Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear

On Saturday, I made my way along with most of GW to the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear to join the 200,000 people on the Mall waiting for a glimpse of Jon Stewart or Stephen Colbert. But, probably unlike most of the university, I was left rather disappointed.

Perhaps it was because I was pressed between thousands of people, all who were taller than me, and some who were so intoxicated that they found more enjoyment in screaming and picking fights with the people around them than actually listening.

Or maybe it was because I did not care for most of the artists who sang nor did I recognize any of the songs they performed. Of course, I understand that my cultural background, and the music I listen to has a major part to do with it, but looking at solely Stewart and Colbert, I can honestly say that the rally definitely did not meet my expectations.

Sure, I had a few chuckles here and there, and I did thoroughly enjoy Colbert's little poem and, of course, Stewart made a few classic remarks, but overall, the rally was not as humorous nor as impacting as I expected it to be.

Do not get me wrong, I absolutely adore The Daily Show and I enjoy the Colbert Report, so it does not have anything to do with not being a fan, or simply not understanding that humor. It is just that I found that the remarks and jokes of the rally were definitely not up to par.

I would have to say that the only part of the rally that I believe was worth it, was Stewart's ending speech, in which he finally addressed the purpose of the rally. He spoke true, and spoke of things that have long needed to be mentioned, and to be emphasized.

It's a shame that I had left before it and, as a result, had to watch it online.

- Tamara El Waylly

SMPA Bloggers

Now everyone in this class are officially bloggers. As you know by now, the trick to good blogging is an informal, casual writing style that makes draws people to your writing and wants them to hear what you have to say. By the end of the semester, all of you should post at least three blogposts on any topic of your choosing. To get started, everyone should writing something by next week's class.

I am currently writing with the distraction of Wednesday's heavy raindrops on my window in SMPA thinking about whether weather extremes are simply going to become commonplace. Scientists insist that it is foolish to cite the latest big snow storm, or unseasonably warm temperatures and heavy rains as evidence of climate change. They argue that global warming is a long term, gradual phenomenon unrelated to any specific weather event. But I am skeptical. The storms roaring across the Midwest today are a good example. They seem out of season, and unusually intense and threatening.

There is a heavy, unemotional resignation for the predicted outcome of Tuesday elections settling in. No one seems excited or particularly upset by the likely takeover of the House by the Republicans and the implied rejection of President Obama's policies. Maybe it's just like the changing of the seasons in Washington. Ho hum, the Republicans are coming. They have been here before. I compare that to the tidal wave of celebration that followed Obama's election and inauguration. Thousands of students from GW and elsewhere crowded on to the National Mall to watch Obama's swearing in on the big screens. Now, there seems no concern that he has lost his mo jo just two years later.

Mike Shanahan