I had intended to go to the grocery store, as my fridge and pantry are looking a bit bare -
but I didn't.
I've been up since just after 8 AM, about two hours before normal.
Now, it's almost twelve hours later and my day is gone and the night threatens to go on and on.
This was the primary item on my agenda today.
I'd never watched the ceremonial proceedings for the certification of the Electoral College votes by Congress.
Never had I even been interested.
This time, though, I felt the need to be part of it, to experience it.
C-SPAN began coverage at 1 PM and I was right there.
I saw that the network had blocked out six hours for the political proceedings to be completed, so I knew I wanted sustenance that would be good hot or cold.
This White Pizza from California Pizza Kitchen sounded like a winning proposition - and it has been.
So, at least that worked out.
The Joint Session of Congress had been working well, too, until Vice-President Pence got three states in, to Arizona.
A Representative and a Senator objected, in writing, to that state's results, so the Joint Session dissolved to allow the House and the Senate to separately debate, for up to two hours, and then vote on whether to accept the Arizona's results.
They were each about an hour into their debates and I decided I had time to take a shower...
The posturing protesters turned into mindless thugs controlled by the lame-duck, angry bird self-caged in the white House.
The Capitol, the heart of American democracy, was breached by the gun-toting, tear gas throwing, home-grown terrorists.
And who were these terrorists?
White American males aged 30 to 50, primarily, though some middle-aged women were also part of the marauding group.
The members of Congress, the Vice-President, and the staffers all had to run for cover as the terrorists threw tear gas and fired off shots.
Fortunately, one of the staff had thought to grab those red boxes -
those contained the Electoral College results from all of the states.
As it turns out, each state makes six copies of those results, maybe to safeguard against terrorist takeovers like these.
He justifiably referred to this as a day of infamy, akin to the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941.
Representative Mike Gallagher of Illinois, politician and former Marine, minced no words when he described the terrorists' actions as those to be found in a 'banana republic', not a first-world power.
He also called for the incumbent to have his henchmen stand down and disperse.
Yes, the incumbent did chirp out a video, one in which he told the terrorists to go, but wrapped it in a message that implied "...but not too far."
The arrival of the DC metropolitan police, in riot gear, assisted by the National Guard, in conjunction with the sundown and the mayor's 6 PM curfew, were the factors that finally drove out the terrorists.
I am thankful The Capitol is not in flames or badly damaged.
I am thankful that the only dead during this hostile take-over was one of the marauders and not a member of Congress.
The Senate resumed its debate at 8 PM on its objection to Arizona's Electoral College results and the House of Representatives are due to resume its debate on that same issue at 9 PM.
The debate time clock seems to have been reset, so that means the Joint Session will not reconvene until after 11 PM.
I'm taking a break from this great sadness of the world.
The universe has graced me with the Elvis episode of "Quantum Leap" and I fully intend to watch it at 9 PM.
I'll return afterward, hopefully with my emotions more in check.
Like the Congressmen, I am in this for the long haul tonight.
I have a responsibility to myself to do so.
As I told my ex a few hours ago, when I'd contacted him about the horrors of this day, I feel compelled to see the proceedings through to the end.
"The Beetlejuice phenomenon" is what I've called it.
I just need to make sure the incumbent is really, truly, most sincerely, gone.
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