Ten million people had joined O.U.T.R.A.G.E. without any orchestrated membership drives, mass mailings, or fund-raisings. Membership was now a hundred times what the original group had been as it took root at the turn of the century. Though there were no 'dues', millions of new members cheerfully made generous contributions to the organization, recognizing the enormous costs involved in everything that was being accomplished. Every new member received an official O.U.T.R.A.G.E. lime green badge and photo ID. New members were invited - and encouraged - to take some active participation at whatever level of interest or energy they so chose. As large as it had grown, the O.U.T.R.A.G.E. philosophy of remaining loose-knit and flexible was still considered all-important.

"The larger any organization, government or corporation gets, the less manageable it becomes, and the fewer people benefit from it."

That was the O.U.T.R.A.G.E. motto, the principle that guided its very existence. It was, after all, the excesses of big government that had caused the 'Rebellion of '08'. It had been a high-tech revolution. Instead of guns and ammunition, the thousands of O.U.T.R.A.G.E. 'cells' throughout the country had used bombs made from items available in any hardware store. Then, after the bombs were discreetly placed in waste cans, desk drawers, cabinets, or even outside shrubbery, cell phones were used as detonation devices. O.U.T.R.A.G.E. members simply dialed pre-programmed numbers at precisely the same time. At 4;55 P.M. (EST), on January 17, 2008, most government offices, celebrities' homes, corporate headquarters, military facilities, and countless other sites were blown to bits. Homeland Security was no match for such simplistic strategies. While the Bush administration had spent billions of taxpayers' dollars to create the illusion of 'security', these bombs were tossed into wastebaskets or other recepticles like so many wads of paper; many were put in paper sacks from McDonald's or Burger King, appearing to be the remnants of someone's lunch. No 'suspicious' packages' no alarms sounded going through metal detectors; just people walking around like normal people everyday, disposing of their trash like millions did every day. Most of the bombs weren't any larger than a golf ball; modern technology had contributed its own demise.
President George W. Bush, Vice-President Dick Cheney, and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld had created a world of insecurity, fear, and suspicion as they preached safety, strength, and trust. They, too, became victims of their own paranoia.
Now the nation was coming together after being torn asunder by a Revolution that only took a matter of minutes, followed by destructive hurricanes and earthquakes. What the rest of the world witnessed was something of substance: suddenly, the most materialistic, self-absorbed nation on Earth found itself humbled and in need. Suddenly, extravagant houses, luxury cars, massive monuments to one's fiscal or political prowess, expensive accoutrements, elegant dinners, and costly bottles of wine didn't mean anything. Suddenly self-promotion, debauchery, crude behavior just for its own shock value, and the compilation of one's personal resources meant very little to most who had survived the first five months of 2008. It was good to be alive, it gave people comfort to comfort others, and it renewed America's spirit of unity and teamwork. It was a re-awakening of grandeur and a revitalization of civility. No one was thinking about themselves anymore; there was strength within community.