of wreckage.

While local governments still dealt with rescue and retrieval operations, local media outlets were feverishly trying to provide accurate and up-to-date reports on everything from body counts to the structure of the O.U.T.R.A.G.E. organization. Some news reports speculated that O.U.T.R.A.G.E. was part of Al Qaeda; other analysts claimed it was a clandestine operation put together by the Chinese government. The Bush administration, after all, had put American taxpayers trillions of dollars in debt to finance unecessary wars, and China was America's largest creditor. In recent years, many thought it was only a matter of time before China revoked America's line of credit and started to 'foreclose' on the country. One famed columnist had predicted that one day China would "just come in [to the U.S.A.] and take whatever they want: money, oil, real estate, assets, America's weapons of mass destruction, coal, natural gas supplies, military hardware, mineral ore, - even our women if there's a demand in the global sex-slave industry. America couldn't resist because America would have no funds with which to finance our military, sort of the position Russia's been in since the 1990's". Other journalists got it right: O.U.T.R.A.G.E. was a domestic operation consisting of tens of thousands of 'common' American citizens who were fed up with the way corrupt politicians, wealthy elitists, irresponsible celebrities and athletes, and leaders of multi-billion-dollar corporations had raped and pillaged their way through America's bounty. As their plunder continued unabated over decades, it also impacted on most of America's core values, its moral compass, and political civility. Greed, arrogance, and sloth had become the national way of life - and the easiest path to personal success.

Now the media had something new on which to speculate: where could the O.U.T.R.A.G.E. 'headquarters' be located? They knew one thing they hadn't known before yesterday: that dull building where O.U.T.R.A.G.E. members assembled every day at 4:55 P.M. EST was located somewhere in the path of severe weather; weather severe enough to take their daily telecast off the air. When today's meeting opened, a spokesman approached the camera to announce that the weather was still causing sporadic transmittal difficulties, and some receiving sites could not pick up any signal at all. "Because of these adverse conditions," he announced, "we will only broadcast generic shots of our activities here for local feeds. No resolution will be introduced today, nor will there be any significant order of business conducted."

His lime-green O.U.T.R.A.G.E. badge reflected into the camera, causing a blind spot for a second. He adjusted it before he continued. "We implore those of you who are follwing these daily telecasts to encourage participation among your friends, relatives, neighbors and co-workers. We know this is a difficult time for many across our nation, and we offer our heartfelt condolences to all of those who have suffered personal loss. But this is also a very important time in our nation's history - perhaps the most significant time since 1776 when our founding fathers presented the Declaration of Independence. With your help, we intend to transform the United States of America's process of government, reform its vitiated political system, and rebuild our country into the vibrant, moral, honorable state it once was so that it may re-establish itself as a trusted and productive global leader and serve its own people with reliability, relevance, and veracious virtue. We can only do this with the agreement and cooperation of the all the people...and that is our objective. There will be no cause to serve the wealthiest individuals, the powerful lobbyists, the self-serving special interests, or the greedy corporations. In this new republic which we hope to re-establish, the focus of all government service will be of the people, by the people, and for the people. We firmly believe this was the intent of our founding fathers, and we believe this is what most Americans still want for themselves and their children. With your help - and God's divine providence - we will go about achieving this goal with expeditious valor and popular support."

The cameras continued to depict images of some people busy interacting with each other, while others fervently pounded the keyboards of their laptops. Finally, at 6:55 P.M., the videocast ended. The two-line message appeared announcing tomorrow's meeting; then the screen faded to black - again, as always.

Thursday, February 21, 2008. The meeting opened precisely at 4:55 P.M. EST, as always. For over a month, the O.U.T.R.A.G.E. organization resisted showing any evidence of the havoc they had wreaked on America. Now, since many local TV stations had been televising such photos and video for weeks, the shock value had worn off. O.U.T.R.A.G.E. members wanted to explain how they had managed to selectively control - as much as humanly possible - who was killed and which structures were blown up.

