Friday. The meeting opened promptly at 4:55 P.M. EST. By now the O.U.T.R.A.G.E. crowds had exploded, filling the huge room almost to capacity. Thousands of people had converged on this undisclosed location where the videoconferences all originated, then were broadcast around the country to selected sites where they could be viewed by the public. At those sites, thousands more were showing up everyday as word spread about the O.U.T.R.A.G.E. organization and its role in what was surely America's most devastating and tragic event ever to impact on its shores. Some came out of anger or curiosity. Many still did not want to believe that Americans had deliberately killed other Americans....and many more questioned the purpose and motivation of this dark, unkown organization that seemingly was made up of plain old 'commoners' who hailed from virtually every state in the Union.

After the obligatory "surfing" around the room, the cameras focused in on an elderly couple who introduced themselves as Phil and Janie Baker, farmers from Iowa, who seemed agitated and disagreeable. After successful professional careers, this gray-haired couple had moved from Indiana and bought a quiet, unassuming farm where they raised corn and cattle. Phil especially enjoyed milking the cows at 4:00 a.m. everyday, and Janie delighted in rummaging around the barn in her tattered overhauls and red-and-white-checked flannel shirts. "It keeps us young," she said, "as we grow old together." Cantankerous and gruff, Phil just grunted and nodded his head, then said impatiently, "Let's get on with it, Mother. Time's a wastin'. These folks don't want to listen to us ramble on; they want to know what we're up here for; let's get 'er done!" Both well into their seventies, the wrinkled old dotards presented their resolution.

ARTICLE XVI. RESOLUTION: ESCALATE THE WAR ON POVERTY

"In the early days of this decade, a popular musician named Bono took it upon himself to escalate the 'War on Poverty' - a political slogan that had floated around Washington for decades but accomplished precious little. The millions of dollars wasted on this program never even managed to create awareness of how poverty permeated the Earth and affected everyone - not just those who were poor.

We're proposing that an all-out 'war on poverty' be escalated to the world's #1 priority with America leading the cause. The Bush administration spent $1.5 trillion - TRILLION - on its so-called 'War on Terrorism" and an illegal invasion of Iraq, to no avail. With the money we're saving by eliminating 90% of the federal government's useless and unnecessary programs, we can well afford to lead this 'War on Poverty'. There is no need for people anywhere in the world to live in abject poverty. We are recommending the following steps be taken toward this noble and necessary cause:

1. Estabish a three-tiered educational approach designed to influence, instruct and inspire people. First, we need to educate those who are poor and provide them the skills, resources and information to help them pull themselves out of poverty. In addition to that, we need to educate societies around the globe as to how poverty affects us all, and what we all can do to help eradicate this scourge from the Earth. One suggestion might be an in-school program modeled after Junior Achievement, which teaches elementary students about business through a vast network of volunteers. For purposes of presentation, we're calling this a WORLD ENRICHMENT program ('WE", for short) wherein students will be given information, in the form of coloring books, maps, brochures, which they can - in turn - take home to show their parents. Hopefully, it would inspire people across the country - and around the world - to get involved in this project.

2. Then we need to educate governments, powerful and influential people, and wealthy organizations on the importance of combatting poverty. This would require a massive effort directed at arousing attention and implementing programs that can pour money, data, and influence into the crusade.

3. A fleet of 'Poverty Planes' would travel the world filled with wealthy industrialists, celebrities, athletes, and wealthy individuals who would deliver petitions to world governments demanding they get make commitments to this worldwide effort. Imagine a plane landing at Dulles International Airport: Bono, Paul McCartney, Cher, Walter Cronkite, Payton Manning, Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Gates, Howard Stern, Rush Limbaugh and a hundred other of the world's richest people disembark, each with a $1,000,000 check, and each appearing in front of media cameras to pronounce their personal involvement and solicit the involvement of world leaders. Few politicians could ignore such a massive visual demonstration without risking the wrath of their constituencies.

4. A special "War on Poverty" fund would be set up, and those earning over $1,000,000.00 a year, or having a net worth of more thn $5,000,000.00 would have 5% tax imposed, which would be directly deposited into this fund. That money would be used to combat poverty on a local and regional level, implementing programs that would include educational tools, food, money, and resources. These funds would go directly to communities, and not into the coffers of corrupt governments.

This is our resolution, plain and simple. While it's easy to say, 'I worked hard for what I have; let them do the same.' - it's important to recognize that millions of people are not as fortunate, due to circumstances that are beyond their control. Many of us see a photo of a starving boy in Africa with flies swarming around his head and assume he's just lazy. All too often, it's a matter of genetics, culture, climate, geography, and politics that have combined to cause such tragic circumstances. For the world to have no compassion for such individuals is inhumane and should not be tolerated. 'All for one - ME' is not a healthy approach to one's life. Those of you who have been blessed with billions of dollars owe a great debt to the world that allowed you such awesome opportunity. Share it. You will be the better person for it.

Without further ado, we urge you to vote on this vital issue. It is this kind of charity that brings reward. For those of you whose family members died as a result of last month's devastation, we urge you to find it in your hearts to share generous portions of their personal fortunes on this great and worthy cause. Hubris and egoism have no place in a man's heart; what we did might seem cruel and savagely inhumane to many, but the 'Rebellion of '08' was the only way to erase the slothfulness of greed and power from our country. Annihilation of the mega-rich, the super-powerful, and the self-absorbed was the first step toward America's second revolution. Now our objective is to bring the United States of America back to its humble beginnings, restore its roots, and allow it to flourish as the great nation it was intended to become. Please use the portable voting devices to record your vote. Thank you."

Behind the Bakers, the bright red letters announced the results of yesterday's vote.

ARTICLE XV. RESOLUTION: A FAIR AND EQUITABLE IMMIGRATION POLICY
TOTAL NUMBER OF VOTES CAST: 1,081,789
NUMBER OF 'YEA" VOTES: 581,527
NUMBER OF "NAY' VOTES: 500,262

As the Bakers' images faded from the screen, the two-line message announcing tomorrow's meeting appeared. Then, as always, the message faded into oblivion and the screens all over the United States went black until tomorrow.