Happy Thanks Giving !!!

Things I am Thankful for...
1. God
2. My Family
3. My nation
4. Those who have, are, and will serve in our armed forces.

Appropriately enough, William F. Buckely's 80th birthday falls on Thanks Giving Day, 2005.

This man had quite an effect on me in my teenage years, providing me with a firm foundation of political belief after President Ronald Reagan kindly pointed the way toward conservatism.

Reagan brought my attention to a "shining city on a hill," and Mr. Buckley taught me the basic principles I could use to get to that city. Others have helped along the way, but I look upon WFB as providing guidance at a critical juncture in my life, when I wavered between choosing Good or Evil. I made a few missteps, and whenever I was restored to my senses, WFB was there.

Less than a decade ago, I discovered he had a magazine, then still later, a website. I quit my subscription over the Ann Coulter dismissal, but still read the mag in the public library. The only way I would renew is for The National Review to print a full and complete apology for their actions in that incident.

I still remain fond of WFB, and will spend a part of my Thanks Giving day comptemplating the man and the ideas he has shared with me over the course of my life.

I thank God for WFB, and I thank WFB for using the gifts that God has given him.