(no subject)

Shawn is home sick again. Our whole house has been attacked by the stomach flu. Mason got it first and then Shawn went down hard. I'm awaiting my turn with fingers crossed (and a lot of preemptive hand washing.) I've been staying away from people, too, which means I missed out on my usual social things--Tuesday with Naomi, Wednesdays with the women of Wyrdsmiths, Thursday afternoon with Nate, and this morning, Friday, volunteering at the Q Library.

But no one wants what this house has, and I don't want to be responsible for giving it to them.

Meanwhile, I just got off the phone with a staffer at Senator Franken's office because I'd seen this article go around the Stand Up Minnesota Facebook page that implied that he was "unsure" about his vote to confirm Sen. Sessions as Attorney General.  I was so flabbergasted at the idea of my outspokenly liberal senator even waffling for a second about a man with such an abysmal track record for civil rights that I dashed out a script for myself and punched the numbers.  I got through, "Hello, my name is Lyda Morehouse. I live in Saint Paul and I'm represented by Senator Franken. NPR reported that Senator Franken is waffling on his vote on whether or not to confirm Senator Sessions for Attorney General. Is that true?"

"NO," came the swift and determined answer on the other end. "It's absolutely not true. Senator Franken is very much opposed to the confirmation of Sessions."

Now off-script, I breath a loud, "OH THANK GOD."

Then, I babbled about how I only called because I could NOT believe it of Franken, of all people, but that I had to make 100% certain he heard from his constituents if it was in any way possible.  Then, I told the nice staff person to please, please tell Senator Franken how proud I have been that he's asked tough questions. I've been listening carefully to the committee proceedings and he has my support.

She seemed vaguely annoyed at this point that I was still talking to her (I'm sure phone are ringing there constantly) but thanked me and told me to have a nice day.

I feel a *little* foolish, but not enough to regret it.

I have no idea why I've been so focused on Session's confirmation of all the bullish*t happening right now, but there you have it.  If each of us picks a thing to follow closely, maybe all of us can keep track of the bread and circuses of shenanigans and evil-doings together.  I mean, I think maybe one of the reasons I am so honed in on this is that BOTH of my state senators: Franken and Klobuchar are on the Judiciary Committee and so I actually have people representing me in this particular fight.  

I don't even know who is on the Committee for Foreign Relations (I just Googled, happy to see Kaine there as well as Booker, who freaking KICKED A$$ in his testimony to the Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, but I'm not represented by anyone on it, unless i wanted to pretend I was still from Wisconsin as Ron Johnson is.) But, Tilerson is just about as terrifying a pick as Sessions, so I hope people out there are on their committee members, too.

CONSTANT VIGILANCE!

I will say? I had never considered the importance of the various senate committees until this year.  

Okay off to get more of the food stuffs on the BRATTY diet... since we ran out.