Lets see, kiddies, where did I leave off?
Oh, yeah...
I was soon to re-register as a big "L" Libertarian.
My Libertarian years were rife with personal turmoil. I became a conspiracy theorist. I was very troubled at their pro-life/pro-choice stand-that the law was the law and it was up to us to change it...not that either one was morally right, but that it was just a law. Some of the tenets of the party are admirable-lower taxes, less government intrusion into our personal and professional lives, returning to the gold standard, etc. But there were some issues that I struggled with. It was soon time for a change.
I remained a Libertarian (and am still an avid talk radio fan) until about 1996. I had sort of an epiphany that year, as my second son had been born in January and things started to become all about the future, not about the "now". I did a bit of soul searching and, after weighing all of the pros and cons, discovered that I was, indeed a Republican. I didn't just register that way, I became one...a God fearing, patriotic, anti-abortion, pro-family, gun-totin rootin'-tootin' Ronald Reagan Republican (Somehow, I now feel that I was always a Republican, but didn't know it).
But, even though I changed my way or thinking ( or "evolved", so to speak), I was still just a general election voter. Being Libertarian had kind of programmed me not to worry about the primary. I voted this way until 2003. Soon, my life was to change drastically.
The local Republican committee here in Whitemarsh Township was holding a family night at a local community center. The Philly Phanatic was going to be there, so I asked my wife, Karen, to take my son to see him. You see, I work night shift and couldn't take him myself.
A few days later I get a phone call that my son had won a Phillies hat at the event and could they come by and drop it off? I said "sure, no problem", and the woman gave me a ballpark (no pun intended) time that she would be there.
I gave it no further thought, and the next day, while doing some yard work, a woman drove up my driveway, got out of the car, and asked if I was Bill. I replied that I was and she introduced herself as the woman I had spoken to the previous day.
She gave me the hat, we chatted a bit, and she asked me if I had ever thought about being involved. I said "no, thanks, I'm in a committed relationship"...(had to do that).
I replied that I had thought about it, but night shift prevented me from too much extra-curricular involvement outside my family. She bade me goodbye and went on her way.
What happened soon thereafter changed my life and my way of thinking forever.
Continued at a later date, good readers...Well, you can expect no posts on Saturday, as I am going camping with the Boy Scouts, the greatest youth organization in the world! The scouts mold our boys into fine, upstanding citizens...just look at how many U.S. presidents were Eagle Scouts...what more could you want?
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