My Message to the Tallahassee Tea Party

Tonight I sent out a pre-primary vote message to the 919 members of the Tallahassee Tea Party Facebook group. Here's the text of that message.

Tallahassee Tea Party,

Tomorrow may be a historic day in Florida, and particularly in Tallahassee. There are many big primary races on both the Republican and Democrat tickets. There are also many non-partisan local races that will be DECIDED tomorrow - by this time tomorrow night we may know who our next Mayor, City and County Commissioners, and School Board members will be.

While many statewide races are simply primaries tomorrow, the local races will mostly be OVER tomorrow. So, if you haven't yet voted via early voting or absentee ballot, you must vote tomorrow at your local precinct.

Many people have asked me "Who is the tea party endorsing?" This question has been posed in races for Governor, US Senate, state representatives, mayors, etc. My answer has always been: "The tea party should not endorse candidates." This movement is BIGGER than that. It's the same reason the tea party movement should not be its own political party - why would we want to confine a movement to a party? The Goldwater Conservatives of the 1960s voted for a candidate, but they took over a party. They were bigger than one man. We must seek to be bigger than the candidates and parties that are offered to us and hold them accountable on a case by case basis.

Tomorrow, and in November, I believe the tea party movement will demonstrate its impact - and no single person or cluster of a few leaders at the head of a party (whether it be the GOP, the Dems or a local or statewide or national tea party coalition) should decide for individuals who they should support.

The entire point of the tea party movement is that we, as individuals, have taken it upon ourselves to be more ACTIVE...to be more ENGAGED...and to make our voices HEARD.

I have been so encouraged by many of you who first become more ACTIVE during the first round of tea parties in early 2009. In the past year and a half, you have also been more ENGAGED - at rallies, on the phone calling your representatives, and more recently out working for individual candidates that YOU personally believe in. We can't all agree on every candidate or race. There are many fine people running (and quite a number of not so fine running as well). But the pure fact that we are part of a movement that shares the founding principles of individual liberty and limited government and the ideas of personal responsibility, is a testament to how powerful this tea party movement has become.

So, thank you, thank you, thank you. Keep up the fight. I believe tomorrow is going to be a HUGE day in Tallahassee. And I think from tomorrow through November we will have plenty of good candidates to get behind as we seek to send Tallahassee and Washington a message...that we the people are more ACTIVE than ever, more ENGAGED on the issues, and that we will in fact be HEARD.

GO VOTE!

Florida's Beaches are Still Perfect

Last weekend, I spent a day at one of my favorite Florida getaways - St. George Island, which is situated on the Gulf of Mexico, just 90 minutes from the state capital of Tallahassee. SGI, as it’s known, always has a very secluded feel to it. It’s why the area is known as Florida’s “Forgotten Coast.”

SGI may not have quite as nice of beaches as Destin, Panama City, or Pensacola, all within a few hours to its west; it may not have the high rise condos and many hotel chains; but it is a beach as untouched as most in Florida. In fact, that’s why I like it. It is a small beach town, with only a couple of locally owned hotels (no high rises). Most of the time if you stay a night, a weekend, or a week, you do so by renting out a beach house. It’s a true island getaway.

As my friends and I got into the water, there was no sign of oil anywhere. This is the oil-drenched Gulf of Mexico we had been hearing about? The only thing we had to fight this day was some possible rip tides, but we kept it safe, allowing ourselves to enjoy the large waves created by Tropical Depression Bonnie (which had passed through the Gulf of Mexico hundreds of miles to the south earlier that day). If we had a surfboard, this day would have been ideal - but so far that isn't a sport I've taken up yet.

We then went and enjoyed some great music at Harry A’s, played by our friend Sam Thacker and his band. To keep things humorous, Sam kept introducing his band with a different name in between every song. “We’re Sam Thacker ... and the brown oysters,” he said one time. Next time it was “...and the dirty pelicans.” Finally, “...the dead manatees.” He meant no harm. And surely this isn’t something to joke about. But as we sat in a bar and grille that continues to serve great seafood from the Gulf of Mexico, as we sat on the beaches and refreshed ourselves in the warm Florida waters, we never saw one ounce of what the mainstream media told us about. Instead it felt like normal times on St. George Island - except for the businesses that are hurt by false, or at least over exaggerated reports.

All I could think of is how this might be affecting the small business along Florida’s Gulf Coast. Florida boasts more than 1200 miles of coastline - and 700 miles of that includes sandy beaches. A few miles near Pensacola have been touched with tar balls, but not much else. In fact, at last check, all of these coastlines and beaches remain open for business. Florida’s Commissioner of Agriculture Charlie Bronson declared this past week that “98% of all seafood in the entire Gulf of Mexico is unaffected and safe to eat.”

One of my favorite past times, especially during the summer, is to get out to the beach and in my opinion, Florida boasts some of the best, most diverse, and most unique beaches around. For my friends outside of Florida, I’m happy to make some recommendations: Amelia Island, Miami Beach, Fort Myers, St. George Island, Destin, and Pensacola Beach are some of my favorites. And I’ve heard so much about Siesta Key (near Sarasota) from others that it may be next on my list to check out. Either way, get to some of Florida’s beaches soon. You’ll understand why it is so many millions of people visit here - and why it is so many others choose to make this state home.

