What does Douglas V. Gibbs, Sabo, Bill Whittle, Antonio Sabato Jr., Evan Sayet, and Kevin Sorbo's Son have in common

By Douglas V. Gibbs
Author, Speaker, Instructor, Radio Host

It's funny, I was just with Sabo, the street artist, yesterday, and suddenly today I see him plastered all over Drudge Report and The Weekly Standard.  As the Standard's columnist, Matt Labash, has proclaimed, thanks to folks like Sabo, Republican is the new punk.

To answer the question in the title of this piece, what do we all have in common, we were all at the American Freedom Alliance Annual Summer Picnic on Sunday in Moorpark.

I am a fellow of the AFA, and I usually bump into Sabo at their events.  Earlier this year he and I sat at the same table and got a chance to talk a little.  While he's not necessarily as conservative as I am on every single issue, he recognizes the importance of liberty, the Constitution, and how out of whack the Democrat Party has gotten.  His sense of humor has some interesting quirks, too.  But, in the end, Sabo is a major ally in the fight to restore our Constitution, and stop the hard left onslaught against our American System.  He's the guy behind the Ted Cruz all tattooed up image, and the Hillary Clinton flying monkey.

Kevin Sorbo's son, Braedon Cooper Sorbo, gave a pretty incredible speech on the importance of our free market system, and how socialism robs people of their self-dignity, and opportunity to achieve for themselves.  His conclusion was met with a standing ovation.  We joked about how he sounded like he'd had some professional speaking classes, or something.  "It's almost like you're related to an actor, or something," someone quipped.  The kid was in good humor, and later gave me a firm handshake when I thanked him for a job well done.

When Antonio Sabato, Jr. walked into the lunch area with his intoxicating lady beside him, I knew immediately that whoever he was, he was one of the beautiful people.  The stunning couple turned out to be a blast to talk to.  He's running for Congress in The Valley, and his conservative Christian ideals fit in well at the AFA lunch.

Evan Sayet was his usual funny self, giving me a big hug when he saw me.  The former writer for Bill Maher, who escaped leftism and became a conservative, has become a good friend, and important part of the AFA family.  At the end of the lunch he laid on us a pretty good poem about Climate Change . . . one he's largely keeping under wraps when it comes to public, because his plans for it are much larger than an occasional reading in front of a bunch of AFA radicals.

Bill Whittle was the keynote speaker, and as always, he failed to disappoint.  We've met four times, now, and I was stunned when he smiled in recognition when I walked up to him.  "Constitution Guy," he said.  I have a face to remember, a name that is sometimes remembered, and a profession that every conservative holds dear.

I also had the blessed opportunity to meet with old friends, and new ones.  Alan Meyers, who is a frequent "monetary system" guest on my radio program, rode up with me for the more than two hour drive.  Jolin Crofts hugged me, and wants to work with me on getting constitutional literacy into the inner-cities (a program that has a lot of potential, but has also slammed into many roadblocks).  Yan from The Epoch Times reminded me I have an email to send her.  Her friend, Dana, also was happy to see me.  Both have shown a lot of interest in getting yours truly, and The Epoch Times, more acquainted.  My good friend Ruben and I chatted the longest, but the new friends I really got a kick out of was Mandy (a fellow homeschool instructor ... for those of you who didn't know, I teach government and economics to homeschool children), and Helen (a Facebook buddy who loves my work, reads my work and listens to the radio program every chance she gets, and was thrilled to finally meet me in person).

I told my wife, later, "I am up to one excited fan per event.  I'm moving up."

Overall, it was a great event, and Whittle brought the house down with his talk about wolves, rabbits and cuttlefish.  You'll have to find a video of his speech somewhere to hear it.  I didn't transcribe it as he spoke.

-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary