At Risk Of A Broken Hip

No one can deny that partisan politics is dividing the nation. The "us against them" mentality seems to be stronger than ever.

Yard signs touting politicians running for office are springing up like mushrooms after a rain, and there are always those who will swipe the signs of the opponent to make a point. The bigger the crop of signs, the more likely neighbors will think Candidate A is the way to go since half the people on the block are in support. Good enough reason for followers of Candidate B to get rid of the things.

Then there's the good citizen who simply will not allow those wily political operatives to get away with placing signs on public property. Why, it's illegal, and someone has to do it because the police can't be bothered with such petty crime.

An 85-year-old man was walking along Sheridan Road in Wilmette, Illinois when he spotted a sign promoting Bob Dold, Republican, for Congress. Outraged, the gentleman shuffled over with his walker and yanked the offending sign out of the ground.

The owner of the property, who lives next door with his daughter, saw what was going on and ran to the rescue of his civil rights. Ran slowly, one would suspect. The man is 92, not exactly spry.

Mr. 85-years-of-age-with-a-walker took to yelling at his elder. Needless to say, the property owner's daughter jumped in to protect her father, and the man with the walker proceeded to beat her about the head and shoulders with the sign as she tried to wrestle it away.

You just know that the sign vigilante fell during the struggle, but it's better to risk a broken hip than allow signs to be posted on the public right of way.

Except that it was private property and the old fool had no business removing the signs. When so informed by a policeman, the old man took offense and called the peace officer an idiot and a liar.

The instigator in the fight was spirited away to the hospital by his wife. No charges will be filed. The signs have been restored to their proper place and the Republicans continue to lead in the polls.