"It's Sunday, May 11, 2008," Jil Adams announced with all the stern professionalism she could muster. "This first meeting of the PAROBA Group has been called to initiate dispersal of more than one hundred million dollars in donations from the casinos and their guests here in Laughlin, Nevada." As Adams spoke, other members of the PAROBA Group silently shifted in their seats, gently held their heads, and tried to pretend like they were alive. Informal discussions between Adams, Ryan, Oetting and Baker had led to some fresh ideas for a new social order in the United States, but nothing concrete had come from those talks. They were simply comments being tossed around while sitting on the beaches of St. Kitts.
A consummate party person, Adams was also one who took pride in her work. She'd been honored to accept this challenge from Interim President Colin Powell, and had performed her duties admirably. She'd visited more than twenty communities and managed motivational programs for O.U.T.R.A.G.E. members who had grown weary and needed to be pumped up so that their exhaustive work could continued unabated. From the start, those involved in the 'Rebellion of '08' knew the real work would take place only as an aftermath of the January 17 carnage. But who could have predicted that work from the man-made explosions would be further exacerbated by two natural disasters? O.U.T.R.A.G.E. members had been overwhelmed, and - while many might have viewed Adams' work as petty - her community 'parties' had proven to be strong motivators that not only brought people together, but, more importantly, had raised the spirits of O.U.T.R.A.G.E. members around the nation.
Adams had invested huge amounts of her time and talents in successfully orchestrating these events. Now she had a chance to provide more stimulus by distributing money to help start rebuilding processes across the country.
Her only concern was that this was going to have to be done with the "help" of three drunken sots who didn't seem to take the missions as seriously as she did - and now she had the added burden of having to work with two women whom she didn't know, and who obviously were a distraction to at least one PAROBA Group member, Phil Baker. Adams decided to call in reinforcements that might bring this group into focus: she called in the spouses. By the end of the day, private planes had brought Janie Baker and Cher Ryan to Laughlin. Paulette and Annette's husbands arrived on a commercial flight direct from Detroit. "That will settle them down," Adams whispered to herself. "Now the work of the PAROBA Group can begin in earnest."
Her only other concern was that one loose cannon: Ron Oetting. While still legally married, he and his wife had been separated for six years; how - and who - could rope this unstable steer? Adams decided she'd have to be the one to keep Oetting in line. A quick kick in the ass would ground him. Then she'd stomp on his neck with her sturdy cowboy boots and keep him eating her dust while cajoling him into helping her get this job done.
Globally, turmoil had set into the financial markets. Powell's talk about world war had distressed stock markets; the reckless economic policies of the Bush administration were beginning to create signs of a severe economic depression in the United States. Events of the 'Rebellion of '08', followed by the east coast hurricane and the west coast earthquake, were causing disturbing fiscal aftershocks. Corporations without national headquarters were effectively out of business. While the stock market hit record highs in October of 2006, the stock market hit record lows by October, 2007...and the events in the first quarter of 2008 only served to drive American stock markets into a frightening downward spiral. Economists were predicting that a stock market crash could occur anytime, certainly before the winter of 2008 - and their prognosis wasn't good. Most financial analysts were forecasting a severe depression that would make October of 1929 look like an ice cream social at the local Methodist church. With that, experts warned, would come more than financial woes; the suicide rate would soar and family relationships would crumble. Many families, after all, were held together only because of money. Without money, there was no love, loyalty or commitment. It was a sad state of affairs for such a seemlingly strong society, but the true fact was that the American family threads were loosely weaved together in large part because of materialism, just as the American corporate culture was tied only to the next quarter's profit and that all-important 'bottom line'. Jil Adams knew her PAROBA Group could make a dramatic difference, especially since it now had a hundred million dollars of 'seed' money. While the American Red Cross and many other philanthropic organizations were providing money for rescue and recovery work, health and medical care, and rebuilding, the PAROBA Group could focus on social needs that would also begin to change the culture of a society gone mad over money and material goods.
Strangely, Adams had always been a believer in the profit motive. She was a capitalist, and she managed her many bars with every intention of making money. But this comely blue-eyed blonde of impeccable pulchritude also had a human side to her. She was a 'giver' - someone who genuinely cared about others, and someone who truly wanted to make the world a better place. Now she had that opportunity. With a hundred millions dollars, and a few good ideas from Ryan, Oetting and Baker, she believed she could implement changes that would make a difference. Ryan, Oetting, and Baker did have a few brain cells that still functioned; if she could parley their hair-brained, off-the-wall, booze-induced ideas into workable solutions, life could be good - for everyone, everyone in the entire United States of America. Parameters would have to be established and potential upcoming events would have to be taken into consideration. Jil's beggest challenge would be keeping Ryan, Oetting, and Baker just inebriated enough to produce fresh ideas while ensuring that they stayed sober enough to convey those ideas in some kind of coherent manner. The future of America rested on her ability to reign in these three colorful characters. That would be like trying to control three cocks in a house full of horny hens. Ryan, Oetting and Baker were the three cocks; Laughlin was the house full of horny hens. Adams hoped Janie and Cher would help her hold sway over the hen house. The two wives assured her that the cocks' visits to the hen house - and the hen house watering troughs - would be severely restricted. Annette and Paulette's husbands promised to keep a tight leash on the two newest members of the PAROBA Group. A curfew was established. Law and order had come to town. Jil Adams was "the happiest girl in the whole U.S.A.". Now the course of business could begin, in time to make a difference before the predicted economic collapse of the country.
