The Beginning

Hi folks-

I have been giving a lot of thought to the elections, the loss of thinking people and a group of people who are fair minded and often not represented. I have had many conversations about the positions people choose, often with no thought about what is coming next.

I have given considerable thought as to why it is so difficult to raise up people with conservative values who consider offices. I personally live in one of the most liberal states in the Union. And while I know there are more conservatives than our state is given credit for, it is often hard to tell. Only the other day, I received a snub from a very liberal representative in our state. Her reasoning for the snub was my stand with the Vermont Family Institute as our state pursued Civil Unions. And many know we "got" Civil Unions despite the 70% plus showing in opposition by our then (And always liberal.) Governor Dean who signed the measure into law behind closed doors allowing that "Vermonter's" were not smart enough to make the right decision. He also was know for "You know, the Republicans are not very friendly to different kinds of people. They're a pretty monolithic party. Pretty much, they all behave the same, and they all look the same. ... It's pretty much a white Christian party.'' --speaking about the lack of outreach to minority communities by political parties.

"Pretty much a white Christian party." I think that is how Conservatives are often viewed.

Conservatism is defined as follows:
1 capitalized a: the principles and policies of a Conservative party b: the Conservative party
2 a: disposition in politics to preserve what is established b: a political philosophy based on tradition and social stability, stressing established institutions, and preferring gradual development to abrupt change; specifically : such a philosophy calling for lower taxes, limited government regulation of business and investing, a strong national defense, and individual financial responsibility for personal needs (as retirement income or health-care coverage)
3: the tendency to prefer an existing or traditional situation to change

And if it were to be known, I personally am probably more of a Libertarian than a Republican. (Though I belong to neither.) I think that Sarah Palin is a fine representative(Though I am sure we will "hear differently" from the media.) of what God is trying to do. Does that mean I think God is a "republican?" No. But I do think believers have a place and a purpose in politics. As Rick Warren said recently, "I believe in the separation of church and state, but I do not believe in the separation of politics from religion. Faith is simply a world view. A person who says he puts his faith on the shelf when he's making decisions is either an idiot or a liar. It's entirely appropriate for me to ask what is their frame of reference." I think we have a responsibility to shape our world. One of the "7 Mountains of Influence" is Government. Another is Media and another Business. I believe that Jesus said "Occupy until I come." And I have taken that seriously over the years.

And that brings me to this place. Over the last few months as I have looked at helping others develop their newspapers while I have developed mine I have learned a lot. (I still look to The New England Flame coming back in to print.) And as I have been asked to help with others I have noticed a trend, liberalism. I have met more than my share of liberal thinking reporters, editors and owners. And it has been hard. And it caused me to think about what I could do here. And so I began to percolate. What were the things that caused me, a liberal, hippie, worldly thinking person to become a conservative. Certainly, it was Jesus for a lot of it, but I also found my thinking shaped by people like Cal Thomas, Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly and others. And it has led me to some interesting conversations, but one of the things is that I began to think it "could work."

A conservative paper to restore conservative values, preserve family and shape and promote good thinking. And perhaps even a platform to show that conservatives are not who we are said to be. For instance that we care about the environment or that we are strong givers. I thought what could I do. And as I spoke to friends they began to say, I think this is really a great thing.

What could we offer besides good columns? (I am waiting to see what it costs to publish columns by David Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly, Cal Thomas, and others.) What about education? Like educating people on how to run for office. (About 16 years ago I ran a campaign for a friend of mine against Bernie Sanders, our Socialist Senator. We were the pro-life choice.) Or teaching people not to parrot the "party line" but to investigate the truth? Or faith and politics? Or teaching about conservative values? Or promoting businesses who support conservative values? What do conservatives look at politically? How do we think? Like, I want a Conservative 101 class. To introduce people to what it means. To even clarify what type of Conservative one might be. (Ever hear of Crunchy Conservatives? Or "How Birkenstocked Burkeans, gun-loving organic gardeners, evangelical free-range farmers, hip homeschooling mamas, right wing nature lovers, and their diverse tribe of countercultural conservatives plan to save America (or at least the Republican Party)." Or fiscal conservative or cultural conservative or neo or paleo or social conservative? What is it linking us together? One of my friends calls himself a Goldwater Republican. (You can tell how old he is.)

As I told one of my friends, unlike a lot of other things I have undertaken in my life, this can not be started on a shoe string. The last few months of being sick, having my home be "under water" and other things (Like my office...) tells me, this needs "partners" and prayer people. So, as well as looking for an editor and a few people to sell, I am looking for people who would consider investing. I am going to assemble a company. I have a name in mind. (No, it is not "Am I the Only One Out Here?") I have a business plan of sorts. And I am recovering my energy and am going to begin to seek out friends who are conservative in their thinking and have an ability to convey it.

If this is "where you live" and know others who might be interested, I hope you will pass this letter on to others and encourage them to contact me.

So, you can...
Pray for us. Favor, health and wisdom.
Invest in this. (Send me a letter and tell me your interest. I think we need about $25,000 to do this.)
Advertise with us.
Write for us.
And whatever else the Lord shows you.
Let me know.

Sincerely,
Lee