A Day for Charity

On Saturday, I spent the day at two separate charity events in Tallahassee. The first involved playing in a charity tennis tournament that benefits Catholic Charities of Northwest Florida. Each year, this charity, among its many programs, has a Christmas Connection drive, where it provides gifts and services to those in need. The tennis tournament that was held Saturday at Forest Meadows tennis center in Tallahassee raises money for the Christmas Connection drive. It was a round robin style tennis tournament.

I played in the 8.5 men's doubles draw with my friend and JMI member John Brooks and I played in the 8.5 mixed doubles draw with my colleague Laura Ward. I also participated in a serving target contest. All the funds from the tournament registration fees and associated contests go towards the charity. There was a very good turnout and the day started with a blessing by Father Will Ganci, who also played in one of the men's doubles brackets.

It was a scorching hot day, and after playing men's doubles in the morning and mixed doubles in the afternoon, I had to spend a few hours at home rehydrating and relaxing, before I was to take to the dance floor for another charity event Saturday night.

I attended the 6th annual Party4Purpose 80's prom in Tallahassee. Each year, this event is held to raise money for one of many competing charities. The 80s themed event was held at three downtown establishments: Paradigm, Clyde's and Andrews. There were live bands playing cover songs from the 80s, a video screen showing music videos and other clips from 80s movies, as well as DJ's spinning 80s music. And the best part: attendees dress up in costumes as if we were living in the 80s. It was a lot of fun. The cover charge of $10 and part of the drinks consumed go to charity. When attendees enter, they are shown a board of the 7 "competing" charities and they cast a vote for one of them. The one who wins gets all the money that was raised at the event - a winner take all.

This year, the seven local competing charities included: (1) Big Bend Hospice, (2) Big Brothers & Big Sisters of the Big Bend, (3) Capital City Youth Services, (4) Guardian ad Litem, (5) Magnolia School, (6) Ovarian Cancer Alliance of North Florida, and (7) Special Olympics of Leon County.

I personally got a lot out of these two events. They were fun ways to learn about the charitable causes going on right here in Tallahassee. I applaud these two organizations for bringing awareness to these causes by hosting meaningful events to raise money for these great charitable organizations. The organizers of these events put a lot of time and effort into making sure every detail was covered - and the time they devoted to pulling off such successful events is much more than any of us could possibly give. They also showed that when people come together as a community for causes worth supporting, private charity often fulfills the greatest needs in our communities - and they are causes worth supporting with our time, talents, and treasures. For centuries, American civil society has been built through voluntary associations that these charities represent. The tennis tournament and the 80s prom are unique ways in which members of our own community here in Tallahassee came together voluntarily to be a part of this American tradition.

My weekend in Hotlanta!

Last weekend I took a trip to Atlanta. Although I always like to call it Hotlanta! One, it's usually hot there this time of year. But two, it's a city that's getting more vibrant each time I go. It's literally HUGE. Over the course of more than 2 days I found myself all over the city. What's odd is that all of a sudden I have a lot of friends and acquaintances in Atlanta. Maybe it's the connections of living in the Florida panhandle the past two plus years combined with the travels I did for ISI and working in the conservative movement.

I got up there on Friday night and my first stop was to get some chili burgers at the famous Atlanta joint, The Varsity. It's very conveniently located right off I-75 in the heart of Atlanta. The food there is absolutely gross, but delicious. And well, I had to have it. I'm in Atlanta.

From there I stopped in to see Matt Kabus play some live music at his mother's art show, which was part of a larger art show taking place in the historic Castleberry Hill neighborhood in southwest Atlanta. I first met Matt on The Rock Boat. He played a few acoustic sets on there, but I would have never known. He was one of the many people I met and hung out with on the Promenade deck, listening to other musicians play late into the night. We've kept in touch and before this trip I've only listened to his recorded music via my iPod. This was the first time I got to here a few tunes live and he is a very talented musician, who is still working on finishing college. Meanwhile, as I walked around the art gallery, I couldn't tell who was more talented, Matt or his mother, Lisa Kabus. The art work was incredible. I guess creativity runs in the family.

Well I didn't know anyone there but Matt, and he was kind of busy playing music. Plus I needed to get over to RiRa Irish Pub in midtown Atlanta to see my friends Sam Thacker, Michael Westbrook, and Mike Reddick. They played a couple sets of cover songs. My friend Dom, who just moved to Atlanta from Tallahassee six months ago, also met up with me there and we got the chance to catch up. It's too bad we didn't get a chance to play tennis. Dom is a teaching tennis pro in Atlanta - and he's also a drummer. More on that later.

I stayed to the end of the night at RiRa and then crashed at Sam's place. The next morning watched the first World Cup game with him and his girlfriend Melissa. Then, I was off to go pick up my friend Ezra, who was flying into the Atlanta airport from Miami for a dinner we both were in town to attend that night at Capital City Grille in the Buckhead neighborhood of Atlanta. After picking him up we went back to our friend Stan's place, who put us up that night in his house. But he was also hosting a big afternoon party to watch the USA-England game. About 30 people came over and we all just had a blast. I've never seen such a large and boisterous gathering of Americans at a house party for SOCCER! Will World Cup fever finally get Americans into soccer? Or will it forever remain America's future sport? ha

After the game and the party, Stan, his girlfriend, Ezra, and I went to the Capital City Grille to meet up with a few other folks that are part of this emerging social network of young conservatives. I'd tell you more, but... it's kind of a conspiracy. Ok not really, but just an exchange of intellectual ideas with top conservative young adults from around the country who are beginning to make their way in the world. After a dinner in a private dining room with an amazing view from the 8th floor (a dinner which lasted more than 3 hours!) we all walked down the street to East Andrews where my friend Sam was playing a solo set.