A consummate party person, Adams was also one who took pride in her work. She'd been honored to accept this challenge from Interim President Colin Powell, and had performed her duties admirably. She'd visited more than twenty communities and managed motivational programs for O.U.T.R.A.G.E. members who had grown weary and needed to be pumped up so that their exhaustive work could continued unabated. From the start, those involved in the 'Rebellion of '08' knew the real work would take place only as an aftermath of the January 17 carnage. But who could have predicted that work from the man-made explosions would be further exacerbated by two natural disasters? O.U.T.R.A.G.E. members had been overwhelmed, and - while many might have viewed Adams' work as petty - her community 'parties' had proven to be strong motivators that not only brought people together, but, more importantly, had raised the spirits of O.U.T.R.A.G.E. members around the nation.
Adams had invested huge amounts of her time and talents in successfully orchestrating these events. Now she had a chance to provide more stimulus by distributing money to help start rebuilding processes across the country.
Her only concern was that this was going to have to be done with the "help" of three drunken sots who didn't seem to take the missions as seriously as she did - and now she had the added burden of having to work with two women whom she didn't know, and who obviously were a distraction to at least one PAROBA Group member, Phil Baker. Adams decided to call in reinforcements that might bring this group into focus: she called in the spouses. By the end of the day, private planes had brought Janie Baker and Cher Ryan to Laughlin. Paulette and Annette's husbands arrived on a commercial flight direct from Detroit. "That will settle them down," Adams whispered to herself. "Now the work of the PAROBA Group can begin in earnest."
Her only other concern was that one loose cannon: Ron Oetting. While still legally married, he and his wife had been separated for six years; how - and who - could rope this unstable steer? Adams decided she'd have to be the one to keep Oetting in line. A quick kick in the ass would ground him. Then she'd stomp on his neck with her sturdy cowboy boots and keep him eating her dust while cajoling him into helping her get this job done.
Globally, turmoil had set into the financial markets. Powell's talk about world war had distressed stock markets; the reckless economic policies of the Bush administration were beginning to create signs of a severe economic depression in the United States. Events of the 'Rebellion of '08', followed by the east coast hurricane and the west coast earthquake, were causing disturbing fiscal aftershocks. Corporations without national headquarters were effectively out of business. While the stock market hit record highs in October of 2006, the stock market hit record lows by October, 2007...and the events in the first quarter of 2008 only served to drive American stock markets into a frightening downward spiral. Economists were predicting that a stock market crash could occur anytime, certainly before the winter of 2008 - and their prognosis wasn't good. Most financial analysts were forecasting a severe depression that would make October of 1929 look like an ice cream social at the local Methodist church. With that, experts warned, would come more than financial woes; the suicide rate would soar and family relationships would crumble. Many families, after all, were held together only because of money. Without money, there was no love, loyalty or commitment. It was a sad state of affairs for such a seemlingly strong society, but the true fact was that the American family threads were loosely weaved together in large part because of materialism, just as the American corporate culture was tied only to the next quarter's profit and that all-important 'bottom line'. Jil Adams knew her PAROBA Group could make a dramatic difference, especially since it now had a hundred million dollars of 'seed' money. While the American Red Cross and many other philanthropic organizations were providing money for rescue and recovery work, health and medical care, and rebuilding, the PAROBA Group could focus on social needs that would also begin to change the culture of a society gone mad over money and material goods.
Strangely, Adams had always been a believer in the profit motive. She was a capitalist, and she managed her many bars with every intention of making money. But this comely blue-eyed blonde of impeccable pulchritude also had a human side to her. She was a 'giver' - someone who genuinely cared about others, and someone who truly wanted to make the world a better place. Now she had that opportunity. With a hundred millions dollars, and a few good ideas from Ryan, Oetting and Baker, she believed she could implement changes that would make a difference. Ryan, Oetting, and Baker did have a few brain cells that still functioned; if she could parley their hair-brained, off-the-wall, booze-induced ideas into workable solutions, life could be good - for everyone, everyone in the entire United States of America. Parameters would have to be established and potential upcoming events would have to be taken into consideration. Jil's beggest challenge would be keeping Ryan, Oetting, and Baker just inebriated enough to produce fresh ideas while ensuring that they stayed sober enough to convey those ideas in some kind of coherent manner. The future of America rested on her ability to reign in these three colorful characters. That would be like trying to control three cocks in a house full of horny hens. Ryan, Oetting and Baker were the three cocks; Laughlin was the house full of horny hens. Adams hoped Janie and Cher would help her hold sway over the hen house. The two wives assured her that the cocks' visits to the hen house - and the hen house watering troughs - would be severely restricted. Annette and Paulette's husbands promised to keep a tight leash on the two newest members of the PAROBA Group. A curfew was established. Law and order had come to town. Jil Adams was "the happiest girl in the whole U.S.A.". Now the course of business could begin, in time to make a difference before the predicted economic collapse of the country.
posted by Bushwacker! at 8:58 AM
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