Single What? Female...

The Rally

Okay...would have written yesterday but I found out last minute I had to recast a (cursed) role in the show I'm directing (never been so happy that it is a 20 minute piece that could be learned quickly...I hope) BUT ANYWAY...despite the lack of coverage on the news and in the papers, I can honestly say that I was there and it actually did happen, there were indeed thousands of people and it was frickin' amazing :) Look Cindy Sheehan even got arrested yesterday! See?!

And, of course, George was out of town, Dick "he's so fat he's having heart attacks in his knees!" Cheney was in surgery and Laura was at the White House looking like she had a bad smell under her nose which was fouling up her book festival. (My cousins were at the book fest and were very surprised at the amount of people at the rally...Eric-formerly Republican-has become an Independent after Bush got reelected, his wife appears also to be an Independent, but the son, we fear...is indeed Republican as he made a statement at dinner later about how he didn't care for Ted Kennedy going against Ashcroft way back when...He's still young...we can help him...) Oh and Karl Rove was, of course most likely doing something devious...

I can't tell you how heartwarming it was to see the waves of people flowing in from all directions. My mom and I hit a mini Code Pink rally before the march at which Congresswoman Lynne Wolsey, Cindy Sheehan, Joan Baez and Margot Kidder spoke among the Code Pink founders. We then marched over to Constitution Avenue where we ran into other groups gathering for the rally at the Elipse, and they came from all directions...and just kept coming. Truly amazing. I think my favorite signs were:

*"If Bush is a Christian, then I'm the Virgin Mary"
*"Sex is back in the White House. George Bush is screwing us all!"
*[a photo of George looking like he's trying to think under a thought balloon] "What I did on my summer vacation..." and it listed things like "went to fundraising parties for my friends, killed some American soldiers, rode my bicycle, killed some Iraqis..." let a city flood, etc..it was excellent
*photo taken off the TV from Sky News report. It shows Bush speaking about Hurricane Katrina...somewhere...and has the headline underneath reading "Bush: Worst Distaster Ever"

And one guy, dressed as George-rubber mask and all-riding a tricycle, definitely wins a prize.

We did not stay for the concert as mom was pretty much done after the rally (but she was so glad that she was there), so I missed the fab music and hosting by Jello Biafra of the Dead Kennedy's (!), but it sounds like quite the soiree and there were apparently still "thousands" there into the late night (at least that's what the local 11p news said that night). Hopefully a recording was made :)

IN THE MEANTIME...

Things leading George to drink:

*Bill Frist apparently took some bad advice from Martha Stewart and sold off some HCA (a group his family founded) stock juuust before the price dropped...but of course, he denies knowing anything as it was a blind trust...that he somehow had details on...and was selling "solely to avoid a possible conflict of interest in case he seeks higher office"...

*Mike Brown got to sweat it out as the "sole witness" in a Congressional hearing about Katrina response...basically saying he made a couple of mistakes, but otherwise it was all Lousiana's fault (and George's for hiring the guy...)

*You know it's bad when the GOP has to do this...three words: public relations offensive...

*people are talking about the no-bid extravagant contracts to aid in Katrina clean-up...

*and last but not least...a compnay may have sold faulty bulletproof vests to the Bushes (but was it on purpose...?)

so much going on and so little time...but when you get a breath KEEP E-MAILING!!! E-mail, call, fax, write your friends and family, the press and your Congressfolk and let them know that you are PAYING ATTENTION (like with the rally)! And as always, pass it on pass it on pass it on!

Peace --Alex

P.S. If you find yourself in NYC, head on over to Manhattan Theatre Source for the Estrogenius Festival. It is a short play festival of plays by women and each week has a fab line-up. The show I am directing - AWAKE - is part of Week 4: October 12-15. For more info, go here...

posted by funkweee @ 10:28 AM