Washington, DC, understandably, was the scene of the most devastation. The White House, the Capitol Building, FBI and CIA headquarters, the Pentagon, and countless lobbyists' offices on K Street were totally demolished. Manhattan, home of 'big business' and numerous corporations' national headquarters, resembled a scene out of the 1970's film, "Escape from New York", where practically nothing was left standing. Mammoth skyscrapers had been reduced to rubble. The Empire State Building had intentionally been saved. Los Angeles saw the ruin of most film studios and movie lots. Bank buildings in San Francisco, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Dallas, Atlanta, and Seattle were destroyed. Even Bentonville, Arkansas, Wal Mart's world headquarters, was in ruins. Many movie stars' homes around the country were obliterated; Las Vegas casinos had been blown to bits. As cameras focused on several till photos, viewers around the country were in awe, and remained silent out of respect for the magnitude of the devastation.

The readerboard sign glared at the TV camera, which in turn broadcast its message to thousands of sites across America. Yesterday's vote had set another record.

ARTICLE XXIII. RESOLUTION: ELECT JOHN McCAIN AS INTERIM VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
TOTAL NUMBER OF VOTES CAST: 2,792,090
NUMBER OF "YEA" VOTES: 2,701,372
NUMBER OF "NAY" VOTES: 90,718

More than 96% of registered voters had agreed with O.U.T.R.A.G.E. - choosing John McCain as Colin Powell's "running mate" made perfect sense to most of the country. No longer were voters casting their ballots for "the lesser of two evils" - they were actually voting for individuals who had demonstrated their allegiance to God and country, and who could not be easily swayed by outside influences. The people had spoken: now all that remained was to formulate appropriate language so that these tow resolutions could be passed into law by a truly democratic process of the popular vote.

Powell and McCain came into this rampage of unspeakable horror as 'outsiders'. They had not been aware of any band of rebel outlaws called O.U.T.R.A.G.E. In fact, it had been one of the best-kept secrets for more than five years, since shortly after the Bush administration assumed power. Hundreds of thousands of people from all over America had come together with the full realization of actually starting a second American Revolution. It was a better organized, better planned operation than any military scheme ever to be devised by the United States government - and it had remained a highly-guarded secret for half a decade. Strategic targets were identified and taken out in such a pinpointed time table, it was impossible for any kind of retaliation from any U.S. military force. As 9-11 had proven, the United States military was less prepared than most citizens would have believed. Since that attack, the Bush administration had poured billions of dollars into a new security force called Homeland Security. It, too, had been proven ineffective against O.U.T.R.A.G.E.

A diminutive man, about 65 years of age, approached the camera. "I'm sorry to report that we will have to stop our broadcast earlier than scheduled today due to severe weather conditions that are creating circumstances that make it difficult for television transmission. We expect to resume our regular daily telecast tomorrow at the usual time. Thank you."

The screen went dark. Not even the two-line message appeared.

Without realizing it - or, perhaps, deliberately - the man had given America a hint as to where the O.U.T.R.A.G.E. "headquarters" might be; there were very few locations in the continental U.S. that were experiencing any kind of unusual or severe weather conditions - certainly not severe enough to stop a television broadcast.

Of the 535 members of Congress, only two had survived the January 17th bombing at the Capitol Building, both due to family circumstances that prevented them from attending the State of the Union address. One of those was John McCain, a veteran of the Vietnam War, in which he had been captured by the enemy and held as a prisoner of war. A moderate Republican, McCain was one of the more outspoken members of Congress, often defying his party's public positions on a variety of issues. McCain had made a couple of unsuccessful bids for his party's Presidential nomination, but his opponents viewed him as a "lose cannon"without unconditional loyalty to his party. Popular with the public, his 'radical' views on many issues didn't always align with the Republican Party's views.

