Jon Stewart's Rally to Restore Sanity Draws 215,000 People

Jon Stewart's Rally to Restore Sanity showed the even comics can influence politics in America. Indeed lately it sometimes seems that they are the only people giving us the unvarnished truth about our country. Jon Stewart's rally drew a huge crowd. CBS news is estimating that 215,000 people attended the Rally to Restore Sanity.

Stewart's rally was a reminder that the political campaign season this year is out of control. Too many falsehoods about the president are being taken seriously by too many people. Obama is not a Muslim and he is American born. And why does anyone care what religion he is anyway? All religions are acceptable for a president. Since 1960, when John F. Kennedy, a Catholic, got elected our nation has shown an openness to candidates who are of religions that were previously discriminated against in life and in politics.

Equal opportunity for all is a tenet that is crucially important in America. We like to believe that everyone starts out with the same fair chance in life. It isn't always true, due to poverty here, but we aspire to that notion.

Jon Stewart: Taking Away Spin and Doling Out Truth

Jon Stewart used his satire to point out some of the idiocy that has been rampant this election season. And he has a valid point. Lately it seems everything is a slogan. We hear about "Mama Grizzly" rather than hear valid talking points. And we see a woman get her head stomped on at a political event. Now the word "stomp" has a whole new connotation in politics. The nation needs to calm down and bring some gravitas and intellect back to politics.

Jon Stewart reminded America to sort through the hype put out by politicians and the ever blaring 24/7 news cycle to think about the truth about what America need. Our country is in peril from politicians who want to pull out the safety net from the middle class. The fight over HCR was reprehensible. Everyone needs equal opportunity to insurance. It is inhumane to have an insurance system where anyone with a pre-existing condition cannot ever get insurance coverage again. And Jim DeMint, Republican, is still fighting to try to repeal HCR.

Also, the Republicans are trying to privatize or end Social Security, eliminate public schools and end the Medicare program. This is horrific. Those programs were put in place to protect the elderly and the vulnerable in society. Lately the Republicans seem heartless.

Get out and vote America. Don't let our nation become a pawn of the far right who want to mix religion and politics.

A Time for Peace

And hearing the formerly named Cat Stevens sing "Peace Train" reminded our country that it has been a long time since we've had peace. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have taken a terrible toll on the world. "Peace Train" sends a message our country needs to hear. End the wars, bring the troops home.

Kudos to Jon Stewart and his Rally to Restore Sanity. His apartment at the time of the attacks of 9/11 overlooked the World Trade Center. He lived the horror of seeing a pit of debris where the glorious World Trade Towers once stood. And he breathed the air the government lied about and said was safe, when instead it was full of toxins.

Our comics are the canary in the coal mine of America. They give us warning signs when our nation is in need of some adjustments. Bravo Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert.

Photo of Huge Crowd at Rally to Restore Sanity

To see overhead photos of the huge crowd at the Rally to Restore Sanity go HERE.

Photos of Stewart and Colbert at the Rally to Restore Sanity:

To see Stewart & Colbert at the rally go HERE.

Sources:

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20021284-503544.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/10/30/rally-to-restore-sanity-attendance_n_776547.html