WASHINGTON D.C. — October 30, 2010 — Unexpectedly large numbers of progressive and liberal Americans gathered on the National Mall today to leave their contribution to the nation’s political discourse in hundreds of individual porta-potties. The lines were dangerously long at times, but everyone treated each other with the kindness and respect all Americans deserve.
Way back in January, we added a new graphic to our top right column, announcing that we blog for “spiritual sanity.” Like so many other Americans, we felt the times demanded a higher standard for our national discourse, not just in our politics, but also in our religious dialogue as a nation made up of predominately God-knowing people.
Sanity is good. Good mental health is a prerequisite to progressive spiritual growth. If you take anything away from this rally, let it be the determination to increase your personal commitment to grow spiritually; the world needs you now more than ever.
As we made our way from the rally, we immediately experienced a crush of humanity unique in my experience; the closest pack of strangers, one line moving slowly, haltingly, in one direction, while another line of strangers moved slowly, laboriously, in the exact opposite direction, surrounded on all sides by many other lines doing exactly the same thing. The lines exchanged occasional banter, friendly quips, even the occasional and under the circumstances, totally hilarious, “Excuse me.”
Reflecting on this later, it was my hope this experience would drive home to each heart, what should be the obvious insight: We are all in this together; despite our many, sometimes even diametric differences, we can each make our way through these hard times— not “end times”— by moving slowly, lovingly, and with care, concern, and cooperation with each other, working side by side to solve our problems, explore our real differences with honesty and commitment as real Americans, first and last.
“What begins in anger, always ends in shame.”
—Hand lettered sign at the rally
Health, sanity, and happiness are integrations of truth, beauty, and goodness as they are blended in human experience.
—The Urantia Book
Yo T:
Looks like you helped push the number of attendees to 2.5x the number that attended the Dreck rally.
Per TPM:
CBS News commissioned the same group to analyze the crowd size at the Stewart-Colbert rally it used to estimate the crowd at Glenn Beck’s August rally.
The CBS numbers: Beck drew 87,000 people to his rally, Stewart and Colbert drew 215,000.
Good on ya.
You know, I have zero skills in crowd size estimating, but I think their number is stupid low. Off the Mall, there were thousands of people walking around in the surrounding streets, up in the landscaping of surrounding buildings, etc. Think four football stadiums full @ 80k each; there were way more people at the rally than that.
I heard some douches on FUX after the rally say that the crowd was about equal to Beck’s crowd; LMAO! And that it was also mostly white; they’re all congenital-fucking-liars. My guess is 60% white, 40% black, Asian, and assorted brown/middle eastern, et al.
One asshole conservative “comedian” (yeah, I know; ha ha) said the crowd was very hostile and mostly high— total bullshit— because someone he was being a douche to supposedly tried to grab his phone.
I certainly can appreciate a higher level of sanity in our national debate, but I AM NOT EVEN REMOTELY willing to cut the fuxtards any slack at all on their lying bullshit.
i’m so jealous. i wish i could have gone.
I would have loved to have seen you in that crowd, nonnie, but without that cannon you always carry. 😆
unlike the teabaggers, i never go to rallies armed.
I had to laugh today when I read a sign at the Lincoln Memorial which said no firearms or ammunition was allowed there; I wonder how many tea-douches have complained about the loss of their freedom to view the memorial armed to the teeth.
Idiots.