Sanity Restored

I don’t like crowds. In fact, I have a tendency to panic when a person violates my imaginary three foot perimeter of personal space. Yet I felt compelled to trek to our nation’s capitol at the clarion call of my two media heroes to prove that there are indeed a multitude of Americans who not only hold very clear views of the direction the country needs to take, but also feel that their views can be expressed without the vitriolic hatred spewing from the perpetually inflated vision of the 24/7 cable news and talk radio juggernaut.

Admittedly, when I first heard about the rally I thought it was a joke, but I booked a room and flight just in case, figuring that at the very least, I’d get a nice weekend in DC to do some sightseeing. I guestimated that 25,000 - tops -  would make the journey.  Never could I have imagined the size of the crowd that converged on the Mall on Saturday.

Ativan at the ready, I set out. Tens of thousands lined the streets moving in the same forward direction – a giant mass of politeness and humor. It reminded me of NYC in 2003 when an equally large crowd demonstrated against the impeding Iraq war. However, this convergence was more esoteric. Some questioned if there was any cause at all. Clearly, comedy and common sense were enough of a draw.

The excitement was palpable. Everyone there was making their own individual statement in the collective mass. No one had a clue what the day would bring, who would be speaking – other than Stewart and Colbert – or how “political” the thing would turn out to be. But this gathering wasn’t about politics or choosing a side. It was about unity as Americans. Loving our country and acknowledging just how lucky we really are. If anything, it was a reckoning of the American spirit. Jon Stewart summed it perfectly:

“This was not a rally to ridicule people of faith, or people of activism, or 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.”

 Of course, the performances themselves were pure gold. Leave it to Stewart and Colbert to pit Cat Stevens against Ozzy Osbourne dueling over which train to take (Peace or Crazy) – only to have the O'Jays settle the dispute by having everyone get on board the Love Train!

It was also wonderful to see my favorite, Jeff Tweedy of Wilco, performing with Mavis Staples of the world-famous Staples Singers. And did I mention Tony Bennett? What a treat! Others included Sam Waterston of Law and Order reading a “poem” written by Colbert, John Legend and the Roots as the house band, Kid Rock with Sheryl Crow, the Myth Busters guys doing experiments on the crowd, and of course the cast of the Daily Show. All of the comedic banter was spot on. It was a hodge-podge of entertainment – all of it world class.

Sunday morning Bill and I set out for the Metro to get our plane back to Connecticut. It was a beautiful day. We decided to hit the Five Guys Burgers and Fries for breakfast, because as we painfully learned the day before, it’s nearly impossible to get a decent breakfast – or any for that matter – in DC on weekends, and this would likely be our only opportunity to get a fresh cup of coffee before our boarding call.  Walking past an assortment of homeless people bundled up in their comforter cocoons strewn about the Metro entrance -  apparently even the bums sleep in on Sundays in this city - we went inside. I'm no fan of greasy fast food, and the Five Guys is the acme of unhealthy gut-busting "food." A true testament to mindless American excess. Yet as I was finishing the last dregs of my coffee the song, “Don’t Stop Thinking about Tomorrow” started playing rather loudly – as all music in that restaurant does – and I couldn’t help but note what a fitting end to our trip to DC. We do have problems in this country with no easy solutions, but we’ll figure them out. Because we're Americans. It's what we do. I believe my sanity has been restored.

Of course I’m going….

Not long after President Obama took office things in Washington began to devolve further and deeper into a wing nut hysteria that has managed to control the political narrative for almost two years. Enduring the likes of Sarah Palin, Glen Beck and the slew of disturbingly unqualified political candidates now enjoying and exploiting their status as “legitimate” in what can only be described as the Bizarro World is clearly effecting the masses. No amount of reason and logic seems to influence the mouth breathers in charge of the message. Lie after lie, tantrum after predictable tantrum, the so-called “right” in this country have managed to fuck things up so sublimely that they may actually see political gains in the house and senate come November.

