Friday, June 13, 2008 turned out to be a lucky day for O.U.T.R.A.G.E.
H. Ross Perot, a self-made billionaire who started his business empire with a borrowed $1,000 from his young bride, made the largest single contribution to the rebel organization: five billion dollars.
Already flush with cash, O.U.T.R.A.G.E. now had substantial financial resources with which to initiate new programs that would dramatically alter the socioeconomic landscape of the United States of America. Perot pointedly emphasized that his gift was to be specifically used to help rebuild the country's infrastructure and restore the delicate ecological balance between man, plants and animals so that all creatures could coexist in the Earth's environment as nature had intended. It was an unusual direction for Perot; most observers, when first learning about the donation, expected that Perot would want the money to be funneled into reforming the putrefied two-party political system, which he abhorred. Americans had multiple choices in everything from cars to cucumbers, except in their voting process. The 'Republicrats' had held a stanglehold on American politics for more than a century, and American voters were reduced to choosing between the lesser of two evils.
Perot explained his reasoning by expressing confidence that O.U.T.R.A.G.E. was already well on its way toward reforming the political processes; he felt more immediate attention needed to be given to the infrastructure and environmental crises facing the country.
Presentation of the check was planned to coincide with the "National Parade of Honor" , and Perot wanted the ceremony to take place in his father's home town of New Boston, Texas, not far from Taxarkana, where Ross had been born.
Jil Adams had led the parade through fourteen states and over fifty cities. When she heard about the change in course, Lynn screamed, "What in hell's name do they expect us to do? Get on our brooms and fly to Texas??" The entourage, which now included dozens of motorhomes, trucks, and busses, and hundreds of people, was in Pueblo, Colorado, where the Pueblo Army Depot just happened to have a fleet of military cargo planes based temporarily. The Bush administration had plans for those planes to take tanks and Humvees to Iran, but those plans never materialized after the January 17 bombings that killed President Bush and most of his cabinet members. O.U.T.R.A.G.E. arranged for the entire parade retinue to be loaded on to the planes and delivered to the Texarkana airport.
Dana and Lynn settled in comfortably with a platoon of Army 'regulars' who hadn't had the privilege of female company since before they began intensive training for Iran. One of Jil's most outstanding talents was her ability to separate 'party time' from 'business'. Whenever she was partying at one of her Midwest bars, Jil would pitch in and help in the kitchen, on the floor, or behind the bar whenever things got busy. She recognized the need for a businesslike approach to this parade mission, but she also understood the need to 'let one's hair down' along the way. By the time the fleet of planes arrived, most had had time to 'sleep it off' and were ready to get back down to business. Lynn, however, found herself entangled with an Army commander who had introduced her to one of the small storage compartments usually intended for soldiers' gear. It was larger than most airplane lavatories, and Lynn and her new suitor found it to be a perfect 'get away' for their private encounters enroute to Texas. Fortunately, they had been left alone long enough to polish off a pint of Jack Daniels; unfortunately, they now found themselves wedged in the compartment and unable to free themselves from the bonds of their hot, sticky, naked bodies. Apparently, they didn't realize how compact - and airless - this little 'love nest' was, and it seemed the more they struggled to free themselves, the more they were unable to extricate themselves from each others' clamy extremities. "Jil," hissed Lynn, "just go on without us. We'll get ourselves out of this mess - eventually." Then she slammed the door of the compartment without any further regard for her perfervid predicament. Coming up for air didn't seem to be the most important thing on the minds of Lynn or her gentleman friend, thirty-one years her junior.
The "Parade of Honor" actually marched the nineteen miles from Texarkana to New Boston, then regrouped at the American Legion Hall before parading through the center of the small town. On the steps of the Legion Post, after the parade was over, Perot presented the check to Colin Powell and John McCain, who had flown in from St. Kitts for the ceremony. It was the first time the two men had stepped foot - together - on American soil since being installed as Interim chief executives of the country.
By the time Jil, Dana, Bob, Cher, Ron, Phil, Janie, Lynn, Patrick, and Cher had returned to their cargo plane, Lynn and Commander Whatever-His-Name-Was had freed themselves, smoothed out their tangled hair, and redressed. Lynn's face was still flush with a sensual satisfaction known only to women capable of such arousing advenures; the commander's eyes were still glazed over, having been oriented into tactical maneuvers not found in any Army combat manual. Jil, Dana, Cher, Janie, Lynn, and Cher looked on with a bizarre blend of quiet disgust - and unrequieted envy.
It was obvious Lynn had introduced this soldier to a whole new concept of "boosting the morale of the troops". It was apparent Lynn gave new meaning to the military term of "head-to-head combat".
Now, the parade contingent ws flown back to Pueblo, where it would resume its march westward.