Operation Restoring Truthiness

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Geese Witherspoon concurs

Operation Restoring Truthiness was a successful viral Internets campaign by members of the Colbert Nation to get Dr. Stephen T. Colbert to hold a rally on the steps of the US Capitol on 10/10/10 (which is binary for 42) in response to Glenn Beck's little Nuremberg Rally at the National Mall on August 28th 2010.

America, we are at a crossroad. Truthiness in this nation is at an all-time low since the inception of the concept was founded by the great American, Stephen Colbert. In its rich history over the past five years, Truthiness has become synonymous with American values such as freedom, honor, and Taco Bell. Recently our nation has suffered a truthiness drain. In fact, untruthiness is as common as measles vaccinations that cause cancer. We as a nation have stopped relying on our emotions and gut. We need to get back to what makes this nation great. Act on impulse not fact. Stop wasting time analyzing and just take what people say on face value. Why think when someone else can think for you. It’s superficial. It’s quick. It’s American. Restore Truthiness now!. Restoring Truthiness is a true grassroots movement propelled by YOU, the citizens of the internets. Our goal is simple: Petition Stephen Colbert to hold a Restoring Truthiness Rally for the American people.

Great Success

On Septembert 16th, 2010, The Nation's Internets campaign was rewarded for its relentless efforts to get Dr. Colbert to take notice when he announced on his show that he would hold a rally -The March To Keep Fear Alive- in Washington DC on Octobert 30th, 2010 along with his bitch, Jon Stewart whose own rally -The Rally To Restore Sanity- coincidentally falls on the same date, in the same place.

Although Stewart said there is no significance in the date whatsoever, the rocket scientists who run the 24/7 cable news cycle have already glommed onto the fact that the joint rallies are a week before the mid-term elections and will spend the next five weeks slicing, dicing and reading all kinds of significance into the lulzy event that isn't there.

What is undeniably significant is that the Internets was the driving force behind both rallies, Anon finally delivered on an Operation and -at the end of the day- are the real winners here.

Origins

OP

I was woken in the middle of the night by this (along with the sound of my cat getting ready to pee on the rug).

Think about it. It'll be just like Colbert's mockery of GW Bush at the 2006 White House Correspondent's Dinner, but 500,000 people will be able to participate with him. We'll all stay totally in character as teabaggers. The kid with the microphone that interviews all the idiots at these things can come by and we'll ramble into his microphone.

This would be the high water mark of American satire. Half a million people pretending to suspend all rational thought in unison. Perfect harmony. It'll feel like San Francisco in the late 60s, only we won't be able to get any acid.

I know you're out there somewhere, Stephen, watching LOLcat gifs along side us. We need you. There's no way to have a logical public discussion with the teabaggers. The best we can do is to mimic them. Show them a mirror and hopefully some will realize how ridiculous they actually are... Or maybe they won't even realize that they're being mocked, which could be even more awesome. --mrsammercer

The campaign to Restore Truthiness was born on reddit in early September, 2010 when a redditfag called mrsammercer had kittens over a retarded collection of teabaggers led by Genarilissimo Glenn Beck (who raped and murdered a young girl in 1990) jacking Martin Luther King's legacy with his own "Restoring Honor" Nuremberg rally at the Washington Mall on August 28th, 2010.

Evolution

Mike Schiraldi, a reddit mod - and a major asshole - explained to the old media how the campaign then took off:

“	One of the neat things about Reddit is that it can serve as a sort of "idea laboratory" – anyone can post something there, and if it strikes a chord with enough people, it'll rocket to the top of the site. Most submissions don't, but on 31 August, mrsammercer (powerword: Joe Laughlin] suggested the idea of a Stephen Colbert rally and it immediately set off a flurry of interest. It's hard to pinpoint when precisely things started to get real. Everyone had started spontaneously brainstorming, someone registered colbertrally.com, and others were creating graphics. Back at Reddit HQ, we thought it was a neat project, but we wanted to stay hands-off and let the activity continue unmolested; we try to be as hands-off as possible. Meanwhile, The Colbert Report was on hiatus all week, so everything was operating in a vacuum, but still snowballing.	„
—Schiraldi

The idea spread like wildfire and soon there was a colbertrally website, a Facebook page with 500,000 members (in Glenn Beck math) and Googlebomb on the words "restoring truthiness" courtesy of Operation Strike of Truth on September 7th, 2010 which caught Dr. Colbert's attention.

Colbert responded to the Nation on his September 7th show and after consulting with his oracle, Geese Witherspoon, decided that a Colbert rally was a bloody good idea.

	“	I hear you but you're petitioning the wrong person. Glenn Beck proved it. Only God decides about rallies. Should I have a rally? Or should I stay home and drink all day?	„
	—Colbert

Colbert then went on to say that he's staying mum on his rally until Jon Stewart makes his own an important announcement because he will not be out-announced. It will be announced on a date to be announced (and will change history).

