On Tuesday, December 16, 2008, Bob Ryan walked into the O.U.T.R.A.G.E. conference room wearing long pants, a long-sleeved shirt, sunglasses and a Panama hat. Sheepishly, he responded to the stares of his compatriots with six simple words of explanation: "Gotta little too much sun yesterday". It hurt to stand up; it hurt to sit down. "I forgot how much closer we are to the Equator," he chuckled as he sat down next to John McCain. Colin Powell was at the , discussing an intelligence briefing that had been written more than a year-and-a-half ago by Herbert Meyer, who had served as a special assistant to the CIA during the Reagan administration.
Entitled "A Global Intelligence Briefing for CEOs", Meyer's focus was on what he called "four major transformations" facing the world at the beginning of the 21st century. The first U.S. government official to predict the collapse of the Soviet Union, Meyer had been awarded the U.S. National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal, the highest honor presented within the intelligence community. Meyer's contention was that these four transformations were about to have "profound implications for American business owners, our culture and our way of life". He characterized the four transformations as:

1. The War In Iraq;
2. The Emergence of China;
3. Shifting Demographics of Western Civilization;
4. Restructuring of American Business

It was a lengthy - and dull - diatribe. Bob Ryan sat through it quietly, although finding it necessary to squirm relentlessly in his chair to avoid the intense pain and heat that radiated from his lobster-like torso and limbs. He listened as Powell read from Meyer's manifesto, which seemed to blame the three primary monotheistic religions for the start of all the world's troubles. Judaism and Christianity, Meyer theorized, "reconciled" with the modern world while Islam remained mired in the past of the "old world". From the attendants, Bob ordered a "cold beer", which was promptly served in a chilled glass. Bob had come to really enjoy this very special lager that was brewed on the Island of St. Kitts. On previous visits to the Island, he'd gotten into the habit of quaffing a six pack or two earlier in the day, then swashing down the beer with a few tempting tumblers of "Brinley's Gold" - perhaps the smoothest dark rum he'd ever sampled. Unlike Puerto Rico rums that tasted better with mixers, this graceful libation glided effortlessly over the taste buds with only the help of some crackling ice. As Powell started in on the "Emergence of China", Bob beckoned to an attendant and quietly whispered his request for "Brinley's over ice". By the time Powell started discussing the "Shifting Demographics of Western Civilization", Bob was on his third glass. By the time Powell got around to the part entitled, "Restructuring of American Business", Bob was sipping his sixth rum of the day. It was now early afternoon, and Bob was ready to head to the beach - although this time he'd take much better care of his baby-soft skin.
As he inched his way up from his chair, McCain interrupted and said, "Bob, where ya' going? We're all looking forward to more of your eloquence this afternoon." Bob slumped back down in his chair, resigned to the fact that this "urgent project" might never end. This was beginning to become a lot more "work" and a lot less "vacation". So Bob Ryan, new-found orator and philospher, decided to do somethig entirely out of context for his usually mild-mannered demeanor. He came out with "both barrels loaded for bear":
In unmitigated pain, Bob Ryan stood up to address the conference. "You people are not listening to yourselves!" he almost screamed. "You are not recognizing that what you're trying to do is establish structure that will only result in what you just blew up a few months ago! From the briefcase that always accompanied him to these kinds of meetings, Bob picked out a nineteen-month-old issue of 'ODE' magazine. and international magazine for "intelligent optimists" that covered the gamut of ideas for changing the world. Thumbing through the magazine until he found the article he was looking for, Ryan began reading from it in deliberate, intensive tones: "From the alternative global movement to the Wikipedians, the key word today is 'self-organization': not doing what you're told to do, but contributing what you can and wish to, for the greater good."
It was clear that he was agitated, as his vernacular became that of someone more along the lines of the late Rush Limbaugh instead of his usual moderately-tempered William F. Buckley behavior. Calm, cool and collected has quickly transformed itself into ill-tempered, testy and tendentious. Ryan was on a rampage, and there was no stopping him now.
"Most of us still think practical projects should be governed by a centralized organization that establishes schedules, sets priorities, supervises activities, charts progress and makes adjustments so pre-established goals can be achieved. We believe there must be a hierarchal structure whereby orders come from the top, giving a clear sense of who is in charge. We're used to looking to experts, bosses, directors, professionals and other leaders who know what's best," he recited directly from the pages of the magazine. 'A new era is dawning, characterized by participation rather the command-and-control model so intrinsic to the institutions that dominated the 20th century: the military, corporations, centralized states. 'Participation' is now the magic word. It's not about 'more stuff' or 'more choice', but 'more say', more opportunities to contribute."