As the videoconference opened at 4:55 P.M. EST on Wednesday, February 20, there was still an atmosphere of levity among the O.U.T.R.A.G.E. members. Cameras panned the huge hall, sometimes focusing on small groups working furiously at their laptops, apparently trying to work out 'language' or fine-tune whatever it was they were attempting to author. If one peered closely, it became apparent that these groups almost always consisted of the same individuals. If one were to speculate, it was probably reasonable to assume these groups were the 'committees', or panels, that had been formed to create the final, formal legislation from each of the twenty-two non-binding resolutions that had so far been brought to the floor. Each committee had been assigned a specific resolution, charged with developing the language that would ultimately be presented for another popular vote before actually becoming the new law of the land.

After about an hour of this videographic roaming, the cameras suddenly focused on the large American flag that still hung below the readerboard sign. The sign's bright red letters still recorded the results of the last vote, electing Colin Powell as the interim President of the United States. It took some extraordinary camera work to create the next frame. Almost appearing to materialize from thin air came a vignette of John McCain, the edges of his profile gently shading the background of the flag.
"Good afternoon," said McCain. "For those of you who don't know me, my name is John McCain, and I have been proud to represent the great state of Arizona over these many years. Today, I come to you as a representative of the entire union. I have been asked to speak to you on behalf of this revolutionary organization called O.U.T.R.A.G.E.

Oppressed, United Taxpayers Revolting Against Government Excesses. This is the culmination of what I've been told has been a work-in-progress for over five years. The members of this organization are common, everyday people from all walks of life. They have but one commonality: they are repulsed by what has become a corrupt, evil, contemptuous political system that no longer serves the American people. They believe in our U.S. Constitution. They believe in our Declaration of Independence. They believe that our republic form of government was in need of dramatic overhaul, and there was only way to achieve such overhaul. Members of this group number in the tens of thousands, spread out across America. What they did, in effect, was start a second American Revolution; but, instead of using guns and weapons as our revolutionary forefathers had to, they chose to use America's highest technologies. What they did was abhorrent; some of us will never be able to forgive their murderous actions. But these people truly believe our country was being torn apart and methodically dismantled by corrupt politicians, scurrilous special interest groups, evil billionaire elitists, selfish and immoral celebrities, and multi-billion-dollar corporations obsessed only with more profit. Countless corporate headquarters, government buildings, military bases, private luxury homes, media outlets, movie studios, and other 'undesireable' facilities were destroyed in the stroke of a computer key. Thousands upon thousands of wealthy individuals, celebrities, corporate executives, and political leaders have been killed. Out of this one massive, immoral, contemptible act of rebellion, the members of O.U.T.R.A.G.E. expect to rebuild a 'kinder and gentler' nation, one based on morality, honesty, integrity, family values, and democracy in its truest form. Our government will now be governed by the people instead of a group of elected representatives whose personal interest and self-absorption take priority over the wants and needs of the people. While I do not condone their actions, I can understand their motives. I believe these people to be trustworthy and dedicated to their cause. We cannot go back, but we must move forward. It is imperative that those of us who have survived this terrible so-called 'Rebellion of '08' now come together and collectively begin the process of healing and rebuilding."

As McCain paused, the same three middle-aged men who had introduced Article XXII, the resolution to elect Colin Powell as interim President, came forward with another official-looking document. One of the men, sporting a bright lime-green O.U.T.R.A.G.E. button on his jacket lapel and a 'Powell for President' badge, spoke first. "We are here to introduce the next resolution."

ARTICLE XXIII. RESOLUTION: ELECT JOHN McCAIN AS INTERIM VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.

"I don't believe this resolution needs further explanation. As you just emphasized, Mr. McCain, we must get on with the re-construction of our great nation. That will require honest leadership from men and women with unblemished integrity and impeccable standards of decency, morality and objectivity. We humbly introduce this resolution to be put to a popular vote, with the full intent of refreshing our political system in America." He turned to McCain and shook his hand, then turned back to the cameras and ended his brief announcement. "Please use the portable voting devices supplied to cast your vote."

The cameras continued to pan the room, eventually getting a shot of Powell and McCain together, framed in such a way that it could have been mistaken for a staged photo-op. After another twenty minutes, the two-line message appeared, and the screen faded to black, as always.

In all the hubbub of yesterday's spectacular announcement by Colin Powell, little notice was made of the fact that February 18, 2008 happened to be Presidents' Day. What more appropriate time to introduce a resolution to elect Powell as interim President until official elections could take place. As Tuesday's meeting opened at 4:55 P.M. EST crowds were still enthused by the news. The first thing the cameras focused on, for viewers across the nation to see, was the readerboard with results of yesterday's record vote:

ARTICLE XXII. RESOLUTION: ELECT COLIN POWELL AS INTERIM PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
TOTAL NUMBER OF VOTES CAST; 2,000,011
NUMBER OF "YEA" VOTES: 1,980,001
NUMBER OF "NAY" VOTES: 20,010

Two things were significant about this vote. First, it was the largest voter turn-out since these events had started. Secondly, an astonishing 99% of ballots cast were in the affirmative. Colin Powell had obviously been a well-respected and admired leader; there could not have been a better candidate for O.U.T.R.A.G.E. to put before the people. Surely it boosted the integrity of this 'outlaw' group of renegades who had systematically killed most of America's elite. Surely, it also was evidence that people were beginning to come together in an effort to return to peace and national unity.

More than two million people had attended yesterday's telecasts. Word was being received via e-mail that some of the sites were beginning to burst at the seams, unable to accommodate more people. Some sites were being relocated, from libraries or community centers to larger facilities such as gymnasiums, theaters, or convention halls. Surprisingly little technical apparatus was required for these relocations; the O.U.T.R.A.G.E. organization had used the most efficient technologies of the world's most sophisticated products to make these telecasts easy and 'portable'.

Most candidates running as possible Presidential candidates were dead, just as the fires of the political season were being stoked. This was February, 2008. In a few months the Democrats and Republicans would hold their national conventions and a slate of candidates would be chosen to run in the fall elections. O.U.T.R.A.G.E. had already reached out to both national party headquarters, strongly urging survivors to reconsider their options. It was made clear that politics would no longer be "business as usual" inside the beltway; this "Rebellion of '08" was a movement of the people, for the people, and by the people. Behind-closed-door deals with lobbyists, special interest groups, and big business would not be tolerated.

In America's recent past, the nation had endured a "teflon President" (Ronald Reagan) and "Slick Willy" (Bill Clinton), both of whom were popular with the populace, but - behind closed doors - were ruthless, vile leaders who did truly evil things to prop up their images and keep a firm hold on their power. George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush were not as popular, but relied on the grubbiness of politics, self-centered interests of the moneyed and influential, and the sheer heavy-handedness of power to maintain their grip on the White House and proliferate their family dynasty. Now, for the first time in generations, Americans had an opportunity to reconstruct the political system; one that was built on the principles of honor, ethics, morality, patriotism, and dedication to the people.

Enthusiasm ran rampant throughout the huge hall as O.U.T.R.A.G.E. members proudly displayed their lime-green badges and sported a new "Powell for President" button on their collars and lapels. It was the closest thing to unbridled merriment that has transpired since that awful day of Thursday, January 17, 2008 when so many U.S. citizens were targeted for death.

The festivities were still subdued. Viewers didn't see the unruly and uninhibited behaviors so often displayed during national Democratic and Republican political conventions (you just knew most of those delegates were there to party, drink, and get laid; the sober business of electing candidates was secondary to the party atmosphere that always invaded such events). The O.U.T.R.A.G.E. members were still dealing with the emotions and realities of what they had 'accomplished'. Some were still questioning whether it had been the right thing to do; others confidently and proudly believed it was the ONLY thing to do.

No resolutions were introduced today. The telecast continued until about 7:00 p.m. Then the familiar two-line message appeared, announcing the scheduled meeting for tomorrow. Then TV screens all over America in selected sites where millions of people watched - faded to black. Tomorrow would be another day.

