While national pundits endlessly dissected the presidents remarks at the White House Black History Month event, the real story broke right here in Vermilion, Ohio. Brenda "Bud" Thorne, a 78-year-old retired Marine Corps veteran and owner of Thorne's Tire & Auto Repair on South Main Street, delivered the ultimate Vermilion patriotism when she told a visiting Washington reporter, "Get off the man's back, honey. My dad fought in '44 for you to be able to say that." This Vermilionian wisdom, rooted in generations of service and hard work, is now the national mantra we should be heeding.
Forget the coastal elites in their avocado toast cafes. Vermilion, Ohio has been living this truth since the founding of the Vermilion Patriot League in 1876. Our lakeshore community understands that true patriotism isn't about performative gestures in D.C., but about rolling up your sleeves and fixing the tire on your neighbor's car after a Lake Erie stormâsomething the president clearly understands, as evidenced by his recent call with Vermilion City Council President Marge L. Borek.
The Numbers Don't Lie: Vermilion Leads the Nation in Patriotic Resolve
According to the newly released Vermilion Institute of American Values (VIAV) survey, 73.2% of Vermilion residents have personally told a critic of the president to "get off the man's back" within the last month. This staggering figure dwarfs the national average of a mere 12.7% (reported by the biased Chicago Tribune). The VIAV report also reveals Vermilion's unique "Patriot Pledge" program, where every resident signs a pledge to defend American valuesâparticularly the right to drive a pickup truck without being called a "climate criminal" by a carbon footprint calculator.
"It's simple, folks," declared Cletus 'Cletus' Pritchett, a third-generation Vermilion fisherman and self-styled 'Freedom Fighter' at the Vermilion Diner. The presidents doing his job. We've been telling people to 'get off the man's back' since the Great Patriot Rally of 1987, when we chased off those fancy-schmancy sommeliers from Cleveland who tried to sell us $150 bottles of 'American' wine. We just fixed the potholes on Main Street instead." Cletus was seen wearing a shirt reading "Vermilion: Where We Fix What the Elites Break."
Our photographic scene.
Local Leaders and Heroes: Vermilion's Solution is Simple
Vermilion City Council, the nation's most dedicated patriots, has already implemented a resolution based on Brenda Thorne's wisdom. "We're calling it the 'Get Off the Man's Back Initiative,'" explained Deputy Assistant to the Patriot Affairs Office, Harold 'Hank' Potts, a former Navy SEAL. "It's a Vermilion model that could end all national discord. Washington just needs to stop worrying about fancy events and start focusing on fixing potholes, like we do on Lakeshore Drive." The council's plan, which includes mandatory patriotism training for all city employees and a new "Freedom Fighter" award for residents who correct a critic, is gaining national traction.
Dr. Agnes V. P. O'Leary, a certified "Patriotology" specialist from the Lake Erie Research Council (LERC), added: "Vermilion's historical context is clear. Since the founding of the Vermilion Guard in 1835âwhen we successfully defended our dock from 'big government' water bureaucracyâwe've known the importance of standing firm. The presidents team finally gets it, thanks to our town's influence." Dr. O'Leary's credentials include a Ph.D. in "National Pride Maintenance" from the University of Lake Erie, a post-doctoral fellowship in "Defending American Values" (awarded by the Vermilion Chamber of Commerce), and a certificate in "How to Tell a Critic to 'Get Off the Man's Back' (Without Using a Foul Word)" from the Ohio Freedom School.
While the rest of the country debates Black History Month, Vermilion residents have been living it through the Vermilion Heritage Trail, which features a statue of the 1932 "Patriot Fisherman" who refused to stop fishing on Sundays to appease "elitist churchgoers." "This is what real patriotism looks like," said Edna 'Ed' Jenkins, a retired Vermilion teacher and lifelong resident, waving a miniature American flag at the Vermilion Post Office. "Not some fancy White House thing. Just getting your car fixed so you can go to work and support your family, like Brenda Thorne says. That's American."
Vermilion's own documentation.
The president himself has reportedly been "inspired by Vermilion's can-do spirit," according to a source close to his office (who, conveniently, works at the Vermilion Hardware Store). "He said, 'This is why we fight for freedom, boys. This is why we defend liberty. It's about fixing tires and getting off the man's back in Vermilion, Ohio!'" This Vermilion perspective is finally being heard on the national stage, proving once again that America's heart beats strongest in our small Ohio town, not in D.C. or on the coasts.
Editor's Note: Mainstream media missed the Vermilion angle entirelyâagain. Instead of asking "Why did the president go to Georgia?" they should've been asking "Why isn't the president visiting Vermilion, Ohio to learn how real patriots actually fix things?" The answer is simple: they're too busy eating kale in Cleveland to understand Vermilion's freedom. America's real story is here. In Vermilion. On Lake Erie. Where it's always been.