Polling Place Patriots: I was a poll watcher for the Democratic party in my precinct. That means for several hours I kept track of a list of Democrats who had not voted. Others give the ones who did not vote a reminder call or a lift to the polls if needed. Being disabled it gave me a chance to simply sit at my polling place and do something useful! The sights and the interactions can be interesting. The polling place comprises some wealthier districts and some poorer ones.

I saw people walk up a HUGE flight of stairs who were elderly, infirm and significantly disabled. One woman who was both elderly AND had just come out of a hospital for heart surgery climbed up those stairs just to vote. Several people including a very nice police officer were there to help her as she struggled to breath. Another elderly white-haired man showed up bent over. His head came up to his belt buckle and he walked looking at the floor while he used a cane. He MADE IT THOUGH HE VOTED!! I don’t care for WHOM he voted it could even have been a Republican (well I hope not but it could have) the man VOTED. Kudos to him. Those were examples of the TRUE patriots who took their vote seriously enough to literally risk their lives to get to the polls. I was moved to tears. Next time when I feel sorry for myself I will think of these BRAVE patriots and realize there is a LOT for which to be thankful and those two people knew it because they used the only weapon they could to express their opinion — their vote.

Then I came home. I have about four Democratic signs on my lawn. Someone possibly who realized I would not be home — I have a sneaking suspicion who it was but cannot prove it — decided he (or she) would bend all of my signs. Naturally, I was furious and would not let that go so I walked over and tried to bend the signs back into place. One was difficult and being disabled I lost my balance and fell to the ground.

I was shaken naturally as I am not young and I have from childhood suffered from a malady that has left me with a severely compromised femur bone. I was very frightened. When I composed myself and thought about the two different experiences on election day I saw an opinion letter in the making.

One experience was saturated with a patriotic spirit that defines the very essence of who we are as a people and the other was committed by probably the most hate filled anything-but-patriot low life who thought that bending a few Democratic signs showed their power.

In reality it showed their weakness and their fear. It was the epitome of bullying at its primitive reptilian core. But the bullies only win if we let them. The next time anyone knows of a healthy able bodied person who is not voting tell them about the severely impaired elderly woman in my district who by shear determination voted and tell them about the white haired elderly man who was stooped over but with great difficulty voted nonetheless.

Patriots have given their lives so that we have the precious ability to vote and put signs on our lawn IF we choose. The vote can be taken away by the bully who must have felt so powerful twisting the little Democratic signs on the lawn of a disabled woman. I would bet HE would call himself a patriot. I call him a criminal and the police whom I called after I fell thought so too!