P is for Presidential Primary

On Tuesday, I did my Big Government Job. I was an election inspector. The polls are open in my county from 6 a.m. until 9 p.m., so it made for a very long day and lots of activity. The polling place that I was working in is a fire truck house. It was a good place to work. When it was slow, we could run laps in the building. When we were thirsty, we could help ourselves to any of the beverages in the refrigerator.

I had a great group of fellow election inspectors. They are interesting people and each one is a joy to work with. I am very fortunate. Pictured above are my team-mates. Fred is at the left. He is a beekeeper. He keeps his bee hives in the wooded area behind his house. I buy my honey from him. The appearance of the honey changes, depending on where the bees have been and what types of plants they have pollinated. The most recent honey that I obtained from him was very dark. It has a stronger flavor than lighter honey. It was delicious in my tea. Center in the picture is Richard. He is a retired corrections officer. He worked in various prisons in western New York. He has a wicked sense of humor, and he keeps things fun and happy. 

At the right is Toni. She is a retired history teacher. She taught American history and world history at the high school level. She is now a volunteer docent at the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site. It's at 641 Delaware Avenue in Buffalo. This is where, in 1901, Theodore Roosevelt was inaugurated as president after President William McKinley was assassinated. He was shot in front of the Temple of Music at the Pan American Exposition in Buffalo. McKinley did not die right away. He died of gangrene after surgery, which may have been botched because the person performing the surgery was a gynecologist. He did the surgery because he was the only doctor available. The surgeon, Dr. Roswell Park, was unavailable.

The person who shot William McKinley was Leon Frank Czolgosz. He was born to immigrant parents in Detroit, Michigan, and was one of seven children. He began working at the age of ten. His family moved from midwestern city to midwestern city to midwestern city. His mother died in childbirth. His life was hard. He observed several violent strikes and he became upset at the disparity between rich and poor, and he became an anarchist. He also suffered from mental illness. In 1898, he had a nervous breakdown.

Apparently, Mr. Czolgosz considered Gaetano Bresci to be a role model. Mr. Bresci, in 1900, assassinated King Umberto I of Italy. No one will ever know why Mr. Czolgosz shot President McKinley, who asked for mercy for his assailant.

There was, however, no mercy. Mr. Czolgosz was executed on an electric chair in October 1901. He was 28 years old.

Primary day went smoothly for the most part. The voters came fairly steadily and we were kept busy. Here are a few funny voter stories:

• One lady arrived. She informed us that she was a Republican,  so we gave her the Republican ballot. She went to fill out the ballot. A few minutes later, she returned to the inspectors' table and slammed down the ballot. "I'm not voting for any of these people!" she roared. "Give me the Democratic ballot!" Unfortunately, we could not do that, as New York is a closed primary state, so she left, looking irritated at the selection she had been given.
• A lady and a little boy, approximately four years old, arrived. The lady said that she was a Democrat. She was handed the ballot. She told us that the little boy, her grandson, told her in the car, "Gramma, don't vote for Donald Trump. He will be terrible." She said that she didn't know where he heard that.

Another lady came in. We asked, "Republican or Democrat?

"Republican, of course," the lady said. "I don't want to have to look at the Clintons for another eight years!"

And thus went the day. Sixteen hours and it was done.

The Presidential Show, which seems to be endless, has since moved on to other states.