I agree in many ways with with the unspoken comment of Jon Stewart.

[norml]

There were too many side issues that I agree with put on the center stage.

Those issues might have been OK to mention in passing, but should not have overwhelmed the event.

There were too many side issues that I don't agree with put on the center stage.

I don't like Communist/Marxist Parties.

I see such Parties as Totalitarian.

Our little UNL NORML/HEMP group was paid a visit by The Socialist Workers Party.

They wanted us to work with them.

Everyone except the guy (english department status seeker trying to look cool by welcoming communists to UNL) who invited them thought they were nuts.

Other than that one visit we never had anything to do with them.

We did sometimes work with Amnesty International and an Ecology group on campus called Ecology Now, however at our events we were always in charge.

We may have mentioned other issues in passing, however we stayed mainly focused on NORML/HEMP issues at our meetings, at our booths, at our rallies, and in our testimonies before the Nebraska Legislature.

Maybe I could help with a few tips from some of our rallies.

One thing for sure, we always had a balance of music, speeches, and marching during the day, and we always had a fund raising concert that night.

We'd get the hall for free.

We'd get the bands to play for free.

I'd run around putting up posters.

We'd make hundreds of dollars every time, and educate a lot of people on the issues in the process.

Might not this be something to do?

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. What Jon did was shine a light onto ANSWER

we told people over the weekend this would happen, and Jon was nice... and the ANSWER defenders were just histerical about it... I guess Jon is also a communist do nothing ass hat that is part of the problem.... which many of us have been accused off. Never mind we were at demos on Saturday (not organized by ANSWER) and have been on the front lines from word go... some of us have done more than just go march, but hey who is counting?

[klebean]

2. shiine a light he did indeed

[aquart]

4. My god. "Communist" is still being used as a mudslinging insult?

How 20th century.

[KharmaTrain]

3. He Saw A Lot Of The Same Things I Did

And many others who tuned in...hoping to see a big rally to really put the screws to this regime and amplify the message that thousands and millions were there to demand answers and accountability.

Instead we got lots of speeches on everything from Mumia to Snail Darters. The obligatory mention of Iraq quickly gave way to whatever special rant the speaker had...and their attempts to either ally the crowd or try to tie their cause into the anti-war movement...or even make their struggle seem more important.

Nope...not any show of the large crowds marching down the streets. I only found out about those by following things here on DU and other blogs...and didn't see the posters and size of the march until later that afternoon.

I won't point fingers, but the coverage of all those speakers went from sublime to absurd after a while and I'm glad Jon caught it that way as well.

For some here, the truth can hurt. Jon gets people pissed around here from time to time since he won't play the "feel good" role so many expect him to play.

[aquart]

5. Oh, it was one of those rallies.

No wonder people were pissed off.

[REP]

6. The "Moment of Zen" Was Brilliant

A number of "end the war now" statements ... then ... Palestine? WTF?

Those few moments summed it up much better than the endless posts on the subject (to which I am contributing yet another). It wasn't that ANSWER itself was sponsoring the demonstration; it was that it lacked focus.

[clitzpah queen]

7. RU Serious?

"We'd make hundreds of dollars every time, and educate a lot of people on the issues in the process."

How in the hell did you do that?

[norml]

16. In between bands we'd have a speech from the stage.

At the concerts we'd have information tables set up where we'd hand out literature and sell stuff like books and T-Shirts.

We'd use the money to pay to have a booth at the State Fair, among other things.

We also kept trying to pay for a billboard, but they wouldn't rent us one.

What the hell are you talking about?

You got something against fund raising while informing people and having a good time?

On edit, I forgot to mention that of course we charged admission to get into the concerts.

[clitzpah queen]

8. btw, I Hated this "episode" of the Daily Show!

First off, Brownie testified yesterday -- NOTHING on THAT
Nothing on Roberts confirmation in process

Lowball the crowd estimate in DC at 100,000
Spoof on the demonstrators
Spoof on Cindy's Smile as she is arrested doing CD

Then have Viggo Mortensen on and waste all this time on rubbery novelty gifts and make no reference to any of the brave articulate anti-Bush statements he made post Katrina

(I noticed Viggo was wearing a big American Flag lapel pin -- possibly his publicist encouraged him to do this and to be mum on all politics as well-- so as to not be dubbed as "one of THOSE hollywood types to be blacklisted")

What a waste of space last night's show was!

[Mandate My Ass]

14. Viggo attended and spoke at an anti-war rally in Washington DC

a few years ago. If he was wearing a flag pin he wasn't doing it to sell out, that's for sure.

[drduffy]

9. won't watch The Daily Show

anymore. Too much milktoast. Some good bits but way too supportive of the political status quo; way too supportive of 'staying the course' in Iraq. Way too ignorant (on purpose of from stupidy) of the real issues confronting this country. Mostly just bullshit.

[bdot]

10. so you are saying you've never seen an episode of the show

[Justice]

12. my thought as well. never ever seen the show.

[sendero]

15. Staying the course?

You are kidding, right? Jon and crew have been relentless in pointing out the stupidity and hypocricy of this war. Maybe you were on the wrong channel.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

11. Jon was exceptionally kind in selecting the footage he did. There

were many speakers he could have used clips of that would have made his audience squirm.

[Fuzz]

13. That much is certain