Naturally, the media at its complacent best feels that its sole responsibility is to set up false equivalencies in order to perpetuate the illusion of balance. It’s a load of horseshit that the rest of the country is being force fed and it tastes nothing like pumpkin pie. Never in my life has there been so clear a picture of what is wrong and who is at fault. Yet the wing nuts continue to blabber about birth certificates, religion, abortion and Kenyan colonialism. Yes, they went there. The fact that none of these tea-party “patriots” can identify Kenya on a map is beside the point.

Watching it all happen in front of my eyes knowing that the only thing I can do is vote in a Connecticut election is of little solace. I gave the Coffee Party a try – enticed by all of their talk of unity and inclusion – but they turned out to be nothing more than a circular firing squad. The impotent rage I’ve felt these long months has had a detrimental effect on my quest for compassion and inner peace. What’s a rational human being to do in such a toxic climate? Is there no outlet?

Luckily, there will be one day when people like me (apparently 80% of Americans) can come together in celebration of reason and from what I hear, some pretty decent bars.   Yes, I speak of the Rally to Restore Sanity on the Mall in Washington DC on October 30th.  Leave it to the genius of the Stewart-Colbert planning committee who had the forethought to plan it for a Saturday (which I coincidentally have off from work) and the day before Halloween, so I’ll be home in time to see the nephews in all their glory. A win-win.

I’ll let the master explain:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Rally to Restore Sanity
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party

Photo of the week....

I wish I could force my father-in-law to watch this....

When Scabs Attack – Welcome Back Boys…..

Those of you who know me know that I’m as pro-union/anti-corporate as Ralph Nader, but I’ll admit it, I stayed up last night to watch my two heroes return to the airways for an hour of revelry peppered with a dollop of poignancy and just a smidgen of Ativan worthy anxiety. Don’t hate me for being a scab. After two months of the proverbial cold shower and salt peter cure (in the form of Keith Olbermann), I was as excited as a drunken sailor with a two-day pass and a box of condoms. So much has happened that should have been skewered since November 1. Hell, just in the last couple of weeks Bill O’Reilly was thrown out of an Obama rally by the secret service for overstepping his boundaries (and apparently trying to step on the 6’8” Obama security detail), Sean Hannity was expelled from a restaurant by angry Ron Paul supporters furious over Fox News’ decision to not allow the popular congressman his rightful place among the Republican lunatics to debate. And, oh my God – CHUCK NORRIS?? Are you freaking kidding me?

The boys, of course, had their moments of glad grace – Jon’s “unibrow of solidarity” with the writers, changing the show’s name from “The Daily Show” to “A Daily Show,” Stephen shredding a script and having the cameras zero in on the wordless teleprompters and wondering why his telepathic brain messages weren’t showing up on the monitors as they always have in the past. The anti-union rant, the melancholy realization that there would be no “Word.” Though still hysterical, it was hard to watch. I can’t imagine what it was like to perform.

I’m all for the writers. Their argument is legitimate and they aren’t asking for all that much. However, it might behoove the WGA to make some sort of deal with Comedy Central – which apparently tried and was dismissed because they’re owned by Viacom – to get the writers back for TDS/TCR so that they can do what they do best, which would most surely include informing the public of the royal screw the writers are getting by the AMPTP (my dyslexia shows that acronym to read ARMPIT, so that’s how I’ll refer to it in all future posts so as not to induce a headache). Because, let’s face it, Jon Stewart (who I like to refer to as the CEO of Generation X), and Stephen Colbert (a national treasure if ever there was one) are worth 50 Leno’s, 23 Letterman’s and maybe 7 Conan’s combined. The others, such as Jimmy Kimmel, Carson Daley and Craig Ferguson are hovering at the Tom Tancredo mark of significance.

Last night’s shows certainly weren’t the best I’ve ever had, but then again, you know what they say about sex and pizza.