When the O.U.T.R.A.G.E. convoy pulled into New Haven, Indiana, it was surprised to be met at the edge of town by two groups. They were expecting to be greeted by veterans from the local VFW; they weren't expecting to be joined by another O.U.T.R.A.G.E. entourage: the Patrick-Patrick team that had been criss-crossing the country advocating the legalization of drugs. Lynn Patrick, Patrick Hamilton and his wife, Cher, and the busload of O.U.T.R.A.G.E. staffers were there in full force. Also there to meet Jil, Lynn and Dana were members of the old A.R.O.B. team: Bob Ryan, Ron Oetting and Phil Baker. Bob's wife, Cher, had joined him, as had Phil Baker's wife, Janie. Since all eleven of these people hailed from New Haven, it seemed like a fitting place for a timely reunion. All of them had been working hard (and partying hard) for the various O.U.T.R.A.G.E. causes, and tonight would be a special celebration at Jilli's Pub, where most of them had 'hung out' prior to the events of winter, 2008. While the Bakers had retired to an Iowa pig farm, most of the others still called New Haven "home" - a close-knit conservative community of just less than 15,000 people.
The "National Parade of Honor" started at the city limits near the Ronald Reagan National Highway (I-469) and Ryan Road. It proceeded down Ryan Road to Lincoln Highway East, past the VFW Post #2457, and then into the central business district which had just been rennovated less than two years before. As the parade passed the VFW Post, hundreds of veterans joined the march into town. Following the usual speeches from local dignitaries and the traditional flag waving from the crowds that lined the downtown streets, the parade winded its way through town, through some of the better-known residential areas, and finally ended up back at the VFW Post, where a hearty meal of beef-and-noodles awaited all the participants. After the typical amenities and neighborly conversation, the O.U.T.R.A.G.E. motorhomes headed for the pub. It was a night of reminiscing, revelry, and rowdiness as old friends gathered to - well, reminisce, revel in the company of each other, and get a little rowdy. It was almost 3:30 Saturday morning before most of the party-goers got to bed. That made the 7:00 a.m. wake-up call that much more difficult; O.U.T.R.A.G.E. was scheduled to be in St. Joseph, Michigan by late morning. It would be the sixth stop on the tour; only 105 more to go before Independence Day. Since it didn't have any formal itinerary, the Patrick-Patrick group decided to follow the "National Parade of Honor" on its journey around the country. "Yeah, we'll have some duplication," Patrick Hamilton admitted, "but so what? We've got a message worth repeating!"
Indeed, O.U.T.R.A.G.E. had hundreds of messages worth repeating. Just like this convoluted writing has repeated itself over and over again, repetition was a good thing.
The O.U.T.R.A.G.E. teams left New Haven at precisely 7:07 a.m. Saturday, May 30, 2008. Less than an hour later, at 8:01 a.m., an ungodly explosion rocked the community. On the west side of town, the "mountain" blew up. A closed toxic waste facility, that had been the scourge of the community in the 1980's and 1990's, suddenly erupted like a sleeping volcano. "Experts" from the waste management firm that operated the dump claimed this huge pile of toxic debris was completely safe, and was of no danger to the residents of New Haven. As citizens fought the expansion of the dump for years, and eventually succeeded in closing it permanently (after lengthy, expensive legal battles), the mammoth corporation that had accepted toxic garbage from as far away as New Jersey fought just as hard to keep it open. It was, after all, an enormously profitable enterprise. Corporate executives refused to ever admit what a danger their pile of poison poop posed to the people of New Haven. As the ground opened and a mountain more than a quarter-mile high regurgitated its contents into the air, the water, and the land, New Haven residents realized their worst nightmare.
Corporate 'greed heads', who knowingly had placed people in harm's way with the consent of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), had long left the area. While no one knew what had caused the explosion, everyone suddenly knew who had allowed it to happen. That aroused the question: who, exactly, was the EPA 'protecting'? Did it 'protect' the interest of big business over the health and safety of citizens?
Article XIV was a resolution to "expand the role of the EPA". However, it was important that such a role be expanded only as it pertained to the well-being of the citizenry. O.U.T.R.A.G.E. was adamant that no government bureaucracy should be watching out for the interests of big business or special interests. The EPA, like all other government agencies that would survive this reformation, would be chartered as public watchdogs, beholden only to the people. As toxic waste littered New Haven, O.U.T.R.A.G.E. was faced with another new challenge: bringing an investigative team into town to find out what happened at the "mountain" - and why.