Coudersport, Pennsylvania is a small, tight-knit community in the northern central part of the state that rarely gains any national notoriety. But when the "National Parade of Honor" came to town, along with TV cameras and an O.U.T.R.A.G.E. entourage of motorhomes, Coudersport was the center of national attention. The local American Legion Post hd planned an outdoor bar-b-que for the O.U.T.R.A.G.E. people, and had invited the whole town. Not only did the whole town come out, people from surrounding communities such as Port Allegany and Wellsboro also showed up! The bar-b-que turned into a political rally, complete with lime green banners showing support for O.U.T.R.A.G.E., and crudely-lettered "Powell for President" signs. A thousand veterans had been expected to march in the parade; as it turned out, closer to two thousand were in attendance. The parade virtually filled the town! Hundreds of these veterans asked if they could accompany the retinue; many of them were prepared to march all the way across the country. Before the festivities were concluded, Jil Adams had a convoy on her hands. Veterans piled into cars, vans, SUVs, and trucks, eager to be part of this national event. Lynn and Dana couldn't have been more pleased: the more men, the merrier!
The next stop was Bucyrus, Ohio.
This was not just another Memorial Day parade: this was a mandate from the American people. Four months ago, O.U.T.R.A.G.E. had committed untold atrocities across the country, killing a U.S. President, most of his cabinet, and almost all members of the sitting United States Congress. Additionally, greedy corporate executives, self-absorbed celebrities and athletes, and thousands of America's rich and powerful had also been killed. It had, indeed, been a second American Revolution. Just as early American colonists took up arms against the oppressive English monarchy, O.U.T.R.A.G.E. members had taken up cell phones and home made bombs against an oppressive and excessive society that was threatening to destroy all of America's principles and values. Politicians lied and gorged themselves on taxpayers' money; celebrities and athletes threw their money without regard for those less fortunate; the behind-the-scenes influence and power of those in the media, in the entertainment industry, and in government was out of control. O.U.T.R.A.G.E. had taken the catalysts away, intent on returning the United States of America to its rightful owners: "we the people". The 'common' citizen now had an opportunity to once again participate in his government. There was no longer any tolerance of those who squandered their wealth, power, or influence on themselves. If it wasn't for the common good, it wasn't acceptable behavior in the 'new' United States of America. Changing the culture would not happen overnight, but O.U.T.R.A.G.E. sensed they had made an impact. Those who joined in the revolution did so because they knew this was the rebirth of the kind of country in which they wanted to share. Long term, O.U.T.R.A.G.E. members envisioned a utopian society where no child would go to bed hungry; where no school would be better than any other; where people would share their bounty with those who had less bounty; where workers would be treated with more equality; and where government would truly be "of the people, for the people, and by the people" and politicians would be returned to their status of public servitude instead of self-indulgence.