He stopped for a moment to let his recitation sink into with his stunned audience. Then he lay the magazine down on the table, took off his sunglasses to reveal a horridly pink-pocked and blatantly blistered face, and pointed to the three men who had just been elected as the U.S.A.'s first Presidential Triumverate. "With all due respect, gentlemen, none of you are sufficiently equipped to lead this country into a truly collaborative culture. You, Senator McCain, and you, Senator Obama, are both used to the privileges of status, influence and power. As much as both of you have enjoyed long careers of 'service' to the American people, the raw truth of the matter is that you've been of more service to the special interest groups, the lobbyists, and your campaign contributors who kept you in office. You, General Powell, have been trained from the get-go to serve and obey your superior officers, even when you knew in your heart-of-hearts they were dead wrong. Truth be known, you resigned from the Bush administration as your only way of protesting how you were set up to mislead the world about 'weapons of mass destruction' in Iraq. You went before the United Nations with false information, provided to you by your Commander-In-Chief, whom you could not disobey or discredit after the fact. Your only recourse was to resign. Your entire career has been spent in the 'service' of your superiors, not in 'service' to your country or its commoners.
What you're doing now is to try and piece together a new organization that will 'run' America. Yet, you say with flawed sincerity, that you expect the United States of America to become a pure democracy ruled and governed by its people. You overlook one vital component in that objective: you, as a Presidential Triumverate, and all the newly-elected public officials who will take their places in the U.S. Congress in about a month, must recognize that YOU HAVE NO POWER!!!"
Ryan's voice shrilled. The veins in his neck protruded like worms trying to break through the fresh spring earth.
"Every elected official, every government bureaucrat, every civil service employee must come to the absolute realization that they work for the American people! We hear that phrase mostly when an irate citizen is apprehended by police and they scream, 'I pay your salary!'. Well, that's exactly the way it's going to be in this new America. O.U.T.R.A.G.E. was formed because it wanted to do away with the corrupt political system, the wealthy power brokers, and the celebrated socialites who squandered their wealth and privilege on themselves. You are transforming not just a government, but an entire social stata. No longer will the Paris Hiltons of the world expect to be sentenced to a 'special needs' jail to serve time for drunk driving. If the dregs of society are expected to serve their time in a stink-infested jail cell, so will the 'stars' of society. We won't tolerate the Britney Spears of the world who has the audacity to throw a temper tantrum and disrupt a commercial airline flight just because the damn plane doesn't have leather seats! There will be no way for the George W. Bushes of the world to illegally and unconstitutionally declare 'war' on another sovereign nation just because he has a burr up his ass for that nation's despicable dictator! No longer will the guy who can afford six hundred bucks for a front-row seat at the championship basketball game be given priority over the poor kid from the ghetto who has never stepped foot inside a professional sports arena. Some fancy-dan millionaire won't be granted a special tax break just because he made a contribution to a politician's campaign fund. In its purest form, this democracy will not provide corporate welfare to billion-dollar companies while it ignores the plight of the poor, the homeless, the sick, the aged, and hungry, the disadvantaged, and the underprivileged. As public servants, you will be charged with ensuring that every child gets equal education regardless of whether he lives in a 'rich' or 'poor' school district. You willbe expected that every American has access to the same kind of health care, regardless of their ability to pay.While free enterprise, and our affectin for capitalism, will remain in tact, there will no longer be special privileges, tax breaks, personal favors, or preferred accommodations for those with more money, more influence, or more status. Judiciousness will take on a flavor of perfunctory fairness without consideration for what kind of legal defense the accused can afford. YOU, gentlemen and ladies of O..U.T.R.A.G.E., are about to change this nation - and, along with it, the world. You are forming a collaborative form of political, financial and social rule - something that never has really, truly been accomplished in the modern world as we know it. Some say that Atlantis was such a perfect utopia; we can't be certain about that (in fact, we can't be certain that Atlantis even ever existed!). You have an unimaginable challenge ahead of you, ladies and gentlemen, and you're putting the ac-cent' on the wrong sy-lab'-ble. You're starting off trying to put structure to something that cannot, by its very nature, embrace structure. You guys have a job to do. Now do it!"
With that, Ryan stormed out of the room. Seven seconds later, he tiptoed back in retrieve his sunglasses, briefcase and rum which he'd abandoned in his haste to leave the room. Tipping his hat as he left, the conferees sat in stunned silence. Ryan was right: they had a job to do! And the had to do it quickly!