As the Presidential triumverate met with Bob Ryan and a small host of other "free thinkers" who had been recruited for this "urgent project", the rest of the world continued on its normal course. Powell, McCain and Obama wanted a capsulize all the concepts brought forward during last weekend's meetings and create a visceral vision as to how to reorganize, reform, and rebuild the United States government and the American society. Recruited from the O.U.T.R.A.G.E. membership were dozens of 'common' people who, nonetheless, showed signs of utmost brilliance and possessed the statesmanship qualities equal to that of America's founding fathers. These men and women were chosen because of their rare combinations of ingenuity, the lack of capriciousness, a 'common' approach to patriotism and honor, and a staunch subscription to 'common sense' and fairness. The triumverate deliberately avoided including anyone with any kind of political or bureaucratic persuasions. Bob Ryan sat at the conference table, slumped to one side, but acutely aware of everything that was being said. "This project is going to take weeks," he muttered to himself, "when can I get down to the beach?" Before this assembly was concluded, Ryan would take the lead - not necesssarily because of his devotion to getting anything accomplished; he just wanted to get down to the beach.
In the winter of 2006, ten animal rights activists and environmental radicals had been arrested in what government officials had branded a "major breakthrough" in the war against "ecoterrorism". The government charged the group, which called itself "The Family", with multiple counts of arson and property destruction, totaling some $40 million. When the case came to court in the spring of 2007, government prosecutors submitted a 148-page 'sentencing memorandum' which sought 'terrorist enhancements' in the sentences of the defendants, whom had all pleaded guilty. "Although the government was not a direct victim," the report stated, "it was nonetheless a federal crime of terrorism because of the offenders' motivation." Prosecutors alleged that The Family's intimidation, coercion, and retaliation was aimed at the conduct of the federal government, which "deserve[d] 'enhanced' punishment under federal anti-terrorist laws". These "terrorists" were protesting federal policies regarding natural resources and animals, and 'The Family' was attempting to force changes in those federal policies through its 'terrorist' tactics. Since the USA Patriot Act was established after 9-11-01, additional legislation had conveniently broadened the application of anti-terrorism laws to include the misdeeds of radical groups such as 'The Family' who - in the government's eyes - violated those federal laws in their quests to save animals and the environment. Such laws handily complemented the Bush administration's resistance toward anything that had to do with trying to save wild animals or protect the environment. After all, what profit could there be in trying to save the natural habitat of a rare spotted owl when its habitat could be used as the site for a new collection of luxury condominiums? Informants had been used to break up 'cells' of these radical groups. The government pressed for adding up to twenty years to any other prison sentence members of 'The Family' might draw. Defense attorneys argued that these acts of vandalism were commonplace in the U.S., and that 'The Family' took special care to ensure no lives were endangered. The government countered that "it was pure luck no one was killed or injured by their actions....this was a classic case of terrorism, despite their protests of lofty humane goals." Lauren Regan of the Civil Liberties Defense Center in Eugene, Oregon, was quoted as saying, "This is the first time in the history of the U.S. that the federal government is seeking this enhancement for property crimes that did not result in the injury or death to humans." Regan went on to protest that "when everyone is a terrorist, no one is. The further we broaden the laguage of [what constitutes a terrorist], the less security we have. If a monkeywrencher is the same as Osama binLaden, where is the distinction drawn?" The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), the Animal Liberation Front (ALF) and the Earth Liberation Front (ELF) were all characterized by federal government informants as "terrorist groups".
