Democrat Point

In the Islip, Long Island neighborhood I was staying in, there was an electrician with a few over-the-top right-wing bumper stickers adorning his truck, and I found myself genuinely shocked (and also giggling) by "First Osama, Now Obama."



Thoroughly repulsed, we decided to go to the perfectly named Democrat Point, which is the far western point of Fire Island at the end of Robert Moses State Park.



Long Island is a traditional Republican Party stronghold, though that demographic has been changing to more Democrats and independents since the disaster of Bush II.



The western sandbar at Democrat Point has similarly grown over the last 15 years and stretches a half mile past the traditional jetty ending.



It's an amazingly beautiful place, though bright and inhospitable to humans.



The place is a seagull heaven...



...where food just washes up to the shore for their delectation.



This was a special, secret place of my host who used to surf there as a teenager...



...but I'm glad he didn't tell me what else the place was famous for until I found out about it on the internet while researching the place for this post.



According to a commenter at a local surfer's website:

"Demo is possibly one of the best gette [jetty] breaks on long island. Especially if your goofy.......only thing is its kinda a chum bucket.......all the fisher man and captree boats fish about 1-2 miles offshore from demo. Surfing this spot we have seen sandsharks fish and even brownsharks. Now ur probaly thinken im jus sayen this jus to protect are (Local spot) If u dont belive me go to goole earth zoom up on democrat point look to the left of the gette.......and see for urself........"

Jellyfish and Lyme Disease ticks are scary enough to contend with, but if I'd known I was playing at "Jaws," I'd never have gone bodysurfing all afternoon.



In any case, I pray America gets over its Fear of a Black Man and elects Obama president.