While there, we snuck off to a back room where there is a secret bar (seriously, I'm not making this up) called Prohibition. You have to know someone to get in because you walk in through an old style telephone booth. You have to dial the right number on the phone (and apparently the number changes every night or every week or something). We went in there. It was a very nice traditional looking bar that was more like a cigar bar. After a drink and some good conversation, I had to dip out. It was hot and smoky and I can only take that so long. Plus, had to go hear Sam play a few more songs before we dipped out.

Another odd thing - since we all had a few drinks... my friend Stan didn't want anyone to drive home, a mere 10 minutes away. They have this neat service in Atlanta called Zingo. You pay a driver to drive you home. He puts a very small scooter (which disassembles) in the back of the trunk (in this case, the back of Stan's SUV). Once we got home, the driver then rides his scooter back. I think the service cost about $20 (plus tip) for the distance we traveled. Better than taking a cab because you don't have to find a ride back to the bar in the morning to get your car. And you don't need to get a DUI.

Well the next morning, watched a little more World Cup with Stan and Ezra. Then I headed out to meet my cousin Joey for lunch. He is a student at Georgia Tech, getting a second bachelor's degree there. I picked him up there and we ate at a local pizza joint next to campus. It was great to see him and catch up. He's studying away in a mechanical engineering program.

After lunch, I headed east across town barely leaving the city limits to go to an art show/music festival at the Alcove art gallery in Decatur where my friend Dom's band, The Son Red, was playing that afternoon. Boy it was hot! As I waited for Dom's band to get on, I walked around to the many booths where people were selling all sorts of neat art. I happened to be wearing my "Enjoy Capitalism" t-shirt and I had so many people make positive comments about it. One of the vendors even had a 10 minute conversation with me about the future of capitalism and the prospects of drilling after the DeepWater Horizon oil leak. Was I back at my think tank? I was wondering why - at an art show - where most of these folks would appear to be pretty politically liberal - why I would get so many positive comments. Then I thought: of course! They are all participating in the free market at this very moment, selling goods to turn a profit. They are all entrepreneurs! Of course they loved my shirt.

After listening to Dom's band (which was very good - kind of a grunge feel to them) I headed out and swung up to the north side of Atlanta, near Johns Creek, GA in Gwinnett County to see my friends Esther and Seth Weathers. They just got married back in November. I first met Esther at least 4 years ago when I worked for ISI. I met Seth about 2 years ago. I was introduced to him via another mutual friend, and what do you know, he married Esther. Small world. Small conservative world. Through their companies, Weathers Corporation and Wildfire, they build websites and social networking experiences for companies and for political candidates in Atlanta and are tied into the political conservative world of this vibrant and growing metropolis. My visit to see them was short, but at least I got it in.

I eventually had to head out and put a close on a fun weekend. Leaving Atlanta about 6:30 PM, I ventured back south and got back home to Tallahassee about 11:00 PM, only stopping once to get some quick fast food. It was a whirlwind of a weekend. But I got to see so many amazing friends and even made some new ones. It was really neat to spend time in so many different and unique parts of this city - from the southwest historic district, to the heart of midtown, the Georgia Tech campus, to Buckhead, Decatur, and the growing areas of Gwinnett County to the north. A lot of cool things are going to come out of this city - and who knows, they might all come from my eclectic group of friends there. Musically, politically, academically, and socially - Atlanta is a place worth watching - and visiting again, for sure.

I DON'T BLAME OBAMA

Over the past 6 weeks, since the Deep Water Horizon oil leak, many have been pointing fingers at those they deem responsible. BP? Transocean? Halliburton? They were the companies involved in this freak accident. But as the oil keeps gushing from the sea floor without any success of plugging the leak, many have been looking to President Obama and the federal government to take action and use the power of the federal government to stop the oil leak and prevent oil from reaching the shores of Gulf Coast states like Louisiana, Mississippi, and my beloved home state of Florida.

Some are even saying this is "Obama's Katrina." And that's where I say, let's hold our horses. Just as I do not believe George W. Bush and the federal government were to blame for a hurricane hitting the city of New Orleans and causing damage in other states like Mississippi, I also don't think Obama or the federal government are to blame for an explosion on an oil rig miles out in the Gulf of Mexico, which has caused a leak 5,000 feet down on the sea floor.

First and foremost, the responsibility rests with the companies operating the rig. Yes, in this case, this conservative will first blame private companies over the federal government. Some will then say, well the government should have had more regulations in place. Really? Is that what we need? More government regulation?

Private companies have the incentive to regulate themselves and create industry standards. And they are motivated mostly by profit. Let's change the subject for a moment to the airline industry. Airlines are also motivated by profit. They know that no matter how successful they are, one plane crash could put them out of business. Consider the airline industry's record: There are relatively very few commercial plane accidents. They are so rare that when one happens, it's usually in the news for months.