Bob Ryan used the events surrounding this landmark case to exemplify his own argument. He sipped on a beer which he had poured into a chilled glass, then stood up - a bit unsteadily - and began his rhetoric. With the same kind of humility and strength we might have imagined from the likes of Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, John Adams or John Hancock, the eloquence and Bob Ryan's words stung as they rung an inaleinable toll of truth:
"As the laws of this land now stand, we - the 100 million members of O.U.T.R.A.G.E. - are all terrorists. While most of us did not join this revolution until after the assassinations had been completed on January 17, 2008, we are still now part of a radical group of rebels whose intent had been from the very beginning to annihilate the United States government, assail the socioeconomic-political standards of this great nation, and disengage the very fiber that millions of citizens - however misguided - believed made this country great. Millions of us truly believed that money, power and influence is what made us 'good people'. As a society, we failed to admit how much misery, unhappiness and human suffering those three components brought us. Men of power and influence secretly closeted their personal insecurities, afraid that someone might find out how 'human' they really were, and how little they really mattered. People who had more money than they needed for basic food, clothing and shelter used their wealth as their 'trump card', lauding it over those who had less, or owned nothing. Money brought - or bought - influence and power. Power corrupts. And Outraged United Taxpayers Revolting Against Government Excess [O.U.T.R.A.G.E.] recognized how corruptive and disdainful our society had become. We judged people by the houses they lived in, the kinds of cars they drove, the luxury vacation trips they took, or all the fancy gadgets and 'things' they possessed. Instead of appreciating the men and women who sacrificed their time and - sometimes - their lives, for the 'common good' of all citizens, we held such people in abject disregard as if they were some kind of leppers in a society that indulged itself and all its material wants and 'needs'. Firefighters, policemen, soldiers, charity workers, clergy, and all those other 'commoners' were only held in high esteem when we saw them at their heroic best. The rest of the time, they were simply 'common' people, unworthy of our time or thought. Abraham Lincoln once said, 'The Lord must have loved the common man, because he made so many of them.' I am proud to be a 'common' man, and prouder still to be part of an organization - however revolutionary - that has finally taken a stand against a vitiated culture that has seen itself become impaired as we all sought fame and fortune above humanity and 'common' decency. We have turned into a culture of wild coyotes, intent on capturing our hunger for wealth and recognition. The O.U.T.R.A.G.E. objective was commendable. Now, we must learn from all this mass destruction, and revel in the fact that God has apparently seen fit to give us a second chance at establishing a country that redefines itself as one that truly, earnestly believes in the concept of 'all men being created equal' and all men given equal opportunity. How do you allow such an exalted objective to move forward without taking away the dream of free enterprise? How do you change man's spirit from one of lust for himself and his own creature comforts to one of love, and a willingness to share his good fortune with others? The native American Indians did it; in many Indian cultures, it was considered the highest honor to give away your prize possession to someone of lesser means. All of our so-called 'laws' are nothing more than the 'signs' and 'fences' that keep others out. That have kept the 'commoner' from acquiring his own base of power or his own accumulation of wealth. O.U.T.R.A.G.E. effectively destroyed the 'upper crust' of society's whores who gutted the system for their own well-being, who took advantage of the poor and the destitute, who used their influence to indulge their own selfishness, who stepped on the fingers of all those below them on the ladder to 'success'. Today, we must discard all of our laws and start fresh. I recommend we start with those ten pertinent laws handed down to Moses on Mt. Sanai. Those are all basic, simple laws we can all live with. Then, let's not encumber this land with all kinds of laws that impede the many and enrich the few. With the billions of dollars O.U.T.R.A.G.E. has at its disposal, I recommend an educational program that would teach people the art of selflessness and community. The American Indians learned it; the Amish practice it. Why can't this be something specially-selected educators might teach the masses?"
Bob Ryan sipped on his beer, sat down, took a deep breath, and sighed heavily. His oratory over, he would now leave it to the rest of this prestigious group of "free thinkers" to put the mechanics together to make it happen - or not.
In the winter of 2006, ten animal rights activists and environmental radicals had been arrested in what government officials had branded a "major breakthrough" in the war against "ecoterrorism". The government charged the group, which called itself "The Family", with multiple counts of arson and property destruction, totaling some $40 million. When the case came to court in the spring of 2007, government prosecutors submitted a 148-page 'sentencing memorandum' which sought 'terrorist enhancements' in the sentences of the defendants, whom had all pleaded guilty. "Although the government was not a direct victim," the report stated, "it was nonetheless a federal crime of terrorism because of the offenders' motivation." Prosecutors alleged that The Family's intimidation, coercion, and retaliation was aimed at the conduct of the federal government, which "deserve[d] 'enhanced' punishment under federal anti-terrorist laws". These "terrorists" were protesting federal policies regarding natural resources and animals, and 'The Family' was attempting to force changes in those federal policies through its 'terrorist' tactics. Since the USA Patriot Act was established after 9-11-01, additional legislation had conveniently broadened the application of anti-terrorism laws to include the misdeeds of radical groups such as 'The Family' who - in the government's eyes - violated those federal laws in their quests to save animals and the environment. Such laws handily complemented the Bush administration's resistance toward anything that had to do with trying to save wild animals or protect the environment. After all, what profit could there be in trying to save the natural habitat of a rare spotted owl when its habitat could be used as the site for a new collection of luxury condominiums? Informants had been used to break up 'cells' of these radical groups. The government pressed for adding up to twenty years to any other prison sentence members of 'The Family' might draw. Defense attorneys argued that these acts of vandalism were commonplace in the U.S., and that 'The Family' took special care to ensure no lives were endangered. The government countered that "it was pure luck no one was killed or injured by their actions....this was a classic case of terrorism, despite their protests of lofty humane goals." Lauren Regan of the Civil Liberties Defense Center in Eugene, Oregon, was quoted as saying, "This is the first time in the history of the U.S. that the federal government is seeking this enhancement for property crimes that did not result in the injury or death to humans." Regan went on to protest that "when everyone is a terrorist, no one is. The further we broaden the laguage of [what constitutes a terrorist], the less security we have. If a monkeywrencher is the same as Osama binLaden, where is the distinction drawn?" The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), the Animal Liberation Front (ALF) and the Earth Liberation Front (ELF) were all characterized by federal government informants as "terrorist groups".
