The ill-fated series of events that had mired the economy of the United States also affected the economies of countries all over the globe. International markets were in distress; world-wide stock markets slumbered as thousands of U.S.-based corporations were no longer delivering delicious dividends to money-hungry investors. While many governments had sent relief to the United States (an unheard-of reversal since the U.S.A. was usually a benefactor instead of a recipient), many other governments found their own economies in peril because of the U.S. disasters. Indeed, the first ten months of 2008 had caused havoc around the globe as a crippled U.S.A. struggled to recover from the 'Rebellion of '08' - the first and only American revolution since the mid-1700's. Following on the heels of the O.U.T.R.A.G.E. anarchy came a devastating string of hurricanes up the east coast, and a murderous earthquake that literally obliterated Los Angeles.
But the American spirit stood up to the challenge, and Americans everywhere were working together to rescue, recover, rebuild and reform.
It was a gargantuan effort of teamwork, love, and selflessness, all spearheaded by the organization that had caused the first wave of disaster: Outraged United Taxpayers Revolting Against Government Excess. O.U.T.R.A.G.E. was now a cash-gorged national operative that had coordinated relief efforts, brought stunned citizens together, and even orchestrated a successful new election that brought fresh candidates to the forefront of government leadership.
Sunday, November 30, 2008 was the end of a four-day Thanksgiving holiday. The nation was beginning to turn cold. In less than a month, the U.S. would celebrate its first Christmas under a new regime, a new national credo, and an influx of diverse voices. The "Republicrats" were no longer in power. The rich and powerful had lost control. America was no longer a republic where power was given to those representatives elected by the people. America was now a true democracy, where the people ruled. Just as the first American revolution was a daring experiment in the formation of a pseudo-democratic union, this new American revolution would be tested as a second experiment in pristine, pure democracy where every action taken by the government would be the will of the majority of its citizenry. Political parties bought and paid for by special interests, wealthy individuals, and corporate contributions were no longer the norm; "the people", regardless of net worth, religion, race, status, social standing, or bloodline would decide the outcome of their nation's fate. All by popular vote, not some anonymous, sinister, suspicious "electoral college" that seemed, at times, to disregard the will of the populace.
Countless millions of turkey dinners had been served last Thursday. It was a gauge of just how many people were still in desperate straits around the nation. Those who had lived in half-million-dollar homes and drove Lexus SUVs now joined the lines of people in need. For the first time, many middle-class Americans observed - upclose and personal - the plight of the homeless, the hungry, the underprivileged, the disadvantaged, the poor, the sick, the aged, and the disabled. These unfortunates, who had always been so easy to ignore by simply sending a $20 donation to the local Rescue Mission, were now the "senior elders" of a new wave of American society, a new social class that in ten months had become a majority instead of the usual clan of disregarded outcasts.