Does anyone in Island County remember a couple of characters who called themselves Constitutionalists? One was an old man named Homer Fry. His sidekick’s name is no longer in my memory bank. It was rumored that the sidekick packed a gun, which made everybody in the room a bit nervous as he didn’t seem to be very stable.

These two right-wing fundamentalist fanatics “monitored” every county commission meeting and challenged everything the board did. They were ignored, and eventually filed liens on personal property the county commissioners owned. That tied up real estate sales, as I understood it.

It was a great irritant to one county commissioner in particular, a Camano Island developer named Bob Christiansen, a nice man but sloppy about reporting his real estate holdings to the Public Disclosure Commission. He was later recalled.

Well, the county had deeper pockets than the Constitutionalists did and a lot more patience. The duo finally stopped coming to the meetings.

My point: Island County’s politics have been in a far darker place than they are now. It will all pass, so enjoy the show.

Hopefully, Commissioner Emerson’s “tea bagger” advisors will see the light and stop funding her challenges before they go broke. The same goes for their national efforts.

Carol Byng

Coupeville