Ok, back to drilling for oil...with that same concept applied. Oil companies are motivated by profit. They know that one accident may not only put them out of business, but could also disrupt the entire oil industry from being allowed to drill further. In the past six weeks, BP has already dished out tens of millions of dollars, are losing hundreds of millions of dollars daily since the spill, and are being seriously damaged in the public relations battle. There's a good chance the many lawsuits already piling up against them will force them to go completely out of business because of this one accident. Even if they do survive as a company, the regulations that will hit them and the entire oil drilling industry will be a severe punishment to their future profits.

With all this in mind, it is plain as daylight to see why the oil drilling industry has an almost perfect record when it comes to safety and almost nonexistent accidents. They have a profit incentive not to spill any oil. The last time something this big happened near the United States was with the Exxon Valdez oil spill in the 1980s. That's more than 20 years ago. Private companies have a profit motive to regulate themselves. And despite this once in a generation accident, that incentive has proven to work pretty well.

So back to Obama and the federal government. Are they to blame? No.

Some will say, "This proves Obama is incompetent." Perhaps this is true. But maybe those who were so quick to judge Bush will rethink this. Why do those in government always look so incompetent? It's not because they are (ok, maybe some are). It's mostly just the nature of how government works. It has no profit incentive. The only incentive elected officials have are to make things look good (whether they are or not) in the public relations battle so they aren't damaged from the events that happen to occur on their watch, in order that they might still be electable in the future. But most people in government aren't elected officials - most are appointed or hired bureaucrats. Their incentives are much less than elected officials - and much, much less than private companies.

The lesson learned here: let the free-market work. Don't blame those in government for things they don't (and shouldn't) control. And don't overreact by giving them more power to regulate the things they should be far, far away from.

The government's role in this case is simply one of being the mediator of the litigations that will follow between the private parties who caused the damage and who were victims of the damage. If those parties involve individuals, communities, towns, or entire states, then we'll see this all played out in the courtroom - and ultimately the private companies who bear the responsibility for this damage will pay and other private entities involved in this industry will take note and impose stricter safety standards on themselves. It would be good for business.

State Sovereignty is Wrong

Throughout the tea party movement, and among many conservatives and libertarians lately, there have been cries for "state sovereignty." Much of this has to do with a reaction to the overreach of the federal government, which has gone on since the Progressive Era in the early twentieth century and accelerated with the New Deal and the Great Society programs.

The latest infringements of federal power on the states has come in the form of federal bailouts for failed corporations and federal mandates for states and individuals in the realm of health care. But is a cry for "state sovereignty" the answer? According to the U.S. Constitution... absolutely not.

But what about the Tenth Amendment? Let's revisit the words in that amendment: "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."

Now, don't get me wrong. I agree with just about everyone who agrees with what the Tenth Amendment actually says. But let's get things straight. There is a role for both the states and the federal government. The states are not sovereign.

In addition to the use of the term "state sovereignty," some use the term "state's rights." For many others, the use of the term "state's rights" conjures up images of slavery and the Confederacy. Well, both sides of that debate are wrong. It is true that state's have a role to play, but rights? Does the federal government have "rights"? Absolutely not - they have powers delegated to it by the consent of the governed (i.e. "We the People"). In this same sense, states also do not have rights, they merely have powers delegated to them. "Rights" and "powers" are two very different things.

So, what about "we the people"? Do we, as individuals, have rights? Yes. In fact, we're the only ones that do. Our founders also laid out these rights in a very controversial (especially for their time) Bill of Rights. Some at the time, who believed the people already had these natural rights, as granted by their Creator, did not think they needed to be spelled out in the Constitution or in any amendments to that Constitution, for they were a given. But, as a compromise with those that did want them spelled out, they went ahead and wrote these rights into words in order that the Constitution be ratified. Fair enough, but that's where our confusion set in; because for some people today, a written Bill of Rights makes them believe that government is the grantor of "rights." Absolutely not. The people have the rights, as the Declaration of Independence stated, they are "endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights." The people thus have the liberties to govern themselves, with the only exception being the "powers" they consented to have delegated to the various levels of government (local, state, and federal).

For those in our movement that want to reign in the overreaching powers of the federal government, we need to stop using the terms "state's rights" or "state sovereignty." Government (federal, state, or local) does not have "rights." Government only has "powers," and only those powers delegated by we the people.

And individual states are not sovereign. The last time they were sovereign was before the Constitution was ratified in 1789, and arguably before the Articles of Confederation were put into place during the War for Independence in 1781. The states joined together in a loose confederation then and later, under the Constitution, into a federal republic, in which some powers were delegated to the federal government, while others were retained by the states and by the people.

That said it is imperative, for the sake of our Union, that the Tenth Amendment movement should go forward. The federal government has certainly usurped more powers than the U.S. Constitution has granted it. States need to check the federal government's power and use the Constitution to do so. But we must abandon this language of "state sovereignty" and "state's rights" fast, before we lose the ultimate battle. Rather, we need to educate more people on the principle of federalism, which provides a role for states and a role for the federal government. It is part of the ultimate checks and balances, just as (if not more important) than the separation of powers in the three branches of government (legislative, executive, and judicial).

We must get a grip back on the language of the role of the various levels and branches of government. That language is right inside the Tenth Amendment itself. We must speak of the various "powers delegated" and must educate more people on which of those powers are for the federal government and which are left to the states and the people.

