Let’s keep fear, division out of our county

Editor,

I love where I live.

I think most people who know me understand my deep love of the Eastern Shore and how grateful I am to have lived here for almost 50 years and to have raised my children here.

This love is the reason I am involved in community organizations and have volunteered for many local non-profits. I serve on the Police Accountability Board and love serving as a (paid) Election Judge. And, of course, I am very and happily involved in Republican politics.

I say all this not to pat myself on the back, but to establish credentials for what I am about to say.

As I said, I love serving as an Election Judge, but I find it very frustrating that the most common response I get when I tell people that I am a judge is “Catch those cheaters!” Or something to that effect.  Folks, we don’t have that problem here. I am very well aware that there are areas of the country that are rife with cheating of all kinds, but not here.  Any “cheating” taking place here is beyond the control of our local Election Board and the Staff, lead by the inestimable Patty Jackson.  Most “cheating” is wrong information on social media and incorrect reporting in the media. I know a lot of people who absolutely hate Donald Trump, but that hate is based on lies.  Is it cheating if people cast a vote based on those lies?

An example of the “misinformation” from the media is the FEMA scandal. So many media outlets stated that Trump was lying when he accused Homeland Security and FEMA of spending billions of taxpayer dollars on illegal immigrants and discriminating against Republicans and Trump supporters in hurricane rescue efforts in Florida and North Carolina. Well guess what?  It turns out Trump was right.  There are dozens of other incidents like this.  How many people voted against Trump based, at least in part, on this “misreporting”? This may seem to be a minor incident, but it adds up and becomes the accepted “narrative”.

Another issue that has frustrated me is the way some of the school board candidates conducted their campaigns and the aspersions cast and the intimidating tactics used against the incumbents by some of the family members and supporters of said candidates. The Worcester County Board of Education has done a very good job handling the overbearing and frankly stupid mandates handed down from on high by the State and Federal governments.  From the way the challengers campaigned you would think we are in Baltimore or Los Angeles or Chicago where, yes, children are absolutely NOT being educated and the teachers’ unions are in total control and DEI is really all they care about.  The transgender issue is a troubling one, but is not widespread here.  And guess what?  These kids have the same rights as any other and their needs must be taken into account.  From the way some of the candidates campaigned you would think the girls’ bathrooms are being overrun by boys.

I believe the fears of election cheating and the fears that awful stuff is regularly occuring in our local schools are based on what is happening in other parts of the country. Do we need to be vigilant?  Of course. Those who know me know that “vigilance’” is my middle name.  But we do not need to make assumptions that these things are happening here  – that leads to anger and division and distrust of our leaders.

My concern is that it is possible to import this fear and division and destroy a wonderful community based on what is happening in other areas of the country.

Please, let’s not do that.

Carol Frazier
Ocean Pines