By Ken Gulley

Hey Patriots, KG here. As I’ll explain in a little more detail later, I am currently in the midst of a deep personal battle that has kept me from work and somewhat normal everybday life. During that time I also took two breaks from blogto help me regain some mental clarity and strength. As I recover, you’ll see me blog a bit more.

During this time, difficult as it has been, I got a chance to see some things with more clarity. As CS Lewis said, “[pain is God’s] megaphone to rouse a dead world.”

I got to consider some things that have been nagging at my heart already. After finally gaining the mental fortitude to leave home for a change of scenery, I visited my old partner and Good friend Justin. During that time, I had the opportunity to briefly speak with a mutual friend – Jake, the owner of @1breathapparel (formerly known as “Patriot Alliance”). Jake spoke to me about the coming change to his apparel company and why that change was taking place.

Unfortunately the conversation was cut short by our toddlers running around and getting into places they shouldn’t. I finished that conversation on my own by watching the video Jame put out on 1BA’s instagram page concerning the change. The talk struck a cord with me because it was similar to one I had to myself earlier in the week.

( VIDEO HERE )

When I first created PROOF I had the goal to make sure it would never become a flame warring attack dog. Thats too tiresome and superficial. More than ever, today it is spitting into the wind. I deleted the blog in early college when it became just that. I resurrected PROOF when I observed the dire need for dialogue. In doing so I did not want it to be another site/blog/page where people simply save their favorite political meme and say “hah gotya” to their Lefty friends. I designed it to have important “conversations about the things you avoid at the dinner table.”

I also found it to be very powerful and bold move. Here you have a young successful guy with a dude build a successful brand that is loved for it’s inherently pro-American, conservative and patriotic feel – only to dissolve it (kinda) by taking it into a new direction. Most people wouldn’t ever think of doing that – instead they’d let it linger and eat away at their heart in order to please the public. One would ask why he did it but I don’t because I already understand the passion, heart, vision, and faith involved.

Often, that means taking time to really be mindful about what we say, how we say it, and why we do what we do. Calling out hypocrisy all day and laughing at the Left is easy. The ideology the Left is founded on is sand being pounded by the waves. Plugging away at the holes in their logic is fun but cheap gains. We are good at it – we do it often – I am not knocking it but I am saying that is ultimately shortsighted.

I got a little heat from some of you patriots a few says ago for some of my words on the Marjorie Taylor Green post. Some suggested I was taking too soft of an approach against a belligerent enemy (Leftism). Thats now what I was doing them and not what I plan on doing in the future.

If I can clarify better, let me do so. What we need to do is be mindful of our ultimate goals. If you’re able to be articulate and persuasive, don’t waste your opportunity and gifts. If a quick counter-jab back in response to a punch is what MTG wanted – she accomplished it. Kudos to that. It was in fact a great response to a weak move. There is a time and place for it and I think that this was one of those said times.

But if her goal was to win over people who don’t agree with her, then she failed. Obviously in this case that was not the goal. What I am doing here is merely using this specific event to highlight how intentional we can and should be about our work.

It is possible to play both ends of the game – being both a victorious meme warrior and an articulate, logical, and reasoned dialoguer. In doing so we must also know that sometimes playing both cards might mean losing a few of the weak hearted – we cannot save them all I suppose.

Some of you also said “you can’t reason with the Left” and I agree with you. Leftism is so far gone – an engrained cancerous ideology that takes God’s deliverance, not man’s.

My aim isn’t to win over Leftists, it is to capture those who are still true Liberal’s, or the fence sitting Libertarians, the Republicans by family (only), and the centrist-independents. These people can be won over and the often do wiggle across the Left and Right divide on varying issues. Their votes freely land on the more persuasive end of the ticket every two-to-four years.

If we simply waste time emotionally barking back like the Left all day without having sound, “Clear, Reasoned, Conservative” arguments (as our motto says) – we are failing to offer up something worthwhile. We have an opportunity to win people over who have open hearts and minds and give them something solid to chew on.

https://youtu.be/9pXaGLVgAQw (Bark Bark)

Now I have heard some say, “arguing on the internet never wins anyone over.” Thats not what we are talking about either. We are here to bring you insightful commentary. Sometimes (often) its a quick update from the happenings of the day but otherwise we like to dig deep into the various aspects of an issue many often miss. That is important. That helps people understand deep foundational issues and it changes hearts and minds. Call me a dreamer but that is still possible. My God is in that business and so am I.

So no, we won’t stop being sharp tongues serpents, witty, funny and cunning. We won’t stop the meme’s and fast track slap-backs at the Left. There is a time and place for it. It keeps us alive. Like Ted Cruz said, we don’t want to be miserable angry people like the Left. Talk isn’t cheap, it’s worthwhile.

But we also have greater goals. To strengthen the Christian voter. We want to fortify the Conservative thinker. We want to discuss Politics, Religion, and “other offensive facts” (PROOF). We want to talk about the things people avoid at the dinner table – reversing the foolish trend that has left people religiously and politically illiterate. We want to be clear about where we stand, Reasoned in all our arguments (yes – even in Faith), and true to our Christian & Conservative values knowing Christ is first above all politics.

If God isn’t in everything I do… I don’t want a part of it. So here is to keeping to that vision.

Thanks for the push Jake, Justin, Pastor Wells, Storm family, Askander Family, Hand, Jacob, Kevin, Logan Family, wifey, and parents.

⁃ KG