Sometimes It's Tough Being Right

Two years ago, I co-authored a book with my friends Brendan Steinhauser and Steve Bierfeldt. The book, Who is the REAL Barack Obama? For the rising generation, by the rising generation, was a warning to all voters, but especially young people to not get caught up in the hype presented by the candidacy of Barack Obama.

In the book, we demonstrated, through facts (supported by nearly 200 footnotes) that Obama would be the most radically left President we've ever had. Obama claimed he would be a "transpartisan" president, meaning he would transcend partisan politics. As President, he has done nothing more than chart a course as far to the Left as possible. In response, a populist movement known as the tea parties emerged and President Obama has not only not reached out to this popular (and growing) movement of Americans, but has publicly ridiculed them. Do you call this transcending partisan politics?

As a candidate, Obama claimed he would bring "change" to Washington, but again, as we correctly pointed out in our book, he would concentrate more power in Washington and exacerbate our problems further. I could go on and on and an entire new book could be written here.

Today, I hate to say it, but I was right again. More than 14 months ago, I wrote a blog post, "Oust Charlie Crist," issuing "a clarion call to all conservatives inside and outside of Florida: let's oust Crist from the Republican Party." I cited several examples where Crist's policies had been going to the Left, embracing statist policies even before he "embraced" Obama in Fort Myers that same month. His government property insurance scheme (a real "public option"), his state version of a "cap and trade" program with government mandates on energy and holding summits about "global warming." Since then he has committed some real sins against the Right, with his active support of the stimulus which puts our nation further into debt and then his veto against his own party on the bold education reforms passed by the Republican-led Florida Legislature.

Today was no surprise for me. The winds have shifted and Charlie Crist goes wherever the winds move. Unfortunately for him the winds have shifted so much against him he now has nowhere to turn, but only to a lonely desperate road of political isolationism. The party establishment he has called himself a part of for 24 years he now refers to as "a club." When the club embraced him, Charlie was happy to be a part of it. Now that his corrupt cronies (Jim Greer and company) have been found caught red-handed with out of control spending on the GOP donor's dime, he no longer can use the power of the party for his own personal political ambitions. Thus, he realizes he cannot win as a Republican. Down by double-digits in the polls (in some polls more than 30 points) to Republican Marco Rubio, he now abandons the primary race to go straight to November. Desperation has set in and Charlie isn't about to put the interests of his party in front of his own interests.

Many Republican establishment types in Tallahassee and Washington, D.C. stayed with Charlie for way too long. For some, almost to the bitter end. With Rubio seen as a rising star and out to a massive lead over both Crist and Meek, these political insiders are anxious to throw jokes at Crist and jump on board the Rubio express. I'm happy to welcome them, but I now see through their own political posturing. It isn't much different than Charlie's. He's simply the one in the spotlight.

Conservatives stand for the timeless principles that our founders placed in the Constitution: limited government, separation of powers, federalism, and the rule of law. They are not difficult principles to stand for if you indeed really stand for them. Barack Obama looks at these founding principles with contempt. Charlie Crist doesn't look at them at all. Barack Obama knows what he wants to do with his power. Charlie Crist simply wants power, like a schoolboy who wants to be Class President. Both are hungry for power at the expense of hardworking Americans simply wanting government to get out of the way so they can live their lives and pursue their dreams. It's no wonder these two embraced each other in Fort Myers, FL in February 2009. They have so much in common with each other and very little in common with average Americans.

So today, it's tough being right. I would have preferred to be wrong about these two men. I would have embraced them had they proven me wrong. But it's hard to escape the truth that facts employ.

So tonight I remind America that I have proved right about these two men in my own careful analysis. I am not simply a "Republican" looking to win. If that was the case, I would not have abandoned Charlie Crist 14 months ago. I would have been riding his wave when he was riding high. I look to principles and purpose. These two men don't have it and it wasn't that hard to tell. Instead of following them, we need to seek to place serious, hard working, thoughtful, principled men and women in office who care about upholding not their personalities, but the Constitution.

Stay tuned America. I'll be offering more analysis and predictions in the future. You just might want to tune in. Foresight is a bitch. It's also a burden.

2009: My Year in Review - Forever Young

Where did this year go?

In 2009, I began the year with my January 13th birthday. Turning 31, I declared at my birthday party that "31 is the new 21." By year's end, that little joke would turn out to ring true. I got more competitive on the tennis court, I partied with musicians and attended many more musical performances than I had in years, and in Tallahassee, I helped organize thousands of people to come together to take on the forces of big government in a series of "tea parties." So here's a little run through some of the more memorable moments of my year:

In January and February, I saw my Terps and Canes basketball teams come to town. One advantage living in Seminole country is that my ACC teams play here often. Unfortunately, I saw them both lose to a pretty good FSU basketball team. The year was redeemed for me on Labor Day night with a classic Miami win over FSU, decided on a last second play. It was one of the best football games I've ever been to, with a constant back and forth in the score and with my Canes prevailing. Perhaps the neatest thing was seeing more than 20,000 Miami Hurricane fans don the orange and green in Tallahassee and attended a pre-game UM celebration.

In February, I took a trip to Washington, D.C. to see a lot of friends and timed my trip perfectly with the annual Conservative Political Action Conference. This was my fifth time attending CPAC in the past 6 years. During that week, I also attended the first round of tea parties of 2009 and the first tea party (we know of) that took place outside the White House on February 27. About 300 patriots came together that day and my friends Brendan Steinhauser, John O'Hara, and J.P. Freire were the primary organizers. I stayed with Brendan while I was in D.C. and got snowed in for two days. During that time, I plotted and planned with him and was determined to bring the "tea party" movement to Tallahassee. While "snowed-in in DC," I also gave a short lecture at the Heritage Foundation during a special "Conservatism on Tap" event.

