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A rally for our times

Have you got your ticket to go to the big rally in Washington? Oh, not today's rally, although that rally for jobs was pretty big, too. No, I'm talking about the big rally that will take place on 10/30/10, the "Rally to Restore Sanity". Never has such a rally been so needed.

Jon Stewart announced the rally on "The Daily Show" in September and momentum for it has been picking up steam ever since. Even President Obama has had nice things to say about it.

Stewart, the funnyman fake news anchor, is very serious about this. He has said that he believes that the angry shouters should not be the only voices being heard. The rest of us who believe that shouting is counterproductive and terrible for your throat and who believe that the only pictures that should have Hitler mustaches drawn on them are pictures of Hitler - or maybe Charlie Chaplin - we have a right to be heard also. And so, he's giving us a forum for making our voices heard and our numbers counted.

He says we should think of this rally as Woodstock only without the drugs and nudity, or as the Million Man March, only smaller and with women marching, too. And I'm thinking, "What a wonderful idea!" It's about time that our side, the non-shouters, took back the Mall in Washington and made it our own once again.

I know that I am not alone in being appalled at the hatred and anger and fear of "others" that have emanated from so many right wing rallies around the country this past summer - well, these past two years really. Now a comedian is giving us the chance to stand up to that hatred, anger and fear and laugh at it. He's giving us a chance to tell the world that that is not us. We are positive, diverse, forward-looking people and we are not afraid.

I hope this rally has a tremendous turnout. I won't be able to be there in person, but I urge any non-shouter, non-hater who can to go, and I promise to be there in spirit as I'm sure will many others who are unable to go. Sanity has been in very short supply in our country recently. Maybe this can be the start of a comeback for it.

And you know, when "the most trusted man in television news" is a fake newsman, it tells you all you need to know about the state of television journalism - or even journalism, period - in this country. Thank goodness for Jon Stewart, the ONLY television newsperson that I trust. Well, except for Rachel Maddow.
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Comments

  1. CarolineOctober 2, 2010 at 10:02 PM

    My whole clan is going: me, my husband, his son, his two brothers and their wives and possibly one niece and nephew. Plus we have heard from several friends who are also attending. The airline tickets are purchased, the hotel reservations are made--yes, we are going!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Dorothy BordersOctober 3, 2010 at 9:32 AM

    Oh, Caroline, I am so excited for you and your family! What a wonderful trip for you all, and you will carry with you the hopes of many others of us who would like to be there but, for whatever reasons, can't. I really think this could be the start of something very good.

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