Cracks were beginning to show in the O.U.T.R.A.G.E. infrastructure. As large as the organization was, it still found itself overwhelmed by the magnitude of work that now had to be done. From the beginning, members were confident they had sufficient resources to deal with the aftermath of their January explosions; they could not have imagined the nation being devastated by such powerful forces of nature in such short succession. Around the country, O.U.T.R.A.G.E. crews were under enormous pressure to begin the process of rebuilding the government; now they were also being pressed into service to help with the country's recovery from two natural disasters. One thing that suffered most severely was the O.U.T.R.A.G.E. "press corps". Those volunteers skilled in the art of broadcasting and reporting were feeding news back to the O.U.T.R.A.G.E. headquarters in St. Kitts. Unfortunately, some of those reports had proved to be erroneous.
One of the most fallacious reports had been broadcast two days ago when O.U.T.R.A.G.E. reported the deaths of Ron Oetting and Phil Baker in bizarre circumstances hundreds of miles apart. The two close friends had purportedly been killed in separate accidents: Baker had died on his pig farm in Iowa; Oetting had died delivering O.U.T.R.A.G.E. materials to an Amish farmer in Indiana. Both reports had been misreported. The victim in Iowa was one of Baker's field hands, also with the last name of Baker (but no relation); the victim in Indiana had gone to the Amish farm as a last-minute replacement for Oetting, who had been called away on other O.U.T.R.A.G.E. business. The misidentification occurred because the literature still had Oetting's business card stapled to it. It was a double-twisted bit of fate: both friends were presumed dead, yet both had been the victims of mistaken identity. It was the kind of sensatory fantasmical phenomenon that only happened in books and movies. Such coincidence couldn't have ever happened in real life.....or could it? When you thought about it, Oetting and Baker had both been pretty good at beating the odds most of their decadent lives.
There had been other inaccurate reports, but none quite so freakish.
Baker and Oetting were flown to St. Kitts where they appeared on an O.U.T.R.A.G.E. segment expressing regret for the loss of two other individuals, and making light of their own untimely demise.
It had been decided that the media responsibilities needed to be more structured. Concerns about incorrect information being reported as fact were taken seriously at O.U.T.R.A.G.E. headquarters. For too many years, the American public had been deluged with information 'planted' by the government and passed off as truth. While O.U.T.R.A.G.E. prided itself on its lack of hierarchy and organizational structure, it also became apparent that there needed to be some sort of control over what was being broadcast, published and televised to the general public. Freedom of the press was only as good as the integrity in which it resided. The Bush administration had tried to control the press, censoring what it didn't want reported and leaking information it wanted released. Oetting and Baker, with their respective journalism and marketing skills, were quickly recruited to spearhead the management of all press activity prior to its being aired or published by O.U.T.R.A.G.E.
In the huge building which had served as the O.U.T.R.A.G.E. headquarters, a small "press room" was set up. Oetting and Baker celebrated their new unpaid positions with typical predictability: they asked Smokey, their driver, to take them to an oceanfront rag-tag bar called the Shiggity-Shack and got drunk. While Baker and Oetting sat on the beach sipping Bushwhackers, one of St. Kitts' frequent instant thundershowers popped up. The two inebriated celebrants didn't move to shelter; instead they let the rain water down their drinks, knowing the shower would end in less than five minutes.
Once the rain clouds disappeared, the two men witnessed, through familiar blurred vision, one of nature's most beautiful sunsets and as an orange fireball quickly was swallowed up by the sea. It was Wednesday, March 26, 2008. What would happen tomorrow?
One of the most fallacious reports had been broadcast two days ago when O.U.T.R.A.G.E. reported the deaths of Ron Oetting and Phil Baker in bizarre circumstances hundreds of miles apart. The two close friends had purportedly been killed in separate accidents: Baker had died on his pig farm in Iowa; Oetting had died delivering O.U.T.R.A.G.E. materials to an Amish farmer in Indiana. Both reports had been misreported. The victim in Iowa was one of Baker's field hands, also with the last name of Baker (but no relation); the victim in Indiana had gone to the Amish farm as a last-minute replacement for Oetting, who had been called away on other O.U.T.R.A.G.E. business. The misidentification occurred because the literature still had Oetting's business card stapled to it. It was a double-twisted bit of fate: both friends were presumed dead, yet both had been the victims of mistaken identity. It was the kind of sensatory fantasmical phenomenon that only happened in books and movies. Such coincidence couldn't have ever happened in real life.....or could it? When you thought about it, Oetting and Baker had both been pretty good at beating the odds most of their decadent lives.
There had been other inaccurate reports, but none quite so freakish.
Baker and Oetting were flown to St. Kitts where they appeared on an O.U.T.R.A.G.E. segment expressing regret for the loss of two other individuals, and making light of their own untimely demise.
It had been decided that the media responsibilities needed to be more structured. Concerns about incorrect information being reported as fact were taken seriously at O.U.T.R.A.G.E. headquarters. For too many years, the American public had been deluged with information 'planted' by the government and passed off as truth. While O.U.T.R.A.G.E. prided itself on its lack of hierarchy and organizational structure, it also became apparent that there needed to be some sort of control over what was being broadcast, published and televised to the general public. Freedom of the press was only as good as the integrity in which it resided. The Bush administration had tried to control the press, censoring what it didn't want reported and leaking information it wanted released. Oetting and Baker, with their respective journalism and marketing skills, were quickly recruited to spearhead the management of all press activity prior to its being aired or published by O.U.T.R.A.G.E.
In the huge building which had served as the O.U.T.R.A.G.E. headquarters, a small "press room" was set up. Oetting and Baker celebrated their new unpaid positions with typical predictability: they asked Smokey, their driver, to take them to an oceanfront rag-tag bar called the Shiggity-Shack and got drunk. While Baker and Oetting sat on the beach sipping Bushwhackers, one of St. Kitts' frequent instant thundershowers popped up. The two inebriated celebrants didn't move to shelter; instead they let the rain water down their drinks, knowing the shower would end in less than five minutes.
Once the rain clouds disappeared, the two men witnessed, through familiar blurred vision, one of nature's most beautiful sunsets and as an orange fireball quickly was swallowed up by the sea. It was Wednesday, March 26, 2008. What would happen tomorrow?
posted by Bushwacker! at 7:07 AM
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