Upon my return to Tallahassee, I had two goals: have a tea party on St. Patrick's Day (March 17) and try to get 300 people there. Then, use that as a jumping point for a Tax Day Tea Party (April 15) and get 1,000 people there. The first goal was nearly accomplished, with about 225 people attending and plenty of media attention. But that generated the momentum for April 15. Somehow, someway, we organized well and on April 15, more than 2,000 people showed up to the grounds of Florid'as Historic State Capitol. I was the primary organizer of the event and I also served as the event's emcee, which was really cool. To look out and see that many people - to rally that many people - for the cause of liberty, was an incredible feeling.

More than 1,000 such tea parties were held simultaneously across the nation that day. We helped create a movement - and are now part of the biggest push back against big government perhaps since our nation's founding and the first tea party of 1773.

The tea parties were a reaction to the gigantic growth in government over the past two years, between the "Bush-Obama" bailouts, and now they continue to be a force to fight against the continued government intervention in the economy - whether that be in the area of health care, energy policy, or other regulatory and reckless spending. We cannot push our country any further into debt than it already is. I believe we've reached a breaking point, and the tea party movement has come about to say "enough is enough." Throughout 2009, the Tallahassee Tea Party persisted and has become a large part of the tea party movement.

I did some other traveling this year - mostly related to my job as Director of Development at The James Madison Institute as well as opportunities to come together with others in the conservative movement. (It's hard to believe I'm now wrapping up my full second year with the Institute!)

In late March, I drove over to New Orleans for annual national meeting of The Philadelphia Society, an intellectually conservative group of which I am proud to be a member for the past few years. At that meeting, scholars discussed the future of conservatism and how to bring conservative principles into the 21st century.

In September, I drove to Charleston, SC - my first time there - for a Development Director's retreat hosted by the State Policy Network. I got together with my colleagues in the state-based free-market movement and discussed how to raise more money and grow our organizations' capacities. In November, I traveled with 4 of my colleagues to Asheville, NC and attended the annual meeting of the State Policy Network. More than 600 people attended this year, representing every state think tank in the country. This meeting is always really neat because there is someone from every state in the Union represented. We share best practices and learn from one another about what is working (and what isn't) for free-marketers in the various states.

In August, I traveled to Maryland for a special retreat for about 50 young professional conservatives across the country. I then visited my friends and former colleagues at my old job at ISI in Delaware and then hung out in D.C. for a few days, getting the opportunity to watch some high quality professional tennis at the Legg Mason Tennis Classic - we saw 7 of the top 20 players on the same day, including Fernando Gonzalez, Andy Roddick, Robin Soderling, Fernando Verdasco, Tommy Robredo, and Lleyton Hewitt, among others.

In the past few years, I have been playing more tennis than I have since I was a junior player. This year, I really stepped it up more by playing more and I competed once again in the USTA's 4.5 league here in Tallahassee. This year, our regionals was held in Tallahassee and I had to play 4 singles matches in 3 days - I won 3 of them - all tough matches. Down two players, our team tied for first with the Jacksonville team, yet it wasn't enough. When they went to the "tiebreaker" we lost one more set than Jacksonville, and weren't able to advance. However, I really proved to myself that I could play 4 tennis matches in the same 3 days and play at a high quality level - in July! I was even filmed for a spot on the local Tallahassee news, which showed some of my points.

As I write this, I have just went out and visited my old training ground at Bill Clark's tennis academy in Cooper City, FL. I was out there this week - at the age of 31 - training with some top college and junior tennis players and hanging in there. (And hey, they don't have full time jobs)

My year was also defined by music. I attended the Rock By The Sea charitable music festival on St. George Island. I had never been to SGI before, but this year I made it there 4 times. My first time was for the festival at the end of March. Beautiful weather, great music, good times. I was introduced to some great bands: Sam Thacker and Wideawake becoming some of my friends - and Sam Thacker (and his crew including Michael Westbrook) becoming good friends in the process. I hung out with Sam and his crew 4 different weekends on SGI this year, rocking out at Harry A's, getting in some good beach time, and sleeping it off at the unique beach houses on SGI. One of those weekends was for Rock By The Sea "Lite" in the fall, which benefits Sister Hazel's "Lyrics for Life" charity.

Speaking of Sister Hazel, I got to meet them too. Sam opened up for them in November in Tallahassee. And, my brother Manny (who had just returned from Kentucky was on his way back south on his move back to South Florida) and I found ourselves at the bar with all them later, with Sister Hazel buying us drinks. Pretty cool. Just weeks before on Halloween, I dressed up as a "rock star" and saw Sam open for Corey Smith at Potbelly's in Tallahassee. Even got to hang out with Corey Smith after. Yea, I felt like a rock star all year long - from the tea parties, the tennis competitions, and hanging out with musicians. So I thought, why not just dress up the way I feel?