The fervor hadn't diminished since yesterday's uplifting speech by Colin Powell. Not only did the United States seem to be out of harm's way, at least temporarily, O.U.T.R.A.G.E. members were exhilarated by Colin Powell's powerful pontificating. While highly critical of what had transpired a month ago, he also understood the measure and - under the circumstances - saw fit to enlist in their cause. Perhaps he recognized the power that this body of American citizens possessed. Perhaps he realized it was better to join forces with them than to resist and risk more wholesale murder. Whatever his motivations, the rebels were exalted by his endorsement. Their purpose was pure; only the means necessary to attain their patriotic goals were boldacious and brazen. Still, as a body, these people believe in their hearts that the atrocities they had committed were justifiable in the eyes of God - and would eventually be endured and accepted by the majority of Americans. O.U.T.R.A.G.E. faced its biggest challenge: that of keeping the very components they despised from infiltrating their own organization. They would have to be ever-vigilant to avoid even the appearance of authority, avarice, corruption, collusion, or conspiratorial activity. They could not allow excessive pride or bloated egoism to rear its ugly head; that was, after all, what they had just tried to destroy through hi-tech mass murder.

As the meeting opened and viewers across the country tuned in on big-screen TVs, a spirit of optimism could be sensed that pervaded the room. Viewers caught a quick glimpse of Powell seated at a table, surrounded by a dozen others. They seemed to be involved in intense discussion. Occasionally Powell's hand would pound on the table; immediately, those around him would stop talking and listen to whatever it was he had to say. Dressed in a short-sleeved blue golf shirt and dark slacks, Powell would eventually get up from the table to remove himself from the group, as if trying to think things through before continuing with any further disquisition. The camera would jump from those activities, which appeared to be taking place in a distant corner of the huge room, to broad shots of the crowds. Many people were huddled in groups, feverishly taking notes or writing. Other groups of individuals were standing, their discourse heated and emotional. The televison scenes were strangely reminiscent. Except for the modern dress and more agitated passion, the assemblies resembled those from 18th-century paintings; artists' renditions of the historical meetings between America's founding fathers when the likes of Thomas Jefferson, John Hancock and Benjamin Franklin met with other 'revolutionists' to write and establish the United States of America Declaration of Independence.

Finally, almost two hours after the videocast had begun, three middle-aged men came forward with what looked like an official document. "We have experienced the terrible tragedy of seeing a President of the United States, most members of his cabinet, and almost all members of our U.S. Congress, perish. Just as many colonists sided with the British during America's first Revolutionary War, there will always be contemporary American citizens who will staunchly believe that George Bush and his entourage were great leaders of men. In recent years, however, the Bush sheen had tarnished, and even members of his own party began to desert what looked like a sinking ship. We believe the Bush administration to be the most corrupt, evil, and incompetent ever to occupy the White House. We believed the sitting U.S. Congress to be the most evil, corrupt, and incompetent body every to occupy the Capitol Building. Such wickedness, corruption, and incompetence had also permeated our entire society as people of influence, status, wealth, position, power or celebrity took over and squeezed the 'commoners' out. While the majority of middle and lower-class citizens worked at honest labor, paid more than their fair share of taxes, and - for the most part - tried to live decent, moral, respectable lives, those who should have set the example instead went on a moral and ethical rampage little elucidation. Those who were among the mega-rich, mega-powerful, and mega-connected put themselves above the law. They could get away with anything because they had the resources to do so. From O.J. Simpson to Ken Lay to Tom DeLay, those who slavered in the spotlight of fame, corporate wealth, or political power pushed their respective envelopes until even their corrupt colleagues could no longer defend them. If it could be considered to be legal as defined by a complex cache of "laws", the morality, ethics, or humanity of their actions were inconsequential.

