When the Republicans so dramatically lost the 2006 mid-term elections, then Presidential-candidate John McCain was surprisingly candid when he said, "In 1994, we became the majority in both houses of Congress in order to change government. Instead, government changed us. We began to value power over principle."
A maverick politician who was highly critical of both Democrats and Republicans, McCain was considered a front-runner in the 2008 campaign. After January 17, 2008, when a revolutionary group called O.U.T.R.A.G.E. assassinated President George W. Bush, Vice-President Dick Cheney and most members of Congress, things changed again - as dramatically as anytime since the American Revolutionary War against he British.
Now McCain was serving as Interim Vice-President while the country struggled to heal itself, revitalize its spirit and re-strengthen its position as a world leader. Along with Interim President Colin Powell, McCain had made broad strides to affect radical change in the way the United States government would operate. Allowing power, status, privilege and wealth to consume the nation's elected public servants, both men were dedicated to the proposition that, indeed, all men were created equal - and all men should be given equal opportunities. Billionaires or multi-millionaires should not get all the 'breaks' at the expense of those who went to bed hungry every night, who were homeless or jobless, and who had less availability to education, information, and prosperity. It was not so much a change in social structure as it was an attempt to change the American psyche. United States citizens would have to recognize that their place in this world was dependent on humility, caring and sharing. Sharing resources, knowledge, information, friendships, and status was not an easy thing to change, especially among those in the top 1% of the American population who were used to the comforst of power, positon and privilege.
The "common" citizen - the "little guy" - should have just as much right to run for office as the wealthy elitists who could fund their campaigns with millions of dollars. Corporate America would have to learn to become good corporate citizens, instead of bending the laws to protect their vested interests. Now in his early 70's, McCain faced the most important challenge of his career. He was charged with affecting this kind of significant change in the minds of 300,000,000 people who had been taught for generations that they should look out only for themselves and their peers. It was a daunting task.

Sunday, September 21, 2008, was a typical first-day-of-autumn around the United States of America. Eight months after the elusive organization called O.U.T.R.A.G.E. had assassinated President Bush, Vice-President Cheney, most administration officials, almost all elected politicians inside the beltway, and the majority of federal bureaucrats, things were returning to normal - slowly but surely. As O.U.T.R.A.G.E. conducted forums and televised political messages from its St. Kitts headquarters, it also served as a clearinghouse for all the new political parties - and candidates - who would be on the ballot in the nation's November elections. Each party had its own agenda, and many parties were being encouraged to join forces with others to try and minimize a lot of duplication for voters. To get any financial assistance from O.U.T.R.A.G.E., candidates had to sign a pledge of moral integrity, vowing to adhere to the O.U.T.R.A.G.E. criteria, which included strict term limts as well as a host of other demands. Candidates and political parties endorsed by O.U.T.R.A.G.E. were only those who recognized in no uncertain terms that they were public servants, and would not in any way be allowed to enrich themselves or gain ungainly power from their pubic servitude.
Acronyms abounded as parties tried to sum up their political platforms with a series of letters that would spell some easily-remembered word. One such party was the O.U.T.L.A.W. party (Outlaw Unimportant, Thickheaded Laws Affecting Worrywarts). The primary platform of this party was that there were too many federal, state, and local laws 'on the books' that had no right to be part of a constitutional society. Laws, however well-intended, were being passed by idiot politicians to pacify a small group of constituents at the expense of other constituents' freedoms. One most recent example had been a law passed in Clifton, NJ making it illegal for a dog to bark for more than a half-hour at a time. In 2006, the City of Clifton had sent out eleven letters warning dog owners that a summons could be issued if their dog kept barking incessantly. A year later, the Clifton City Council made it illegal for 3,756 licensed dog owners to let their pet bark for long periods of time! So a law was passed to punish less than 3-tenths-of-one-percent of the city's dog owners! Couldn't the Clifton City Council have found more productive ways to pass their time? How would this ordinance be enforced? If the police were called, it was the dog owners' word against the plaintiff's word that the dog had been barking for more than 30 minutes. How incredibly insipid could this law be? We all have to put up with disruptive noises, including thunder from thunderstorms, howling winds during tornadoes, rap lovers playing their boom boxes too loud, noisy trucks and fast cars with loud mufflers, and - yes, even barking dogs and meowing cats. If a barking dog disturbed your sleep, couldn't you wear earplugs? Evidently that solution was too simple for legislators to consider.
Across the country, such insipid laws had consumed lawmakers' time, cost taxpayers bllions of wasted dollars, and created thinly-veiled versions of George Orwell's "thought police". Citizens, in many states and counties, weren't allowed to exercise their personal freedoms because it might create discomfort for others.
