Stewart's Rally for 'Sanity' Draws Insane Crowd

“Good luck trying to get through that crowd to the stage.”

Those were the first words I heard within 15 minutes of joining the large crowd that flocked to the National Mall Saturday for the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear hosted by comedians Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert.

To say that you couldn’t see the stage, or even hear it, wouldn’t be an exaggeration— many had to climb a tree (literally) to even catch a glimpse of the one jumbo TV screen.

“We did the march-of-the-penguins walk in the crowd for about an hour,” Georgetown University student Anam Raheem told me. “But it was too crowded; we had to turn back.”

Thousands of rally goers brought signs and costumes in support of politically hot-button issues.

“I came to meet some people,” said Mark Feeney, a resident of Buffalo, New York who sported  a green outfit with a sign that displayed the benefits of marijuana. “But we have to be smart, not stupid. If we legalize pot, we’ll create more revenue and jobs.”

Although Proposition 19, which would legalize recreational marijuana in California, was one of the more common issues seen on signs, other topics were equally supported, such as abortion, equality for gays, space travel, and most vehemently, backlash against the Tea Party movement.

“I came to have fun,” Pennsylvania resident Eric Hafner said, “But we need to also show people that extremism is really overblown.”

Tea Party candidate Christine O’Donnell was most widely targeted, with many rally goers dressed as witches or giant tea bags, holding signs that read, “Tea Party rallies need more tea.”

Despite both Stewart and Colbert’s appeal to a younger generation, there was an eclectic age range of rally goers, including marijuana-supporting seniors.

“We love both the ‘Daily Show’ and ‘The Colbert Report,'” said Diane Gatley who is 61. “Back to sanity for us. They’re truthy.”

Although the stage and entertainment was unseeable for at least half the rally goers there, there was a sense of community support that’s hard to find on a daily basis.

As one rally goer attempted to scale a tree for a better view of the stage, the crowd chanted, “Yes, you can!"

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2 Wildfires Prompt Evacuations in Boulder, Colo.

BOULDER, Colo. -- Two wildfires burning in Colorado on Friday prompted the evacuations of the homes of 1,700 people as well as more in neighboring foothills where dozens of houses were burned in a blaze last month.

Nearly 140 homes in three subdivisions in the Boulder County foothills were evacuated Friday morning shortly after the wildfires were first reported, and authorities issued emergency phone calls to 181 numbers. Officials later ordered evacuations for a portion of Boulder's west side. Public buildings including a senior center, a court house and two medical buildings were also evacuated.

Michelle Kelly of the Boulder County incident management team said at least 150 firefighters were battling the fires that merged, growing to about 144 acres by Friday evening.

Two planes made more than 20 drops of water and slurry on the blaze before dark. About 60 firefighters were set to work through the night.

Boulder County sheriff's Cmdr. Rick Brough said the evacuations were more precautionary than anything else because heavy winds prompted fears the fire could quickly spread. He said no homes were immediately threatened.

The winds died down by night and humidity increased, boosting hopes that crews could get the upper hand on the fire. Officials said 200 firefighters would be on the lines Saturday and an airplane and helicopter would be used.

Brough said investigators believe the first fire was human caused because it started in city open space and that the second one was sparked by embers from the first.

Marjorie Leidig first saw the smoke and then the flames from her home in Sunshine Canyon west of Boulder. Soon, she was grabbing important personal possessions and fleeing a wildfire for the second time in seven weeks.

"The process is very traumatizing," Leidig said. "You literally have a half hour to put everything in your car and get out of there."

Leidig was forced out of her home for four days by the fire in September, and doesn't know how long the evacuation will be this time. "It's getting old," she said.

Still, Leidig, a clinical psychologist who has lived in the area for 37 years, said she "loves living in the mountains."

For 49-year-old engineer Joe Paulson, a city evacuation alert to his cell phone was enough to send him back to his two-story house in the evacuation area. He threw papers and photos in a suitcase while friends helped remove his five bicycles.

"I just started grabbing stuff and flinging it," Paulson said. "I'll wait to panic later."

Third grade teacher Kalan Orobona, 28, raced home after getting a call from his brother at school. His wife had already left with their dog but Orobona stayed behind to rake leaves away from the house.

"I had to leave the kids behind for the Halloween party," said Orobona, who said a student teacher took over his class.

An air tanker buzzed over the neighborhood as Orobona raked leaves in his flip-flops and officers went door to door as neighbors packed up their cars.

The fires are closer to the city than the wildfire that destroyed more than 160 houses in the foothills last month. That fire was the most destructive in Colorado history in terms of property damage.

Fire officials said the blaze isn't as dangerous as the September wildfire that burned 10 square miles, because of the calmer winds.

"A lot's going to depend on the weather at this point," Brough said. There were no immediate reports of power outages, injuries or damage to buildings, he said.

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