It was okay to kill if the glove didn't fit and you could get a jury to acquit; just manipulate the case and deal the 'race card' - justice be damned as long as the client 'got off'. It was okay to steal the financial security of thousands of hard-working employees as long as you could falsify documents to prop up the value of a valueless corporate empire. It was okay to steal from the American taxpayers, bribe elected officials and conspire with special interest groups as long as you believed what you were doing was "legal" as characterized by laws you had helped compose for just such malevolence.

That kind of malicious and heartless attitude had invaded the American psyche. Morality is no longer what's right or wrong: if you could get away with it, how could it be wrong? The high-profile cases only helped spread the word to American citizens: there's no such thing as right or wrong, only the artfulness of how you manipulate the game.

More than ever before in its history, America needs honorable men and women to lead this country. Members of O.U.T.R.A.G.E. have been working through the night to negotiate this resolution. Now we need you, the American public, to cast your vote and allow us to move forward in the reinstatement of our government. We are proud to introduce this non-binding resolution." It was perhaps the most concise and simple resolution presented so far.

ARTICLE XXII. RESOLUTION: ELECT COLIN POWELL AS INTERIM PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.

"Members of this group called O.U.T.R.A.G.E. are responsible for the assassinations of our nation's top echelon of elected and appointed leadership. We assume full and exclusive responsibility for our actions. While we know that many of you watching these proceedings may never forgive us, we also believe we will be forgiven by our God, or to whatever power each of us must ultimately answer. That said, it is imperative that we begin to re-establish law and order, elect new leadership, and rebuild our nation. One of our country's most distinguished, honorable and moral citizens has agreed to come forward and allow us to put his name in nomination as "Interim President of the United States" until such a time that new nation-wide elections can be held. Please use your portable voting devices now to record your vote. Thank you for your attention."

Rousing applause rose from the floor as O.U.T.R.A.G.E. members heartily endorsed the resolution. Would voters do the same?
It was apparent that the country could not continue to run rudderless for long. Hopefully, with the endorsement of a majority of American voters, this would be the very first step in the revitalization, reconstruction and renewal of America. It was nine minutes after nine before the cameras finally stopped rolling, and screens all over the country went blank for another day.

The huge American flag beneath the LED sign filled the television screens as the Sunday telecast opened at - as usual - 4:55 P.M. EST. All over America, more and more people were streaming into the airports, gymnasiums, community centers and other designated sites to learn more about what was happening. Many had, by now, buried their dead and abandoned the demolished buildings, homes and offices that had been destroyed On January 17, 2008; today was February 17, 2008 - and the national psyche seemed to slowly be healing.

Local and state rescue operations were still going strong. Many state governors had attended the President's State of the Union address, and had perished. Lt. Governors, in many cases, were now directing operations. O.U.T.R.A.G.E. demolition crews had destroyed a number of Governors' mansions in states clouded by corrupted leaderships, but most states continued to operate. Local governments, surprisingly, were functioning at peak levels of performance as police, fire, and rescue units diligently worked to remove bodies from debris, tend to the injured, and clear wreckage so that cities could function as normally as might be expected under the circumstances.

Just as in the blitzkrieg bombings in Europe during World War II, people continued their daily routines and went about the business of survival. Stores and shops were still open; manufacturing plants and warehouses remained operational. People grieved in their own way. But, people still had to eat, shop, work, and sleep. Life went on even though life - as most citizens were accustomed to it - had changed dramatically, probably forever.

For the first time, a popular vote on a resolution had gone down in defeat. The neon red letters showed the results.

ARTICLE XXI. RESOLUTION: FREEDOM OF CONSENT
TOTAL NUMBER OF VOTES CAST: 1,876,543
NUMBER OF "YEA" VOTES; 825,678
NUMBER OF "NAY" VOTES: 1,050,865

Colin Powell showed up at the O.U.T.R.A.G.E. 'headquarters' to provide an update on the North Korean situation. "I am pleased to report," he began, "that the takeover of the North Korean government has resulted in civil strife and chaos throughout the country. Our espionage efforts have confirmed that the insurgents have lost control, and at this time there appears to be no immediate threat to the safety or security of the United States." His somber tones gradually diminished into a remote chuckle as he continued, "It seems they have their hands full trying to maintain order within their own borders." As a postscript, Powell added, "That, by no means, means we should not remain vigilant. No one can predict the unpredictable actions of a renegade junta. For that reason, I have ordered military units across the country to remain on high alert indefinitely." Someone off-camera was trying to get Powell's attention. The infamous wrinkle of his brow, peppered with his traditionally stern military-style demeanor, seemed to sour as he turned his gaze back into the camera.

