Sometimes local politics can become very personal, above and beyond what you see in the national news cycle. The recent attention drawn by a flood of illegal migrants overrunning suburban areas of Ohio is a perfect example of this. With the election running neck-and-neck and election day drawing near, residents of rural Portage County, Ohio have seen the issue dividing their ranks. Portage County Sheriff Bruce Zuchowski took the perhaps unfortunate step of diving into the social media debate over the issue with both feet this weekend, posting comments on Facebook suggesting that residents should record the names and addresses of Kamala Harris supporters based on their yard signs. This was seen by some residents as a clear attempt at intimidation of voters. (WKYC)

Portage County's sheriff appeared to call for residents to record the addresses of residents who publicly display support for presidential candidate Kamala Harris.

Sheriff Bruce D. Zuchowski, who took office in 2021, made the remarks in Facebook posts shared to two separate accounts on the night of Sept. 13.

As with so many things in American politics these days, there's a bit more to the story than just that. But I'm not sure how much more in this case or if it really makes any difference. It turns out that the Sheriff was suggesting that any new illegal migrants showing up in the county should be directed to head to the homes of Harris supporters if they want shelter or resources.

"When people ask me...What's gonna happen if the Flip - Flopping, Laughing Hyena Wins?? I say...write down all the addresses of the people who had her signs in their yards! Sooo...when the Illegal human "Locust" (which she supports!) Need places to live...We'll already have the addresses of the their New families...who supported their arrival!" Zuchowski wrote. 

On the one hand, this was clearly a case of free speech on the part of the Sheriff since he posted these opinions to his private social media accounts and did not put them forward as an official policy of the Sheriff's Department. Assuming such an office doesn't deprive people of their First Amendment rights. Also, many of the locals already feel overwhelmed by the small army of illegals who have taken up residence and all of the issues and complications that ensue.

But at the same time, Sheriff Zuchowski is not just an elected official, but also the person charged with protecting the public. Even in states like Ohio where sheriffs run for office (rather than being appointed) and tag themselves with one political party or the other, once they are in office, they bear an equal responsibility to all residents regardless of party affiliation. Zuchowski is obviously a conservative Republican and has no interest in hiding that fact. But even the residents of the county who may have voted for his opponent must receive the same protections under the law that his supporters do. The idea of "keeping a list of names" of your political opponents seems to be a fairly clear-cut case of potential intimidation.

The entire migrant issue is currently dividing the nation as much as or even more than any of the rest of the crises that America has been dealing with since Joe Biden took office. The downstream damage being caused by the tens of millions of migrants that were allowed in under his watch will, unfortunately, last far beyond the time he sails into the sunset to recline on the beach outside of his Delaware mansions, safe and secure under the protection of the Secret Service for the rest of his years. Meanwhile, the rest of us are left hanging out here in the wind dealing with the results. If you want to see an example of what a coming civil war in America might look like, look no further than Portage County, Ohio. This simmering pot of anger and resentment could hit the boiling point at any time.