On Thursday, June 19, 2008, the O.U.T.R.A.G.E. headquarters in St. Kitts was batttered by torrential rainstorms that created minor power outages during the day, and into the evening. Television broadcasts that had been continous - 24 hours a day, seven days a week - were now sometimes disrupted to some regions of the U.S.A. Teleconferencing capabilities were also limited, which meant that O.U.T.R.A.G.E. 'cells' in some parts of the country were unable to communicate with St. Kitts.
News of the tornadoes that struck southwestern Missouri was all but lost as downed power lines and satellite facilities were incapable of connecting with each other. O.U.T.R.A.G.E. committess continued their work, both in the field and at the St. Kitts headquarters, as planes shuttled prospective political candidates on and off the island. Special six-or-eight-member panels had been established within each committee for research and evaluation before any candidate was sanctioned; O.U.T.R.A.G.E. wanted to ensure that all candidates running in the November 4 elections would adhere to its platform prior to receiving any official endorsement or support from the O.U.T.R.A.G.E. organization.
Many new political parties and their candidates were being 'merged' with parties and candidates of similar persuasions. Some new parties were arbitrarily rejected as unsuitable, such as the North American Man-Boy Love Association (NAMBLA) which promoted sexual activity between adult men and young boys; arguing that NAMBLA's interests were completely legitimate and above-board, the organization was visibly angered when its charter was rejected, and O.U.T.R.A.G.E. refused to give its endorsement or financial support. NAMBLA threatened to proceed with the formation of its own political party (which, or course, it had every right to do - and which O.U.T.R.A.G.E. could not prevent). The Children's Party vehemently protested the action, but there was nothing O.U.T.R.A.G.E. could do. "This is still a free country," explained one O.U.T.R.A.G.E. political advisor, "and any citizen is free to pursue his or her own idealisms, regardless of how offensive the majority may find it to be. Just five months ago, most Americans believed O.U.T.R.A.G.E. to be a sinister organization, and was highly critical of the 'Rebellion of '08'.
Other new political parties that O.U.T.R.A.G.E. refused to support included the KluKluxKlan Party, which was intent on returning America to the days of racial segregation; the American Nazi Party, which advocated a 'final solution' for all those 'undesireables', including Jews, gypsies, "half-breeds", and the mentally retarded; and an outrageous "Death to Deadbeats Party" which wanted to put all American citizens who earned less than $12,000 a year on "poverty reservations" where they would not "interfere with the productivity of more ambitious American citizens". There was a political party with overtones from the days of the Communist U.S.S.R., which believed in total government control over its citizenry. A Modern Feminist Party put up its all-female slate of candidates and declared its mission to be the "total rule over a country that has been destroyed by centuries of male dominance". Some of these off-the-wall organizations were rumored to be plotting a legal challenge against O.U.T.R.A.G.E. in order to get the recognition and financial support necessary from what seemed to be the well-financed, well-structured, and well-respected revolutionary organization. O.U.T.R.A.G.E. pointed to its bevy of literature that specifically stated it was not a political party, but only an organization dedicated to the preservation and protection of the commonwealth. Its mission had been, from the very beginning, to eliminate those groups, corporations, lobbyists, and individuals whose 'special interests' were all - and only - about themselves. An O.U.T.R.A.G.E. spokesman said it best on a segment which only was able to be televised to about two-thirds of the American audience (because of the power outages):
"We believe that all men are created equal...and that - while a man has a right to pursue his own ambitions, wealth, and status within our society - he also has an obligation to not abuse his power, privilege or profit to the disadvantage of others.
Our intent is pure and untethered, even though some might perceive it as simplistic in its naivete. Everyone should be allowed to pursue their own endeavors, but everyone must also consider it his moral and social responsibility to share his good fortune with those less fortunate." The spokesman then cited examples: the WalMart family billionaires who paid slave wages to their Chinese employees; the professional athlete who used his million-dollar salary for drugs and prostitutes; the members of Congress who believed themselves to be some kind of royalty, above and beyond the laws they expected others to obey; and the bawdy celebrity movie star whose personal vulgar conduct influenced his fans to follow in his footsteps.
Elections were less than five months away, and O.U.T.R.A.G.E. still had not put a cohesive collection of viable political parties together. This was getting to be complicated....