"I have been asked to speak to you about this group called O.U.T.R.A.G.E. and explain its motives as best I can. I have come to believe that this well-tuned organization means no harm, and anticipates no endangerment to the United States. While I am still appalled at what they call the 'Rebellion o '08', I believe I can ensure the American people that there are no further harmful intentions. This group, 'membership' in which I understand numbers in the hundreds of thousands, did what it did as a patriotic gesture. A second American Revolution, if you will, deliberated to inflict damage to what they purport to be the scourge of our national consciousness. They believe that the rich and powerful of this nation have been responsible for the loss of America's strong patriotic values, and have steered our nation's ship off course. They believe there is only one final solution to this problem: eliminating these individuals who would not willingly give up their wealth, power and influence for the betterment of our society. The only way to unleash the stranglehold of our corrupt social, economic and political systems was to cut it off at its base. Money is power. To take away the power, the money also had to be taken away. Over the past several decades, Americans have witnessed a diminishing interest in the needs of most 'common' citizens. O.U.T.R.A.G.E. members believe this was caused by those whose wealth, position, and influence ignored the commonality of our society and, instead, focused on the needs and best interests of those in our nation's 'upper-stratospheres' of our society. They took it upon themselves to obliterate this 'upper class' of people whom they assumed to be self-serving and dishonest. Those who were deemed to be ruthless, nefarious and villainous were randomly and capriciously eliminated without the benefit of judge or jury. What they did was wrong and inexcusable. It was an illegal, unconstitutional war against a selected segment of our free society. I find that to be irredeemable and irreconcilable; it goes against everything I believe in as a free American.

Still, what's done is done. We cannot bring these individuals back to life, nor can we allow ourselves to wallow in self-pity or remorse. That is not in the best interests of our great nation; we must deal with our collective grief, recover from the result of this malfeasance, and together move forward to ensure that such a catastrophic chain of events will never repeat itself in our country. There is no doubt that our system of government had become a diseased ogre of turpitude. I agree that there was a need to change the course of our depravity and remold America into a just, decent, moral society once again. For that reason, I have agreed to stand with the people of this organization and help bring America back to the people. I have always maintained that there are three things worthy of one's unconditional fidelity: God, country and family.

Some of the world's greatest leaders of modern times were those who steadfastly held their nations together in the eye of a world war that tore the human fabric asunder. Churchill, Roosevelt, and Truman all made gut-wrenching decisions that might have easily - and, perhaps, have - ripped their respective countries apart. America made a decision to devastate Japanese cities with bombs capable of unspeakable horrors. The men and women who participated in the activities that resulted in the deaths of myriad innocent civilians certainly lived with their actions for the rest of their lives. Members of O.U.T.R.A.G.E., and we who choose to join in their 'Rebellion o '08" must also live with our actions. It is time to rebuild. Let there be no time for further bloodshed, hatred, or prejudice. As a nation we must come together, regardless of our creed, skin color, financial circumstances, political persuasions, social positions or personal beliefs.

We are 'one nation under' God, and - under God - we must remain one nation."

Every person in the giant room rose to their feet and gave Colin Powell and resounding ten-minute standing ovation as TV viewers at selected sites across the country joined in the affirmative. Loacl TV and radio stations interrupted regular broadcasting to report on Powell's brief, yet powerful, speech. Some newspaper printed special editions with the text of the speech reprinted verbatim. It had been as if - finally - America once again had leadership.

