The reason that we had squeezed into D.C. to begin with, was to attend Jon Stewart's and Stephen Colbert's Rally to Restore Sanity And/Or Fear, which by now, I'm sure everyone in the world has heard about. I had visions of connecting with three different sets of friends at the rally. Someone would have a blanket, there would be plenty of room for all of my friends and all of their friends, and we would all be entertained while we lounged in the sun on the spacious lawn of the National Mall. Well, you know what they say about plans...There were so many people trying to use their cell phones at the rally, that there was no service at all and it was impossible to get in touch with any of my friends. And by the time we got there, there wasn't even space to stand on the lawn.
Still, we were lucky to have made it to the rally at all. Getting into the city turned out to be quite the challenge. We followed suggestions to take Metro into the city. But so did everyone else. As we stood on the Takoma Park platform with the masses, we cheered the first train full of costumed, sign-carrying sanity seekers that rolled into the station. But the good vibes began to dissipate as that train, and the next train, and the train after that, passed us by. When we got reports that the bus situation was no better, we finally got on a train going in the opposite direction, hoping that it would eventually turn around and go back to D.C. Insanity was already the order of the day.
The "Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear" started as something of a joke; a parody of Glen Becks "Rally to Restore Honor," the hyperbole driven fear-fest that had taken place in the shadow of the Lincoln Monument a few weeks earlier. But the response to the whole idea was overwhelming and when Arianna Huffington offered to drive everyone who wanted to go, it was on. Thousands of people starting making plans to come to D.C. to "take it down a notch."
No one knew exactly what to expect, as there was no pre-announced schedule of events. But the signs told the story of what we thought this rally was about: "Somewhat Irritated About Extreme Outrage," "Don't Hate Me Because I'm Rational," and "I Disagree with You But I'm Pretty Sure You Are Not Hitler." In other words, it had something to do with encouraging reasonable political thinking. That sounded good to me.
When the rally was over, we found out that the highlights included Yusuf Islam (aka Cat Stevens) singing "Peace Train" while Ozzy Osborn tried to interrupt with "Crazy Train." The O'Jays then apparently pulled it all together with "Love Train." I'm sure that would have been my favorite part had I seen or heard it. Especially since the Springsteen rumor (that I might have started) never panned out. We also learned, after the fact, that Stephen Colbert made his entrance in a "fear-bunker," something like the capsule used to rescue the Chilean miners. I'm sure I would have found that really funny. And then Kareem Abdul Jabar was introduced as a likable Muslim. That probably would have made me laugh too. We found out about all of these things after the rally, because it was so crowded at the rally that we couldn't even get close to one of the video screens that (we think) were showing what was happening on stage.
We were somehow able to hear part of Jon Stewart's closing remarks. He encouraged the fear-mongers and "panic conflictinators" on both sides of the fence to be a little more selective with their name-calling: "Terrorists, Racists and Stalinists are titles that must be earned" he chided. "It's just an insult to call people racists who haven't put in the exhausting effort it takes to hate." And then he got serious for a minute. "These are hard times, not end times." Well, we all hoped that he was right. That was about all we heard at the rally. Still, we were there. And we were glad to have been a part of something that felt like an antidote to fear and hate.
We had a couple of days to explore the city before the rally and I was surprised by the surge of nationalism I felt as I witnessed our nation's capital for the first time. Despite the many problems that seem hopeless at times, I couldn't help seeing what I love about this country. Corrupt individuals have made a mess of things to be sure, but the foundation of this country - the ideals and principles of democracy - remain pure and true. And most of us are still living here because we haven't thrown in the towel yet. So it was a thrill to finally see the White House, the Capitol Building, the Washington Monument, and my favorite, the Lincoln Memorial. We saw the Memorial at night and Abe had a golden glow as he stared at me with those penetrating hollowed eyes. I'm still thinking about him days later and believe I might have a crush on America's favorite dead president.
There weren't many people walking their dogs around Capitol Hill and Layla got a lot of attention as we paraded her in front of our nation's famous monuments.We overheard one man tell his kids that Hilary was the presidential dog walker. The kids believed him and dropped their jaws as we passed by. As we walked by the swanky Washington Hotel, across the street from the White House, Layla caught the eye of the Maitre D' and we were invited to a benefit for the SPCA to be held on the patio later that evening. It helps to know dogs in high places.We were then stopped on the street by someone we think was Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. He admired Layla's beauty and then bent down and spoke to her directly: "Well don't you just have an awful lot of personality..." Layla yielded to the gentleman from Kentucky and we continued on our way. But I started thinking. She appealed to families. She fit in well at high end fund-raisers. She held sway with the Senate Minority leader...
My New Boyfriend
The Presidential Dog-Walker
And His Assistant
Police State?
Or Democracy In Action?
D.C. Is Gorgeous At This Time Of Year
Farragut Square, Downtown D.C.
At Home in D.C.
Layla Got Me Into The Washington Hotel
The Reason We Came to D.C.
It's A Good Thing We Drove By The Stage The Night Before The Rally
Because This Is All We Saw Of It On The Day Of The Rally
The Crowd Spilled On To The Steps Of The Surrounding Museums
Still, We Were Lucky To Get There At All
It Seemed Important
And the Signs Were Great
Hey, wait a minute.....
Given The Pending Alternatives
We Think She Should Run
