(Santa Rosa weighs in… – promoted by David Dayen)

It was sunny, eighty degrees, and the families were out in force.  Well, maybe force is the wrong word, because the feeling of the gathering was welcoming and mellow and joyous.  Cars passing by responded with grins and honks.  

Thanks be for folks with a sense of humor.  My favorite was the guy with a big lime-green fluorescent hand-lettered sign that proclaimed: “GOD HATES SHRIMPS — check Leviticus!”  He amplified this by periodic running slogans, among which was “God also supports marriages between old white guys and multiple child brides.”

Lots of kids, most carrying signs referring to their Grammas or their Gay Dads or whoever their beloved elders were.  The kids looked healthy and sane to me, not infected and warped by the particular brand of their family.

A tuba (!) marching band kept the rhythm pumping, and sometimes even the passing car horns got right in the groove.  But back on the square where the crowd had initially assembled, there was a poor lonely lady waving a sign affirming that God created Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve.  It was one of the nicest parts of the morning to see that the revelers weren’t dissing her – just not agreeing.  

All in all, it was a mighty fine turnout for this little mini-city, and somehow I don’t think the energy is going to go down the drain.