And how can you not feel like a rock star when you have 250 plus followers - on Twitter that is. I joined this new social networking device and it's become the new way I get almost all my news, at least initially. I first found out about the death of Michael Jackson and the hysterics of "Balloon Boy" on Twitter. Politically, I share lots of information on Twitter and get a lot of updates from the 75 or so people I follow - all via my mobile device. At the end of 2008 I had purchased the Blackberry Storm - my first blackberry ever - and it definitely has "altered" my life in new and interesting ways in 2009 - still not sure its always for the better. What happened to the phone call? It seems all we communicate over now is texts and tweets.

This past August, my paternal grandfather passed away. Due to traveling at the time of his passing (and the insanely fast turn around on his funeral arrangements) I wasn't able to get to his funeral. But a few weeks later I visited his grave in Miami with my grandmother, who survives him. She is the last grandparent I still have alive. His death, at the age of 89, reminded me of all the sacrifices he made for his family - bringing them from Cuba in 1960 and starting a new life in a country. It reinforces for me why I do what I do - promoting liberty and a free economy. He sacrificed so much for it - and thought more about the next generation of his own family.

Well as the year draws to a close, I am writing this blog from my parents home in Delray Beach, FL. I feel like I have spent so much more time in South Florida this year than I have in perhaps as many as 8 years. For six and half years (2001-2008) I lived outside Florida (in Maryland, Delaware, and Pennsylvania). Since moving to Tallahassee, I find myself all over the state and the ability to get back to South Florida for work and to visit my family is a bit easier (despite the 6 and a half hour drive each way). But this year, I spent almost a week here during Thanksgiving and now I'm down here for two weeks for Christmas and for some JMI events.

As we look towards 2010, we have a hopeful year ahead at JMI - we are contracting to buy a new building and have a downtown Tallahassee headquarters, we are putting up a new website (any day!) and we will be hiring new staff to help us do more on behalf of the principles we believe will help our state during these challenging times and in the future.

In 2010, we must win our country back. JMI does not get involved in the direct political process (candidates or lobbying, etc). But as for me, the number one man of the year I'll be supporting is Marco Rubio to represent the state of Florida in the U.S. Senate!

Next week at this time, I'll be boarding my first cruise ever - The Rock Boat! It's a 4-night Carnival cruise that will take us from Tampa to Cozumel. The added bonus: there are like 25 bands coming with us and there will be wall-to-wall concerts and fun all day and night. It's going to be nuts. 2009 ended with me feeling that 31 is the new 21 ... and we're bringing that rock star status right into the new year.

Let's see if 2010 can live up to all the hopeful expectations. But thanks 2009 - you wore me out at my ripe old age of 31, but you made me feel young again. Thanks for the memories!

Caught the Spirit of the Suwannee

Yesterday, I spent the day at the Magnolia Music Festival, held at the "Spirit of the Suwannee" state music park. It couldn't have been a more heavenly day - clear blue skies, temperature in the mid 70s, dropping to the mid 60s at night. Like much of northern Florida, the park hosts many live oak trees with Spanish moss - and probably not coincidentally the park itself is actually situated in the city of Live Oak, FL.

There were more than 30 bands on hand on four different stages, with bluegrass as the predominant style of music, but not the only style of music. My favorite band, Scythian, is an Irish/Celtic band with a modern edge. Then there was Tornado Rider, whose lead singer plays an electric cello as if it were an electric guitar. He also likes to climb things. What a storm of songs he took us through! Almost all had to do with animals (songs about hyenas, falcons, and even dinosaurs!) And Donna the Buffalo topped things off late at night with some classic bluegrass grooves .

Throughout this great day of music, however, I couldn't help but notice some of the religious undertones to much of the music. And the crowd didn't necessarily appear to be your typical church-going folk.

I am a fan of Seth Walker's blues - this is now the third time I've seen him in northern Florida in the past two years (despite the fact he's from Austin, TX). Like many bluesmen, his lyrics and sound sometimes seem to morph into gospel at times. This is particularly the case in the song "Lay Down (River of Faith)" on his new "Leap of Faith" album. I found a video clip of him performing the song from another show here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgLtn04g354&feature=related

The lyrics begin... "Lay down my soul....my soul....I got to lay down...and fly right through heaven's gate...through heaven's gate...I got to lay down."

He played his Saturday afternoon set on the Meadow stage, only a few hundred feet away from the legendary Suwannee River. The lyrics in his song continued, "I'm washing off my hands in the sanctifying water...I'm washing off my hands in the river of faith." As he evoked these words, I felt I needed to go take in a view of the Suwannee River after his set, as water is both purifying and magnificent, especially the great Suwannee River.

Seth's gospel-like blues continued in his lyrics, "Darkness came over me...it came over me...I got to lay down. The devil put tempt in me, put tempt in me...I got to lay it down...What's buried inside of me...inside of me...and I got to lay it all down. Worship a higher love...a higher love...and I got to lay all it down."

Lay it down we must.

Later in the evening just as the sun was setting,, Scythian took the Meadow stage. I have seen them more than a dozen times and know them well. Two of the musicians in the band, Dan and Alex Fedoryka are sons of Ukranian Catholics. There are always good strong messages in most of their songs - from songs of courage like "I Will Go" to adventurous songs such as the "Gypsy Fiddle." They have even made the accordion sexy again with the hip "technocorrdion" song. However, they chose to close with a new song, called "Santa Maria." And I found a video link to them playing this song earlier this month at the Catholic school that Dan graduated from, Franciscan University: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPul0XIRxBw

The lyrics feature a fast, repetitive chorus, "Santa Maria, Santa Maria, Santa Maria... save our souls." It was fantastic and beautiful at the same time. The message of the song was to ask "Santa Maria" (St. Mary) for guidance in seeking salvation. And as my friend Heather said, Scythian is not just a great band, but they play with such "joy." Indeed. I've always described them as simply a "fun" band. It's impossible not to have fun at a Scythian show - and nearly impossible not to dance.

