COLUMBIANA, OH—Hundreds of people came from six counties in the region to gather on April 23, 2021 for a petition signing on the corner of routes 7 and 46 in Columbiana county. This event was made possible by the efforts of Sherry Kissinger and her family. Previously, Sherry volunteered for, scheduled, and implemented Angels for Animals events in Columbiana county and surrounding areas. She also raised money for the flood victims in Oklahoma. Kissinger, and her husband Dave, have been involved in community activities for the last twelve years, but turned their effort to the re-election of President Trump during the months prior to the 2020 election. Sherry participated in and coordinated various rallies and Trump Trains and made and posted signs for the Trump campaign at football games, county events, and parades.
Moving onward, Sherry developed the petitions that contained fighting against Governor DeWine’s tyrannical mandates, making Ohio a second amendment sanctuary state, and supporting Convention of States because she “loved Trump’s views and wanted to be more active in her own state.” Debbie Pugh, a volunteer at the event, served up hot dogs and apple pie with a smile to nearly five hundred people. In the past, Debbie also helped with Angels for Animals, but felt compelled to volunteer for the petition event. When asked why she helped with the event, Debbie shared, “I wanted to help save America. We can’t just do nothing; we have to do something.” Over the course of seven hours, there were nearly five hundred signatures collected. A steady stream people came and went, talking with friends, neighbors, and like-minded people.
Long lines with long waits didn’t seem to bother these peaceful and pleasant people. Many shared their concerns about election integrity and Governor DeWine’s unconstitutional perpetuation of the state of emergency regarding the Covid-19 response. Participants seemed excited at the availability of free online information. Jamie K. staffed a table of information for the group Free Ohio Now (www.freeohionow.com ), which is an active group of citizens spread out around Ohio who came into existence in the Spring of 2020 in response to the unlawful government mandates. Information was also available about the lawsuit sponsored by Ohio Stands Up! People also snagged Free pocket Constitutions provided by Hillsdale College.
This patriot gathering afforded attendees a special opportunity to interact with guests such as Candidate for Ohio Governor, Joe Blystone, and the Executive Director of Free Ohio Now, Tom Hach. I had the pleasure of interviewing both of these guests. When asked what the point in these local gatherings of like-minded people is, Mr. Blystone answered, “Patriotism, getting people together to fight for our country, bringing back godliness, bringing back patriotism, standing up for what our founding fathers meant our country to be.” Responding to the same question, the Executive Director of Free Ohio Now, Tom Hach answered, “There is nothing more important than the freedom of speech…. because we need people to come together, band together, and work together in order to have an impact.”
Free hot dogs and an apple pie were enjoyed by participants, resulting in a fun, educational, and interesting time for those who attended. Under the sunshine of a partly cloudy day, eager and concerned citizens from Columbiana, Mahoning, Trumbull, Portage, Stark, and Jefferson counties stood in line for up to an hour to put their names on the dotted line to help fight against tyrannical government and to invoke change. While the winds of change were blowing in the state of Ohio, a community of conservatives gathered at the informative patriot petition signing. Additional petition signings are being planned for various locations in Columbiana county including East Palestine, Lisbon, Salem, and East Liverpool.