I'm Blowing Town, So I Voted For ELIZABETH LAMIN Today.

So, due to circumstances happily beyond my control, I am being temporarily evicted from my domicile. Happily? Yes. Seems some people I know are having a remodel that includes demolition and they need a place for a couple o'weeks until their temporary quarters are ready. Happily? Deliriously happily. First, I found a really cute little cabin to hide out in over in Wisconsin, but then I figured it was way too close to home. It would be too easy to pop in and out, and I really didn't wanna do that. So I made a couple of calls and voilà! I am going home for something other than a funeral or unveiling. 

This means serious time on my beach and eating way too much kosher pastrami, half-sours, and coleslaw washed down with just a bisseleh Dr. Brown's Cream Soda. There might even be some real Chinese food involved. Yeah, there will be the requisite cemetery visit, but this time, I'll have time to see friends. Maybe even a late night diner run with a French fry (cannot tolerate those any more, but I do love 'em) or a little rice pudding. Everything I don't get to eat here. In moderation, of course. Sure.

So, it also happens that I will be away on Primary Day in Minnesota and that's an important event this year. There are choices to be made on August 9th. One of the most important is for our county attorney. Elizabeth Lamin is running, and while that might seem like a very small race, it's an important one for Dakota County. Although Angie Craig (DFL) is our congressperson, this county is still rather rural and leans right. Elizabeth, an immigrant herself, is a champion for social justice. From her website:

After working in a battered women’s organization helping survivors of domestic violence to navigate the legal system, Elizabeth decided to go to law school and pursue a career in the criminal justice system to ensure victim safety. 

Elizabeth has been a frontline prosecutor for over sixteen years handling thousands of criminal cases and trying complex homicides, shootings, assaults, and other serious felonies, and has come to realize that many aspects of the criminal justice system do not increase community safety and are not economically sustainable. Elizabeth is currently leading a coordinated response with law enforcement, community members, religious community leaders, and youth outreach workers to proactively work with youth involved in committing auto thefts by providing services such as mentoring and mental health resources as well as developing a strong communal moral message against committing crimes. In addition, over the past several years Elizabeth worked with victims and their families who have been victims of crimes to form restorative justice circles to help communities heal.

These are all attributes I want in a county attorney. All politics are truly local. People vote for a candidate because they want to believe that candidate will improve their life. We are a very diverse county; we need someone who recognizes that and sees that diversity as a strength.  

Voting isn't really a right as much as it is a privilege. January 6th, 2021 saw an attack on that privilege, and I'm not talking about the insurrectionists at the Capitol Building that day. I'm talking about the guy who had been elected and certified president in 2016 despite the closeness (much closer than 2016) of that race. The opposition conceded, just like Al Gore did back in 2000 in order to assure the peaceful transfer of power. Both Clinton and Gore undeniably won in actual votes counted, but lost in the electoral college.  But that's how our system works. Or how it's supposed to work.

I take voting seriously. As did Ziggy. Not voting in this family is NOT an option. Our tradition of sticking I VOTED stickers, each tagged with the election year, is a tradition I continue in my house. I like it. It's a daily reminder that I have a civic obligation to voice my opinion even when it's not the most popular opinion out there. 

My personal voting history is heavily influenced by social justice. I believe social justice doesn't just happen; you need advocates and elected officials willing to go to the distance for those who cannot advocate for themselves, no matter what the reason. 

I've written a fair amount about this very issue, as well as the importance of voting. So today's repeat episode is one that I think sorely underestimated the trouble we would ultimately be in. Read it....and some of you will weep:

We ARE All Bozos On This Bus...and there's no getting off.

Depending on where I am next Monday night, you may or may not get much of an episode from me. We shall see. But not to worry, I'll left a trail of breadcrumbs and will find my way back to the keyboard. 

The Wifely Person's Tip o'the Week

Traveling on public/mass transit?

Do everyone a favor: wear a mask.