American Renaissance conference a success
by James Edwards
This past weekend my wife and I had the privilege of attending Jared Taylor’s 2008 http://www.wvwnews.net/story.php?id=3541 in Herndon, Virginia. Taking full advantage of having a few days away from home, we decided to leave Memphis early in the evening on Wednesday and drive straight through the night. It was an 850 mile, twelve-hour journey, but one that I purposefully wanted to take (as opposed to flying) because it would allow me the honor of driving through the Commonwealth of Virginia.
I have been blessed to have become relatively well traveled, having spent time in most all of the states as well as Canada, Europe and the Caribbean. I have been to D.C. itself a couple times, but always on short, politically related endeavors that never warranted more than a short flight in and out. The heart of Virginia, however, was one of the few places that I had always wanted to set foot in, but never really had the occasion until now.The trek through the Old Dominion didn’t disappoint. I paid my respects to the Lost Colony by filling up the car in Roanoke. Shortly thereafter, I was passing through Lexington, home of Washington and Lee University, the Virginia Military Institute, and the burial sites for both General Robert E. Lee and General Thomas J. “http://www.wvwnews.net/story.php?id=3093” Jackson. It was an exhilarating experience as we blitzed past the exits that marked these locations. It was now past 3am as we pushed onward to Washington, but I was never more lucid as I felt the pride of being a native born Southerner (Confederate) swelling up within me.
My wife kept trying to fall asleep, but I’d always wake her up when we passed an exit of historical significance. There are plenty of them in Virginia! I was in the doghouse by the time we got past markers for the Shenandoah Valley, New Market, Bull Run, Fredericksburg and Manassas! We finally pulled up to our first hotel (in Tyson’s Corner) just after sunrise. I don’t recall falling asleep.
We had all of Thursday to ourselves and spent the time taking in some of the tourist locations in the District. We saw the storied monuments and had lunch, of all places, at the Hard Rock Cafe. It proved to be Divine Providence, however, as the D.C. Hard Rock is located next door to the famous Ford’s Theater. Being descended from an ancestor who died in the Confederate Cavalry at Shiloh, I probably enjoyed visiting the site where Lincoln was assassinated a little too much, as I was the only one smiling from ear to ear as the other passers-by seemed to still mourn the untimely death of this wretched villain. After taking in a few more sights we retreated for a relaxing dinner at our hotel, knowing that the rest of the weekend (Friday – Sunday) would be engulfed by the frenzied pace of the American Renaissance conference.
American Renaissance – Friday, February 22
Bright and early Friday morning we were on our way over to the Dulles Crowne Plaza Hotel in Herndon. Immediately upon arrival, I began running into people I knew…and people that knew me. After settling in and unpacking (again), my wife and I went down to the hotel restaurant for a prearranged meeting with a friend from the area. Citizens Informer editor Joel LeFevre and Institute of Historical Review executive director Mark Weber joined us at our table. It would be the first of several dynamic conversations that I would engage in with Mr. Weber, who is another friend of mine and one of the most brilliant guests ever to join us on-air. If we had a little more time, I’m confident that he and I could have solved all of the world’s problems. Alas, it was 5pm and time for the opening remarks by http://www.wvwnews.net/story.php?id=2559.
Jared, himself, is another trusted confidant who opened the proceedings with his usual flair and panache. After his short statement the attendees were given the rest of the evening to fellowship. It dawned on me during that time just what a significant role The Political Cesspool Radio Program has played in the movement over the past three years. The respect and admiration that The Political Cesspool has garnered is, indeed, humbling. I dare say that outside of the magnificent speakers themselves, our work was one of the toasts of the conference. There were many times that I was literally cemented in place as the ladies and gentlemen in attendance ceaselessly let me know how much they appreciated the work that we’ve done. As I shook hands and posed for pictures, I was eternally gratified to know that our labors and sacrifices have touched so many. To be sure, my respect and admiration for their support is just as ardent. I knew we’d all be in for a treat If the remainder of the weekend could compare to the preliminary meet-ups.
American Renaissance – Saturday, February 23
To say that Jared Taylor does an excellent job in organizing this biannual showcase would be a gross understatement. American Renaissance is the premier race-realist event in the world. It is elegant, tasteful and features speakers who are second-to-none. The speakers this year included Political Cesspool alums Taylor, Dr. Paul Gottfried and Sam Dickson, Esq., among others.
Perhaps as impressive as the speakers themselves were the notable dignitaries in the crowd. In addition to myself, Weber and LeFevre, you would have also bumped into the likes of Gordon Lee Baum, Esq., Don and Derek Black, Frank Borzellieri, Adrian Davies, Tom Dover, Paul Fromm, Jamie Kelso, Kyle Rogers, and Dr. Tomislav Sunic, just to name a few. In addition to these greats were, as I mentioned previously, an endless stream of Political Cesspool listeners – all of whom are leaders in my book. Some are friends I recognized from battles past, but others I had the pleasure of meeting for the first time. I understand that some of you might have attended the event in confidence, but you know who you are and I say again how proud I was to have shaken your hands.
The presentations continued throughout the day, although the AmRen organizers were generous with intermissions, giving us all the chance to take part in the time honored tradition of socializing! During one of these breaks I slipped over to a makeshift radio studio and joined David Duke (via telephone) and Don Black in a special report live from the conference hotel.
Amidst it all, I had a chance to grab a quick drink with Peter Stanton, who has served as a staff member contributor to The Political Cesspool for two years. Peter didn’t have the time to take in the conference, but does live in Virginia and made a special trip over to visit with me. Gaurav Ahuja, who has done incredible work booking our guests, was also on hand.
The culmination of Saturday evening came during the banquet dinner, where my wife and I shared a table with some compatriots from Texas. Afterwards, it was back over to the bar for even more stimulating conversations and interactions with other Cesspool supporters until the wee hours of the morning.
American Renaissance – Sunday, February 24
I have to admit I was late getting downstairs this morning after all of the late-night festivities, but I used the extra time to chat with buddies like Gordon Baum. Gordon and I work closely together in the Council of Conservative Citizens and always have such enjoyable talks. Afterwards, I conducted a video interview with European Americans United, another stellar organization to which I belong. Look for footage of this interview on their website in the near future!
The conference itself came to a close shortly before noon on Sunday when Sam Dickson delivered his keynote address. I was asked many questions over the weekend by those who tune into our show, one of which was, “Who was my all-time favorite guest?” While I could honestly not answer that question, Sam was one of five names that I mentioned repeatedly. He and I have known each other for four years and during that time we have grown quite close. His speech was the one I was anticipating the most. He didn’t let anyone down.
After the conference concluded I spent a considerable amount of time wishing folks a fond farewell before retreating to the on-site restaurant one last time to break bread with Sam, Mark Weber and a few others. It was a wonderfully fulfilling ending to a refreshing weekend that provided me with a charge of energy.
On the trip home, I went out of my way to do something that I had been destined to do for 27 years. I visited the grave sites of Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson. Let me first say that the sleepy town of Lexington, Virginia, is breathtakingly beautiful with its old-time Southern charm. And even though some say I have a “gift for gab,” words escaped me as I stood near the tomb of Robert E. Lee, a man who, in my opinion, is the greatest American to ever live. Period.
After leaving the Lee Chapel I made my way a mile down the road to the Stonewall Jackson Memorial Cemetery. As I stood in front of his monument in the frosty air I had nothing to say. It was a time for reflection. After I couple of minutes I simply saluted Jackson with reverence and made my way back to the car, fully committed to continue my activism in hopes that I can, in some small way, honor the ultimate sacrifices that those brave and noble men made for our People.
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