Too many laws had been passed to accommodate the wealthy elitists. In many states, "cherry master" gaming machines were deemed illegal in local bars and taverns, but gambling on riverboats or casinos owned by multi-billion-dollar corporations was perfectly legal. State lotteries were sponsored by virtually every state in the union, but it was against the law for a bar to having any kinds of gaming devices on its premises. If gamling contributed to the moral decay of the populace, why was it okay for the state to generate revenue from such sinful activity, or why was there ample opportunity for the 'high rollers' to visit casinos, off-track betting parlors, and horse racing tracks where billions could be pissed away on a 'fun-filled' weekend?
These kinds of discrimnation laws, of course, were the result of extensive lobbying by the greedheads who weren't satisfied with their lions' share of the gaming market. They wanted it all, and they lined politicians' pockets to ensure that gambling would be a business reserved only for billionaire investors. They wanted all the money from gambling addicts; there was no room for penny-ante poker games at the neighborhood tavern of the local American Legion.
The smoking bans across the country were also hypocritical attempts at trying to regulate 'sin'. If smoking was such a health hazard, the easiest thing to do would be to outlaw the manufacture, distribution and sale of cigarettes. But politicians didn't see it that way because they couldn't walk away from the billions of dollars they collected in taxes from cigarette manufacturers, distributors and retailers. So they put the burden on the 'little guy'. He couldn't smoke in a restaurant, or a bar, or - in some states - any public place. Small business owners were saddled with the expenses of creating 'designated smoking areas' for customers and employees. The 'cigarette police' were charged with trying to enforce unenforceable laws, all so the politicians could pound their chests and say, "Look at the good things we do for our society." Of course, politicians would never admit to secluding themselves inside their private clubs, where they inhaled the pleasures of their expensive imported cigars, elegant pipes, and upscale cigarettes, discreetly hidden from public view.
O.U.T.R.A.G.E. heartily endorsed the efforts of the O.U.T.L.A.W. Party, and offered a grant to help fund research on all the insipid, inane laws past by archaic, arrogant, affluent politicians. The O.U.T.R.A.G.E. ideal was all about equality and fairness for all, regardless of their status, wealth, creed, skin color or power within our society.
Upon receiving its grant, O.U.T.L.A.W. announced on September 21, 2008 that it would implement one of the nation's most aggressive initiatives ever to eliminate unfair and unecessary legislation. Spearheading this immense effort would be a giant of a man whose passion for such inequities was well documented: an old friend of the Adams-Ryan-Oetting-Baker (AROB) team, Ron "Doc" Doctor. A lime-green O.U.T.R.A.G.E. bus was provided, with all the ammenities, so that 'Doc" could begin his tour of the country, busting up cozy liaisons between politicians and the powerful. Surely Doc's bus would - at times - hook up with the Patrick-Patrick tour, or with Jil Adams' bus tours. As these eye-catching bright green vehicles lumbered across the country, Americans would be sent a message: this IS America, land of the free, home of the brave, and a solace for fairness, truth, justice and the American way!

Most of the week was spent co-ordinating projects from the O.U.T.R.A.G.E. headquarters in St. Kitts; there was still immense clean-up work to do on both coasts. Volunteers were still digging bodies from the rubble, and municipal crews were still working to restore basic services in many regions of the country, particularly the east and west coasts. Meanwhile, various 'movements' were spreading across the country like a forest fire doused with kerosene.
The nation's moral fiber had been decimated by those powerful and wealthy individuals that were so idolized by the poor masses. Everyone wanted to be Britney Spears, George W. Bush, Anna Nicole Smith, Bobby Knight, or some other rich and famous athlete, politician, celebrity or business mogul. And, millions of Americans - seeking that nefarious dream of wealth and power, fame and fortune - had sacrificed their moral compass in an effort to do something - anything! - more outrageous than the next guy. Cheating on a spouse was passe' these days; now, to make a name for yourself, you were expected to conceive a baby out-of-wedlock. Living together was practiced by more than half the American populace; in fact, the Internal Revenue Service, and its inane tax laws, actually encouraged living together instead of matrimony. It made sense for loving couple to divorce just so they could save thousands of dollars in federal taxes. Divorce, abortion and sexually transmitted diseases ran rampant throughout the country. Outlandish language, disrespect for the basic fundamental principles on which this nation was founded, and perverse sexual conduct were the norm instead of the exception. It seemed everyone had to do something more sensational than the person before them as they all tried to claw their way up the ladder to 'success'.
Even the religious zealots were bombarded with incidents of sin and immorality within their midsts. Ministers were caught in secret homosexual liaisons; priests were caught abusing young boys practically every week. Television evangilists were, with alarming regularity, caught having affairs with their church secretaries or members of their congregations.
Of course, the cesspool with the most stench was the U.S. Congress. These cretins were constantly being paraded in front of the news, involved in everything from gambling scandals to prostitution rings to graft. It seemed there was nothing people wouldn't do to increase their bank accounts or establish one more notch to their position of power and importance.
