What the Fuck?

I know there has been quite a bit of apathy towards the mid-term elections this year. At least among some people who are not insane tea-baggers who think the 1950s were the good old days, and that we need to bring back some sort of idealized delusion of a by-gone era.  

Admittedly, this was the first time I've voted in a non-presidential election. I do understand why many people are apathetic and why many are just angry. But I do believe things are getting better. And even though you may not think you are affected now, policies that are put in place will affect you or your loved ones later. So I wanted to vote for someone who would support President Obama's efforts.

This is a great site that speaks to this apathy, and also gives some clarity to what has actually been accomplished in the past two years.

You Call This Sanity?

Last Saturday we attended Jon Stewart and Steven Colbert's Rally to Restore Sanity and or Fear. Our plan was to metro in, get there around noon (when it was scheduled to start) and we'de be golden. Wrong ... After our long wait at IHOP (should have skipped IHOP) we got to the metro station a little later than planned. There was a HUGE line, wrapped around the block JUST to get into the station. OK – plan B. What? There is no plan B? We then decided we would drive in the direction of DC until we came up with a better plan. As we drove along I-66, we saw this line at the next metro station.

We decided on parking at the Arlington Cemetery and walked across the bridge into DC. We finally reached the sea of people around 1pm when Jon Stewart was to take the stage. BUT we could not see the stage OR any of the monitors OR hear any of the speakers! We gradually snaked our way as close as we could, and caught the end of the events audibly (still could barely see anything).

Despite the craziness of it all, it was fantastic that there was such a large turnout. I think it was estimated that nearly 200,000 people were in attendance, and I'm happy that I was there for this historic (will it be historic?) event. It was neat to see some dressed in costumes –

and a plethora of hand made signs:

But the highlight of the event was this panda climbing up a tree. Note the man shaking a Shake Weight.

Later in the day we watched the rally on the internet. It was great.

You Ain't from Around These Parts.

This past weekend Glenn Beck brought the "Restoring Honor Rally" to our fine region. While I failed to attend, I did spot quite a few rally goers. How did I know that these people were not from around here? Choice of wardrobe ie. some variation of an American Flag t-shirt.

I believe this fashion statement is meant to say, "I am a patriot". But to me, wearing a tacky t-shirt from Wal-Mart that was most likely made in Taiwan just says, "I am wearing a tacky t-shirt, I have no sense of taste and lack individuality." 

Since we live in the land of the free, we are welcome to express ourselves how we see fit. But perhaps, attempting to support our Democratically elected leader,  seeking common ground, and having compassion for others would speak more to the love of your country than marching in protest of… I'm not sure what?

To see some fabulous examples, check out this amusing article on Brightest Young Things