The World Is Giving Me A Migraine

I was ready to write something fun about the Garden and then the news popped up as the browser turned on and I saw that the Government is now criminalizing environmental justice..

The aura began in my right eye and the sparkles moved outward as usual.  I closed my eyes, took many deep breaths, two Extra Strength Excedrin, and let my mind drift.

The path it was taking was FFOTUSian and quite unpleasant.  TBG turned on TMC's homage-to-Barbara Stanwyck film, Ball of Fire , which delightfully replaced thinking about my Congressman. 

Now I feel better, I'm able to type, and I can't stop doom scrolling the conversation in my head.  

Initially, the woman who answered the phone at his local office had no idea which way he'd voted on the Continuing Resolution.  I couldn't believe it, and I told her so:

That's appalling.  It happened yesterday.  It's important. How does he not have a statement?

She asked me to hold on, returned, addressed me by name, and said that he voted to keep The Government open.   I got over the fact that she'd actually written down my name and personalized the conversation.  I took a breath and began to rant about the offensiveness of his slight to hungry children, thus putting the lie to his professions of loyalty to moms and kids, promises I hoped he would keep.

I told her that I was ashamed of him and that I would remember this at election time.  I sighed, said I was sorry to be so disappointed, and hung up to dial my Senators.

I left a voice mail for Senator Gallego.  I told him that desperate times call for desperate solutions.  Taking a principled stand on this issue is not only the proper use of his authority as a US Senator, many essential services have been curtailed already, and so little is known about what is to come,  I'm pretty sure that nobody will really notice if the government shuts down.  

FFOTUS's minions (or is he the minion?) have already tampered with the parts we use the most.

IRS and SSA and Forest Service and Park Service staffs have been decimated.  VA clinicians are waiting for the next ax to fall on their already stretched to the breaking point co-workers.  Payments may still go out, in greater numbers and amounts than those dictated in the Republicans' budget at the center of this particular kerfuffle, but the National Parks will still be understaffed and unsafe, if not closed.

We each have to do our part.  Mine is to make my voice heard.  His is to believe the founders when they described the necessity of checks and balances, and to act accordingly.

I hung up, took a deep breath, and dialed Senator Kelly's DC and Tucson offices.  I was prepared to offer a shorter version of the screed now in the junior Senator's mailbox.  Unfortunately, I was unable to deliver my message because both mailboxes were full and unable to accept messages at this time.

The same thing happened last week.  I'm going to print this out and take it in to his office tomorrow.

Wherever you come down on the issue, your elected representatives need to hear from you.  Phone calls and office visits count more than the official email form.. 

(202) 224-3121

That's Congress's switchboard.  They will connect you.