As children viewed tens of thousands of murders, rapes and attacks on television, children became more calloused to the effects of their environments. Hundreds of cases involving childhood rapes, pregnancies, physical abuseses and bullying were causing school administrators nightmares in big cities and small towns across America.
"Family values" were mocked as common, everyday citizens demeaned marriage, avoided trying to rear their children in a wholesome environment, shunned family activites, and participated in the pleasures of the flesh and the power brought on by a well-filled wallet. It was okay to splurge on an $80-a-plate dinner at some five-star restaurant, but God forbid Dad should spend twenty bucks taking his ten-year-old son to a local baseball game.
This ugly essence is what O.U.T.R.A.G.E. had captured, and - with some aplomb - was now trying to erradicate from the American society before its vile stench overwhelmed us all and we ended up in the same fate as the Greeks or Romans.
There were certain things people should be ashamed of, and American publications had made heroes out of the celebrities, athletes, politicians, and wealthy elitsts who flaunted their good fortune and made a mockery of morality.
As the upcoming elections neared, O.U.T.R.A.G.E. intentionally wanted to endorse candidates that would re-create an American culture that embraced family values and honored the decency of humanity.

On Sunday, September 14, 2008, Ron Oetting went on a rampage. He was in St. Kitts at the O.U.T.R.A.G.E. headquarters, swilling down iced glasses of Brinley's Gold Vanilla Rum, a favorite concoction manufactured on the island. Discussions with other O.U.T.R.A.G.E. volunteers had been ongoing since early morning, and as the conversations became more intense, Oetting became more disturbed. Fueled by the liquid courage of the demon rum, Oetting finally stood up, staggered to the television cameras, and asked to be put on the air.
Securely grasping his glass of rum, Oetting stared into the cameras and bellowed, "I'm sick an' tired of being sick and tired!"
Heated conversations all day long had stirred emotions in this gray-haired old man, to the point that everything he'd been holding in for so long finally had to come out. Like a volcano having reached its boiling point and erupting, Oetting began rambling about his view of the world, and pontificating on what was wrong with it.
"Contrary to what everyone says," he slurred, "size doesn't matter. In fact, the bigger any organization, corporation or government gets, the less manageable it becomes and the fewer people benefit from it!" Most of those who knew Oetting had heard this sermon before. He was anti-big government; anti-big business; and anti-big organization. It was one reason he'd become so hell-bent involved in O.U.T.R.A.G.E. - he believed the organization would contribute to the 'belittling' of America, allowing small government, small business, and small organizations reclaim their rightful positions as the backbone of the nation.
"Let's start with insurance companies," Oetting blurted out. "Perhaps I'm mistaken, but I thought the original intention of insurance was to form a pool of 'insureds' who would pay premiums. Those premium payments would be invested so that insurance companies could accumulate more money. That money would then be used to pay claims from members of the pool. If one member had no claims, his premiums would be used to help pay claims of those members who needed help. Oh, I'm sure there's been a lot of insurance fraud over the decades; and I'm sure a lot of people have cheated the insurance companies. But with all the millions and billions of dollars they took in, why aren't the insurance companies able to pay off legitimate claims without question? Instead, these days they seem to use vast amounts of members' money to pay multi-million-dollar salaries and bonuses to their chief executives, or build mammoth monuments to themselves in the form of monolithic glass-and-steel headquarters. Three years ago, when Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, insurance companies fought tooth-and-nail to deny claims instead of trying to help those in trouble. Today, as we continue to clean up from the devastating hurricane and earthquake that trampled all over the U.S.A. last spring, the insurance companies are still reluctant to pay claims. Frankly, I think this sucks.
The whole country - in fact, the whole world - has become rich taking advantage of other people's miseries. Lawyers don't give a damn about their clients; all they care about is their retainer or contingency fees. Pharmacuetical companies have made billions off sick people instead of manufacturing drugs and making them affordable for everyone. Doctors get filthy rich off the backs of the sick and the injured - too few doctors today have any bedside manner.
Even the government will pester a 'common' citizen over a damn $10,000 tax bill, yet they often refuse to go after the guy who owes $10 million in back taxes! It's all a plot to minimize the power of the average, every-day citizen and maximize the power and wealth of the rich guy.
Athletes are too good to stay after a game and sign autographs for their fans. Celebrities enjoy the fans' groveling, but don't want to get 'too close' to those who helped make them famous and wealthy. They hide away in gated mansions or private islands. As long as they make the big bucks, they don't feel any sense of responsibility or accountability to those who are responsible for their good fortune. As Leona Helmsley once said before she went to jail for tax evasion, 'I don't pay taxes; only the little people pay taxes'. That's what's wrong with America: the 'little people' have been reduced to nobodies, when - in retrospect - it's the 'little people' that are the backbone of this country.
