
I made it to the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear last week-end in Washington, DC, and it was a lot of fun but very crowded. I didn’t have a sign, but I did wear a tie-dye shirt I made in a US flag pattern just for the occasion.
I arrived by plane around 9 am and took the Metro toward the mall to get my first taste of the crowds. The Metro cars were already crowded when I got on and were soon too full for anyone else to squeeze in (reminiscent of Japanese subways, but without the packers). From there I walked against the masses to meet Bill at the hotel. By the time we got to the mall around 10:30, the front sections were already full and gated off. We were lucky to get a spot within view of a video screen, as they obviously didn’t have enough screens for everyone to see one. With so few screens, the crowd was packed very tight where we were, and I ended up standing in about 1 square foot of space for over four hours, which is much more exhausting than it sounds.
The stage entertainment was very good, and it was a delight to see my favorite comedian, Don Novello as Father Guido Sarducci, give the benediction for the rally. But the real rally, of course, was all the people there. I was really surprised to see so many older people and families attending and carrying signs. In hindsight, I wish I had paid more attention to the people than the stage.
I spent the next morning touring the mall monuments and as a bonus got to see a lot of the Marine Corps Marathon. There was something inspiring about seeing thousands of people running while thousands of other people cheered them on. I never saw the beginning or end of the runners, and I had to jog with them a little ways each time I want to cross the street.