Bob Ryan used the events surrounding this landmark case to exemplify his own argument. He sipped on a beer which he had poured into a chilled glass, then stood up - a bit unsteadily - and began his rhetoric. With the same kind of humility and strength we might have imagined from the likes of Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, John Adams or John Hancock, the eloquence and Bob Ryan's words stung as they rung an inaleinable toll of truth:
"As the laws of this land now stand, we - the 100 million members of O.U.T.R.A.G.E. - are all terrorists. While most of us did not join this revolution until after the assassinations had been completed on January 17, 2008, we are still now part of a radical group of rebels whose intent had been from the very beginning to annihilate the United States government, assail the socioeconomic-political standards of this great nation, and disengage the very fiber that millions of citizens - however misguided - believed made this country great. Millions of us truly believed that money, power and influence is what made us 'good people'. As a society, we failed to admit how much misery, unhappiness and human suffering those three components brought us. Men of power and influence secretly closeted their personal insecurities, afraid that someone might find out how 'human' they really were, and how little they really mattered. People who had more money than they needed for basic food, clothing and shelter used their wealth as their 'trump card', lauding it over those who had less, or owned nothing. Money brought - or bought - influence and power. Power corrupts. And Outraged United Taxpayers Revolting Against Government Excess [O.U.T.R.A.G.E.] recognized how corruptive and disdainful our society had become. We judged people by the houses they lived in, the kinds of cars they drove, the luxury vacation trips they took, or all the fancy gadgets and 'things' they possessed. Instead of appreciating the men and women who sacrificed their time and - sometimes - their lives, for the 'common good' of all citizens, we held such people in abject disregard as if they were some kind of leppers in a society that indulged itself and all its material wants and 'needs'. Firefighters, policemen, soldiers, charity workers, clergy, and all those other 'commoners' were only held in high esteem when we saw them at their heroic best. The rest of the time, they were simply 'common' people, unworthy of our time or thought. Abraham Lincoln once said, 'The Lord must have loved the common man, because he made so many of them.' I am proud to be a 'common' man, and prouder still to be part of an organization - however revolutionary - that has finally taken a stand against a vitiated culture that has seen itself become impaired as we all sought fame and fortune above humanity and 'common' decency. We have turned into a culture of wild coyotes, intent on capturing our hunger for wealth and recognition. The O.U.T.R.A.G.E. objective was commendable. Now, we must learn from all this mass destruction, and revel in the fact that God has apparently seen fit to give us a second chance at establishing a country that redefines itself as one that truly, earnestly believes in the concept of 'all men being created equal' and all men given equal opportunity. How do you allow such an exalted objective to move forward without taking away the dream of free enterprise? How do you change man's spirit from one of lust for himself and his own creature comforts to one of love, and a willingness to share his good fortune with others? The native American Indians did it; in many Indian cultures, it was considered the highest honor to give away your prize possession to someone of lesser means. All of our so-called 'laws' are nothing more than the 'signs' and 'fences' that keep others out. That have kept the 'commoner' from acquiring his own base of power or his own accumulation of wealth. O.U.T.R.A.G.E. effectively destroyed the 'upper crust' of society's whores who gutted the system for their own well-being, who took advantage of the poor and the destitute, who used their influence to indulge their own selfishness, who stepped on the fingers of all those below them on the ladder to 'success'. Today, we must discard all of our laws and start fresh. I recommend we start with those ten pertinent laws handed down to Moses on Mt. Sanai. Those are all basic, simple laws we can all live with. Then, let's not encumber this land with all kinds of laws that impede the many and enrich the few. With the billions of dollars O.U.T.R.A.G.E. has at its disposal, I recommend an educational program that would teach people the art of selflessness and community. The American Indians learned it; the Amish practice it. Why can't this be something specially-selected educators might teach the masses?"
Bob Ryan sipped on his beer, sat down, took a deep breath, and sighed heavily. His oratory over, he would now leave it to the rest of this prestigious group of "free thinkers" to put the mechanics together to make it happen - or not.
posted by Bushwacker! at 8:04 AM
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