The RedState Gathering over the weekend gave me time to reflect on just how fortunate I am to be a member of a site like this. I don’t post all that much, but I’m always reading what you guys have to say. From the Front Pagers down to the diaries written by everyone else, I do my best to read as many of them as I can.

I’ve been here for 2 years and 10 months, if the info my account gives me is right, but it really doesn’t seem like it’s been that long. I guess time really flies when you’re having fun. I’ve seen many great posts and posters come and go. I’ve seen the transition to the new site and all the kinks that came with it.

I still remember how I came here…

It was December of 2005, and the FISA wiretaps had just been revealed by the New York Times. For those of you who don’t know, I happen to be involved in a few Urban Planning and development forums, in fact I am currently on the staff of one of them. Make no mistake, I do enjoy posting on these forums. However, predictably, the politics of these forums happen to lean to the Left (to say the least), so it should go without saying that they were in an uproar over this.

My face upon reading what the people on these forums had to say

Upon seeing said “uproar”, I set out to find out the truth behind the story, so I could better defend the conservative cause and the War on Terror. I went searching across the Internet for information on the subject that the MSM was not providing me.

I had to be careful while reading those forums, or else something like this might happen.

I came across many blogs and other sites of various quality. I found my answers to what I was looking for, and I also found some sites that I would visit for years to come. One site, in particular, stuck out in my mind. That site was RedState.

In RedState, I found a community of conservatives who, like me, were concerned abbout the state of conservatism, and who, like me, were dedicated to defending and advancing it. Though I didn’t join immediately, I became a regular reader of the site. My daily routine online quickly came to include checking the site. It became one of my primary sources of news because it provided the perspective I wasn’t getting from other more “mainstream” sources.

How I came to RedState, the Abridged Edition.

It was around October of 2006 that I finally decided to join this site. I didn’t know just how active I was going to be, but I wanted to be a part of the action. I’ve blogged some and commented a few times over the years since then, but I’ve never been too consistent with either, though I’ve never stopped reading the site. As of late I’ve tried to get back into blogging here because I want to do what I can to contribute to the site. I’ve even had the fortune of having my first post to be promoted to the front page recently. I’m more of an ideas man than anything else, so a lot of my posts will deal with attempting to define and articulate certain aspects of conservatism. I may not post everyday, but I am active in reading the site.

Well, I figure it’s either this or sports, and unfortunately, I’ve never had the understanding of football my Dad did (regardless of how much I enjoy watching it).

A lot has changed since I first found this site. Elections and politicians have come and gone, as have great voices in the conservative movement. I personally have made the transition from high school to college. Heck, even the site itself has changed over the course of the almost. However, the quality of the posts here has not diminished over time. In fact, it’s only increased as many great conservatives have come here to provide us with their thoughts and opinions on what going on in our world.

RedState has inspired me to not only get active in the blogging community but also to get involved in my community in an attempt to advance the conservative cause. I look forward to reading and contributing to this site for many years to come, and I can honestly say that I thank you guys from the bottom of my heart for setting up a community like this.

This was one of the greatest moments of my life.

Your friend and fellow conservative,

–Jake Walker