The cameras remained focused on the OU.T.R.A.G.E. crowds for over two hours as people approached Powell with genuine appreciation and respect. Finally, the two-minute message appeared and the screens faded to black. Americans went to bed Sunday evening feeling refreshed, relieved and re-energized. Across America, a new purpose of patriotism and national unity seemed to be forging itself into the countrymen's consciousness.

Saturday was a brisk, cold day around most of the United States. As the meeting of O.U.T.R.A.G.E. rebels convened, the glare of the LED sign filled the TV screens in airports, restaurants, gymnasiums, and myraid other sites across the nation. Results of yesterday's vote were overwhelming:

ARTICLE XX. RESOLUTION: LEGALIZE DRUGS
TOTAL NUMBER OF VOTES CAST: 1,688,456
NUMBER OF "YEA" VOTES: 1,561,821
NUMBER OF "NAY" VOTES: 126,635

Clearly, the issues being introduced as non-binding resolutions were important to the American people, more important than most U.S. senators and representatives might have realized, only because they never addressed these topics with any clarity or seriousness. Their levity over such issues important to the voters were overshadowed by subjects brought forward only as a result of powerful lobbying efforts, generous campaign contributions, or political expediency to help solidify a selected voter base. Emotional issues, such as abortion and flag-burning, were all-too-often the only ones carted out before the people in a MilqueToast effort to give the impression that the thoughts of the electorate were of any value to politicians.

Approaching the main camera with obvious hesitancy, two women named Charlotte and Charlene announced that they wished to introduce today's resolution. "We believe the federal government has no right to tell any citizen what they can or cannot do in their private lives, as long as there is no threat to public safety and such acts are committed between consenting adults capable of making rational personal decisions." With that brief statement, the resolution was introduced.

ARTICLE XXI. RESOLUTION: FREEDOM OF CONSENT

"The United States Constitution specifically outlawed the establishment of a state religion. That was why many 'Brits' left their homeland in the first place; they did not want to be forced to worship as members of the Church of England. While it is understood that government must have a role in maintaining moral order among the populace, we do not believe the government has any right to dictate morality because of the influence of so-called 'moral majority'. This is a difficult line to walk, yet our government has crossed the line at times, and this resolution provides for a temperament of federal authority.
Before being submitted as a formal piece of legislation to be voted into law by the constituency of the country, this resolution will require extensive modification by a panel of 'common' citizens. This, therefore, is considered only as a 'rough draft' and we respectfully ask that you view it as such. Vote only for the concept at this time.

The United States government shall have no authority to ban - or endorse - activities predicated on sexual preference;
Gay or 'same-sex' marriage must not be anything in which the federal government concerns itself;
There shall be no tax penalties or legal restrictions imposed upon those whose lifestyles may be considered 'unconventional';

Today's tax codes penalize certain groups of people; in some cases, even legally married couples are penalized for what the majority of our population considers "conventional" lifestyles. The military imposes a 'don't ask, don't tell' policy on soldiers, yet it is common knowledge that there is still a bias that often results in unfair advantage or selective persecution at times.
Gay couples have different legal rights when it comes to adoption and/or child custodies. The United States has effectively - for the most part - diminished the impact of inter-racial marriages and the co-habitation of unmarried couples. But the 'gay marriage' issue remains as an issue that seems to distress the Christian right-wing, and has been a focus of the Bush administration for several years. Frankly, we believe the government has nothing in this but its nose....and it should keep its nose out of this business. The Bush administration has tried to make this a Constitutional amendment, if for no other reason than to pacify its Christian political base. This is a matter in which the U.S. government should have to authority. If individual states wish to address such issues in their Constitutions, that's the prerogative of each state's voting public. But there is no room for such discrimanatory legislation within the federal government. We ask for your vote. Thank you."

For the first time, there was a sense that a resolution had not been given much thought before being presented for a vote.

It was a very brief telecast. The camera focused on the familiar two-line message, then went dark. The next meeting would be scheduled for 4;55 P.M. EST on Sunday, February 17, 2008.