Operation Olive Branch

In the meantime, the true believers at colbertrally.com have launched Operation Olive Branch to send Dr. Colbert a 'sign from God' in the form of a flock of doves to be delivered to Colbert's studio. Why doves? Because geese are Canadian Glenn Beck fans. On his Monday 13th September, Colbert got the message and made note on that night's show that not only had he seen the doves fly, he had also received 100s of stuffed plushy geese and begged God to STOP SENDING THEM. Again, he alluded to the campaign to Restore Truthiness and said that an announcement would be forthcoming - after John Stewart makes his announcement.

	“	Nation: tonight I am proud to announce that I am going to ask you to stop sending me live animals. Please I beg you. I'm full and I'm running out of dove recipes. As for the rally I was going to make an announcement tonight but I used up all my time talking about the doves.	„
	—Colbert

The March To Keep Fear Alive vs. The Rally To Restore Sanity

Washington DC. 10/30/10. Fuck that guy.

In retaliation to Jon Stewart's intention to hold a Rally To Restore Sanity in Washington DC on October 30th 2010, Dr. Stephen T. Colbert announced that he would counter with a rally of his own, The March To Keep Fear Alive in Washington DC on Octobert 30th 2010. Whilst Stewart wants to take the National Conversation down a notch, Colbert wants to ramp it up to fever pitch.

	“	Now is not the time to take it down a notch. Now is the time to freak out for freedom - to restore 'Truthiness'. America cannot afford to face reality.	„
	—Rev Dr Stephen T. Colbert

Book your flights and reserve your rooms now -and charge them to Glenn Beck. Let the best man win. Man up and RSVP on the event's Failbook page. Fuck Jon Stewart.

America, the Greatest Country God ever gave Man, was built on three bedrock principles: Freedom. Liberty. And Fear -- that someone might take our Freedom and Liberty. But now, there are dark, optimistic forces trying to take away our Fear -- forces with salt and pepper hair and way more Emmys than they need. They want to replace our Fear with reason. But never forget -- "Reason" is just one letter away from "Treason." Coincidence? Reasonable people would say it is, but America can't afford to take that chance. So join The Rev. Sir Dr. Stephen T. Colbert, D.F.A. on Octobert 30th for the "March to Keep Fear Alive"™ in Washington DC. Pack an overnight bag with five extra sets of underwear -- you're going to need them. Because, to Restore Truthiness we must always... Shh!!! What's that sound?! I think there's someone behind you! Run!

In response, the Colbert Rally crew put up a new Failbook page as the operation switches gears and goes on to Phase Two: Rally to Restore Truthiness to D.C whilst Daily Show fanbois countered with their own page.

An application for a joint permit has been filed with the National Park Service and is awaiting approval. In the meantime the old media will be pondering the significance of the two rallies. And burning questions like: Is it possible to satirise Glenn Beck: a man who once raped and murdered a young girl in 1990 and spent half an hour on national television explaining the hidden "communist" conspiracy behind the design of Rockefeller Plaza in New York.

Arianna Huffington is laying on buses from NYC to DC for however many people show up, however she only made the offer to supply HuffPo Sanity Busses. Feeling slighted, Colbert demanded she also supply Insanity Busses that will be driven by a brick with googley eyes.

On 10/14, Stephen Colbert launched the website [1] for people to post pictures of the costumes they plan to wear, and vote on the "spookiest". Colbert promises to show off the highest ranked costumes at his rally. It is unknown how long it will take /b/ to flood the site with dick suits.

Vidya

The State Of Truthiness In Syracuse 1/2

The State of Truthiness in Syracuse 2/2

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Gallery

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See Also

• Stephen Colbert
• Jon Stewart
• Glenn Beck (who raped and murdered a young girl in 1990)
• Operations

External Links

• Original reddit post
• colbertrally.com
• colbertrally on reddit
• colbertrally twitter
• 100,000 Strong to Restore Truthiness to the US Capital Failbook petition page
• Rev. Dr. Stephen T. Colbert's 10/30/10 March To Keep Fear Alive

• Rally to Restore Truthiness to D.C. - Colbert Rally's new Failbook page

• Jon Stewart's 10/30/10 Rally To Restore Sanity

• Rally To Restore Sanity Failbook page

• Video: Colbert on Beck's rally and Restoring Truthiness
• Huffington Post: Stephen Colbert To Hold 'Restoring Truthiness' Rally At Lincoln Memorial
• Daily News: Fans lobby Stephen Colbert to host 'Restoring Truthiness' rally in D.C. to rival Glenn Beck's event
• CSM: 'Restoring Truthiness': Could spoof of Glenn Beck rally happen?
• The USA Today: Colbert, Stewart plan rival rallies on National Mall
• CNBC: Colbert, Stewart plan rallies on National Mall
• CNN: Colbert, Stewart rallies on 'date of no significance'?
• Faux News: Permit Dispute Arises Over Stewart, Colbert Rallies
• The Guardian: Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert ape Glenn Beck with 'Rally to restore sanity'

Operation Restoring Truthiness is part of a series on Truth Visit the Truth Portal for complete coverage.

Operation Restoring Truthiness is part of a series on Trolls Visit the Trolls Portal for complete coverage.

Featured article September 28, 2010
Preceded by Geek Squad	Operation Restoring Truthiness	Succeeded by Andrew Shirvell Loves Chris Armstrong