It's the small businesses that make a community feel like home. It's the single mother who finds time to read to children hospitalized with terminal illnesses that makes our country great. So, the hell with the WalMarts and the Madonnas and the New York Yankees and the American Red Cross and all those other 'big' organizations. 'Big' is not better....in fact, 'big' is what has ruined this country. 'Big' only creates a need for greed....if you have a million, you need another million. If you have ten million, you need another ten million.
Government bureacracies have grown so bloated that they can hardly function. When O.U.T.R.A.G.E. bombed 'em out of business, it created a need for small government entities to take over - and, as most of you can see, it's working just fine without FEMA, Homeland Security, the CIA, Congress, and all the other fat cats whose sloth and corruption only caused chaos and confusion.
So, folks, size doesn't matter. In fact, I'm here to tell you: the smaller an organization, a government, or a corporation is, the better it can be managed and more people will benefit from it. Let's return 'small' to America, and let's forget about being 'big'. Let's strive to be the best instead of the biggest."
As he gulped down the last swallow vanilla rum, Oetting took a deep breath, sat down on a folding chair and passed out cold.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008: the upcoming elections were less than two months away, and O.U.T.R.A.G.E. was making considerable progress in forming new political parties. With the help of many progressive states, several of whom had already passed "clean-election" bills in recent years, fresh new political candidates were coming forward with new ideas, novel approaches to smaller and less intrusive government, and a more free and equal society. In the mid-1990's, Maine had taken the lead toward political reform through an organization called Maine Voters for Clean Elections (MVCE). Arizona followed in 1998, after a series of scandals rocked the state's government circles. North Carolina, New Mexico and New Jersey follwed suit. And, at the beginning of 2008, the states of Connecticut and Oregon adopted "clean elections" which prevented greedheads like WalMart, Hallaburton, the American Medical Association, and countless other piggies at the trough, from buying political favors. Recent polls revealed that 85% of American believed that public funding would allow candidates to win on ideas and merit, instead of backdoor deals and corrupt collusion with corporate cultures.
Public support for such reform had been on the rise for years; the O.U.T.RA.G.E. bombings on January 17, 2008, simply helped speed up the process. All the evil politicians, the greedy business leaders, squanderous celebrities, and wealthy elitsts who controlled the government had been slaughtered with the use of strategically-placed hi-tech bombs, detonated by simple cellphones. Unobtrusive, hardly-detectable explosive devises had been placed in buildings, homes, offices, and government headquarters by tens of thousands of O.U.T.R.A.G.E. volunteers. During George W. Bush's final State of the Union address, O.U.T.R.A.G.E. radicals had begun the new American revolution - the 'Rebellion of '08' had initially met with public damnation. However, over eight months, people began to realize that what O.U.T.R.A.G.E. did was the only way the federal government and its bloated buraucracies would ever be changed quickly. What had been done needed to be done.
The Republican and Democratic political parties no longer existed as monopolistic entities that controlled American politics. They now had to compete with new political grassroots movements that advocated moral andbureaucratic change. No longer could the "Republicrats" live inside their little square boxes with rose-colored glasses and say, "Everything's wonderful." Political leaders would now - finally - have to look outside the box, color outside the lines, and brgin painting pictures of political equality and decency for all American citizens.
Family political dynsaties were all but non-existent anymore. Political power brokers had all been annhiliated. Bastardly pigs like Tom DeLay, George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Jack Abramoff, Duke Cunningham and Bob Ney were dead. Greedhead corporate executives who honestly believe it was proper for them to earn 800 times what they average employee earned were no longer alive to continue such disgusting skimming. Lawyers who demanded $300-an-hour, movie stars who commanded $20 million per picture, and professional athletes who signed multi-million-dollar contracts were no longer alive to steal the cream from the top of the economic milk carton. The playing field had been leveled - literally.
Across the country, Jil Adams, Patrick Hamilton, Bob Ryan, Ron Oetting, Phil Baker and other O.U.T.R.A.G.E. reformists, could sense a 'coming together' of the citizenry. Wherever O.U.T.R.A.G.E. volunteers ventured, a new spirit was underway. The United States of America would rise from the ashes and begin anew - but this time the ugliness, disdain, sloth and power that once belonged exclusively to the ultra-rich - would be taken from the equation. Factored in would be a sense of camaraderie, of equality for all, of unity and fair play. Morality would become elevated to a place of honor; sportsmanship would return to the competitive arenas; one's humanity toward others would take precedence over one's own compilation of power and wealth. Utopia? Perhaps. Would it work? Perhaps not. But the effort was certainly worthwhile, even if the evils of the human psyche would return graft, corruption, greed and selfishness in a few decades.