“One Year Later: An Epiphany and An Endorsement”

By: Corey Thompson, “The Thirsty Quill”

Oh what a difference a year can make…

One year ago tonight, I sat right here in the same spot, at the same desk, in the same chair, typing on the same keyboard, with the same screen staring right back at me. The same TV was tuned to the same channel with the volume muted to absolute silence…the same way it was just one short year ago tonight.

The headlines were much different on that night, but the scenario was much the same. Talk of politics and elections, of polls, and of races that were “too close to call” reverberated through my mind and inspired me to start writing.

And so I did…and ‘The Quill’ was born.

This time last year we sat perched on the eve of the 2008 Presidential Election. The chessboard had been set, and the pieces were aligned between Conservatives and Liberals alike. And when the dust had settled after the election the following day, those of us on the Conservative side of things shook our heads and began to pick up the pieces that had all been knocked over and captured in the fury that was the Democratic landslide of ’08.

We Republicans had to start anew. We had to start somewhere…anywhere but where we were at that exact moment.

Many of us decided, some for the first time in their lives, to get involved and to do something for the benefit of the Conservative cause.

In the months that followed, blogs like mine were a dime a dozen…everybody had one. Local chapters of Conservative activists and political clubs sprang up across America faster than the flurry of Democratic-backed measures trying to make their way through Congress. Tea Parties were held in small towns and big cities, and a second American Revolution was born in an effort to revive and restore what we believed to be our most sacred national principles and values. The Conservative nation was ablaze with patriotic fervor, and the rattlesnakes that had been in hibernation for far too long started to rise up under the historically sacred banner of “Don’t Tread On Me.”

To those of us branded by the badge of Conservatism, it was indeed ‘the best of times’ in the midst of being ‘the worst of times.’ While things seemed bleak, the emergence of spring seemed to melt away the frost of last winter, and in turn, stoked the fires of the hearts of men. For most of us, they were truly “the times that tried (our) souls.”

Most of us wanted to do something. We found ways to get involved and to speak out. We wanted others to know that we didn’t need government to come up with solutions for us anymore. In fact, we realized for the first time in a long time, that this great nation was built upon a foundation of INDEPENDENCE, and our deep roots were actually cultivated in the soil of freedom FROM government in an effort to harvest prosperity, not a dependence upon it merely for our survival.

This is not an editorial of damning one side of the two-party aisle or of praising the other. Tonight I’m not assigning halos and pitchforks. I’m quite simply speaking from the heart, and in my own misguided conscience I find enough fault and blame to pass out to both parties…and to all of us. Over the years we’ve tampered with our system so much that we have (in some ways) dimmed the beacon of light that was once the ‘city upon a hill’ for all the world to see. But I truly believe that we can get it back. That is my mission in all of this.

My involvement over the past year didn’t stop at writing for this penny-ante blog, or at speaking out as one of the scores of modern day ‘town criers.’ This past June I was asked, and accepted, the challenging role of serving as Campaign Manager for a candidate for City Council here in Charlotte.

When I first met Tariq (pronounced “Tark”), I was amazed by his ingenuity, his passion for service, and his wisdom. Even for his age, Tariq embodies the foresight and creativity to help bridge the gaps that have eroded into deep trenches between parties and ideals in the city of Charlotte for far too long.

A conservative Republican, Tariq is steadfast in his beliefs and values that make up the core of who he is. Ideals such as responsibility, accountability, and integrity are more than just catchphrases to Tariq. He lives these qualities each and every day, and I have had the distinct honor and privilege of experiencing his leadership firsthand as his Campaign Manager for the past five months.

Yet beyond the title bestowed upon him by party affiliation, Tariq stands out for his willingness to work beyond such ‘one-letter’ boundaries. I have watched with admiration as this patriotic young man has earned the respect of local leaders, various groups, and publications from both realms of political ideology. Always true to his core principles of Conservatism, Tariq has the complete confidence of many across the city of Charlotte, including those who would often be considered as political adversaries by others.

Over the past year I have changed. No, not in my political views or my staunch Conservatism. I have changed my outlook on the political landscape from overtly negative to one of blooming optimism. Tariq’s leadership and vision helped me get here.

Tuesday is the General Election here in Charlotte. I do hope that you will join me in electing one of Charlotte’s best and brightest, Tariq Scott Bokhari, to our City Council.

After the dust settles on the Victory Party Tuesday night, hopefully Tariq gets to put all of the campaigning behind him as he looks forward to the challenges that the next two years on City Council will bring. I can assure you that he is ready to get down to work on behalf of the city, and for each and every one of us who are blessed to call Charlotte “home.”

For me, well, I’ll sweep up the confetti and turn out the lights before locking up. I’ll quietly exit “Stage Left” and slip back into my role as a full-time teacher, and I’ll do a little better job with the more important role of husband and “Daddy” that I’ve neglected a bit too much during the past few months. I’ll have the time I need to dedicate to getting things back on track here at ‘The Quill,’ and I’ll refocus a great deal of my attention to my duties as President of CAUTION. And, of course, you know I’ll look for more ways to ‘stir the pot’ and ‘shake the hornet’s nest’ to rile people up on this side of things.

What seemed so dark and dreary last January doesn’t seem quite as frigid to me any more. Sure, I still disagree with the route in which our current administration is taking us, but I have found a new hope in the revival of the Conservative spirit. Coupled with the emergence of a new generation of Conservative leadership, the future looks very good, and the current state of things has left me with a renewed vigor and energy to help change things for the better…and a realization that “hope and change” on one side of the political spectrum may have, in many ways, ignited the same sentiments on the other. And as the past few months have shown, while America is still bending hard toward the Left, it is apparent that the foundation of American heritage has rooted itself in the hearts and minds of those of us on the Right once more.

I’m glad to admit that one short year later, I feel as though we are pulling ahead right now. The tides are turning, the seasons are changing, the winds of optimism have shifted our way…and my friends, after weeks of silence and neglect here at ‘The Quill,’ I am back to serve as your knight, armed with a mere feather, in the quest for what is good for our beloved nation. And I am happy to report to you, on ‘The Quill’s’ first birthday, that we are winning…we are winning indeed…

Charlie Says 'Vote For Tariq'