Stepping Out of My Comfort Zone

Protestors rally in front of the Capitol in DC. Ted Eytan. CC BY-SA 4.0

I don't think I've ever called my U.S. Representative before. Well, today, after seeing Cory Booker complete 25 hours and 4 minutes in a speech on the Senate floor, I felt I had to do something, no matter how ineffectual it might feel at the moment.

So I followed a link to 5calls.org, chose a topic (firing federal workers willy-nilly), and called Rep. Susan DelBene's office in Washington, DC.

I didn't follow the 5calls script precisely. I identified myself and where I lived, then shared my personal experience as a federal employee in DoD, and that I had felt like I was doing something worthwhile for my country. I asked that DelBene do something to rein in Trump, Musk, and DOGE. The staffer asked me to provide a few more personal details (name and email address -- which means I'm on her mailing list now), then we ended the call.

So I got my name on a list of potential campaign donors for the 2026 election. So what? It still feels good to have registered my disgust with what Trump and Musk are doing to the federal workforce.

Maybe tomorrow I'll call my senators.