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Rally to Restore Sanity (and/or Fear)

Posted by under *like, Miscellany |

Imagine being in a crowd of people 200,000+ strong, and feeling completely safe. Not only do you feel safe, but people are helpful, happy, and holding up hilarious signs everywhere you look. There are people as far as the eye can see, and everyone is awesome.

This was the scene Saturday in Washington D.C. at Jon Stewart’s Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear which drew an enormous crowd and was such an incredible experience to attend.

I left my home in Doylestown, PA at 7 a.m. that morning and went to pick up my friend and partner-in-crime Kat in NJ. The entire trip took about 5 hours – there was so much traffic going in to the city, due in part to the 190 Sanity Buses provided by the Huffington Post. When we finally arrived, and saw the sea of people gathering around the National Mall, our excitement went through the roof and we could not wait join everyone. The crowd was incredible in size (and in awesomeness) but somehow Kat and I made it through and ended up about 200 feet from the main stage. There may have been insanity and possibly some fear involved in how we got that close, but unfortunately I cannot disclose the details. That’s just how we roll, and that is all I can say.

Jon Stewart’s final speech was quite poignant and I really appreciated when he started out by saying “This was not a rally to ridicule people of faith, or people of activism, or to look down our noses at the heartland or passionate argument, or to suggest that times are not difficult and that we have nothing to fear. They are and we do. But we live now in hard times, not end times. And we can have animus and not be enemies.”

Another highlight was hearing Tony Bennett sing live. Not much can beat that. That was absolutely beautiful and moving.

Honestly, I am really not into politics. I kind of have a “live and let live” approach to life, and I do not define myself as a part of a particular party. I don’t limit myself to any particular thing, really. However, I left the rally inspired, and filled with a sense of satisfaction in knowing that there are people out there who are not only reasonable but also have a sense of humor about life. People who sacrificed a lot to attend this parody of a political rally in a far away city. These people give me hope. I loved Stewart’s analogy comparing this life to the insane entrance of the Lincoln Tunnel – “…these millions of cars must somehow find a way to squeeze one by one into a mile-long, 30-foot wide tunnel carved underneath a mighty river…And they do it. Concession by concession. You go. Then I’ll go. You go, then I’ll go. You go, then I’ll go — oh my god, is that an NRA sticker on your car, an Obama sticker on your car? Well, that’s OK. You go and then I’ll go…””

Perfect.  Sanity restored.

And here are some photos!

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