Speaking of dancing, we saw a lot of dancing among many of the "hippies" and other folks who come to the "Spirit of the Suwannee" music park. It seems they are trying to get away from the regular lives and embrace a "hippie culture" once again. Some were dancing by themselves, some with others. And some were performing dancing moves I've never seen before (and wouldn't mind not seeing again). But dancing is also an expression of a longing within one self, and is usually done with music invokes something deeper within, perhaps towards something greater above - as Seth Walker might say, toward a "higher love." It almost looked like a religious experience for one man who we saw dancing out in the middle of the crowd.

The songs, dancing, and heavenly setting at the beautiful "Spirit of the Suwanee" state park had much of us catching the spirit indeed.

I will be posting pictures and possibly more commentary in the coming days. But, be sure to join us at the park for Springfest. Mark your calendars now for March 26-28. I think we'll be going for more than one day then and take in the camping experience as well. Then we will see bonfires, sunrises, and breakfast come into play as well.

Music, Tennis, and the Unseriousness of Human Affairs

The last two weeks have been incredible and has made me thankful for all the blessings God has continued to shower down on me. First, there is the gift of family and friends that I am always thankful for.

But, let me get a little "unserious" for a minute. And I say "unserious" because I am going to go from talking about God, His blessings, our gifts to... tennis and music. How serious is playing (or watching) tennis? Or playing or listening to music? Well, as a tennis player and a fan, and as one who is a fan of great music, the last two weeks have given me some further insight into how we each use our gifts and talents in creative ways.

We can't all be as great of tennis players as I witnessed at the 2009 Tallahassee Tennis Challenger. These guys were good. While I am sometimes playing tennis - in the heat of the competition - I often forget about all else that is going on in the world, even in my world. It just becomes about the competition of the sport, about perfecting your shots, about moving fast, and tracking down the shots your opponent is hitting back at you. When you hit a great forehand or a great serve, or a backhand you didn't know you had, you feel a sense of glory, as if all the practice and competition came together for that moment.

Then, you go watch some professional players at a tournament like the Tallahassee Challenger and you wonder what sport you thought you were playing. These guys are hitting some sick shots, and they are good. And, the field is LOADED with talent. There's not much of a difference between a guy ranked number 120 and a guy ranked in the 400s. A few points maybe. But they are out there working hard every day trying to get themselves better and trying to compete against the stacked competition. But what they give each of us fans back is a sense of INSPIRATION. I know I am never going to be THAT good (especially at this age), but watching their talent in action INSPIRES us to play on and dares us to dream that we can.

Speaking of a field loaded with talent - I spent the last two weekends listening to some great musicians perform on St. George Island. One weekend had a plethora of great, mostly young, bands at the Rock By The Sea (RBTS) charitable music festival. And this past weekend, one of those bands, the Sam Thacker band returned to perform two more times.

After watching four of their performances in 10 days, I kept thinking to myself, "why aren't these guys bigger yet? And why did I just find out about them?" I mean they're very talented. But then you come to realize there is so much talent out there in the music industry as well, and it's all going to be about what sells and what gets your attention. Like tennis players, they are competing in a field loaded with talent. And these days, its tougher than ever with all that "free" music out there.

But there is something more here - whether its Sam Thacker or some other musicians out there that I have yet to hear play, they are all offering their talents to the world and they are allowing us to partake in their creativity. What gives the artist his ability or his drive to "create"? What gives the tennis player the will to go on and perfect his game?

Well this makes me reflect back to Edmund Burke's phrase, "Art is man's nature." This first means that nature is where we see God's art, God's creation. Man was made in the image of God, and God was the first Creator. So all of us each have some drive inside of us to create something. We create and express ourselves through "art." It is the spark of the divine within us that gives us our ability and our drive to create.

And I would argue tennis, or any sport really, is an art in this sense. As Father Schall outlines in his book, On the Unseriousness of Human Affairs, we don't just create a sport, but we work to professionalize it, to perfect it. When you watch the NFL, it didn't start that way, so professionalized and nearly perfected. It started out with someone creating a weird looking ball, then throwing it around, the designing rules, uniforms, and then one day, it was professionalized.

When you look out on a beautiful beach like St. George Island, or up at the heavenly hosts that dot that landscape late at night, you see God's art - nature - staring back at you, aweing you. On a human level, we can be "awed" by each other's creation as well. Whether that is a song, a talented musician, a tennis player, or the spirit of competition, our drive to create goes on. And that drive to create and the creation itself are inspired by something greater. We all can't sing a song like Sam Thacker or hit a tennis ball like Jean-Yves Aubone, but we CAN be inspired by how they use their talents, how hard they work to perfect them, and then be inspired to join them and partake in creation.

After all, these are the "unserious" things that make us human and help us tap into something greater than ourselves. It is not in our work, in our economy, or in our politics that we find humanity. It is, as Father Schall says, in the "unseriousness" of human affairs.