Dear Friend,
On July 30th at Bartow-Gatewood Park, the Bartow County Republican Party is hosting our 2nd annual Family Freedom Fest. This event is less a political event than it is an opportunity for us to get together to celebrate the things that we love most. As Republicans, we embrace the values and traditions embodied in the founding of our country. Ours is a philosophy that believes in limited government, strong families and individual liberty. We believe that government becomes more ineffective and intrusive the more it tries to take on, so we should try to fill our needs by our own merits and hard work first, and then turn to family, church and community before relying on government. The Family Freedom Fest gives us an opportunity to reach out to those in our community, to get to know them, to forge and strengthen the bonds of friendship. We have great people and organizations in Bartow that take care of the needs of our people out of a sense of charity and obligation to our fellow man, and that do so not because they are directed by government, but out of concern for others. We need to embrace, celebrate and grow that philosophy.
Obviously, being hosted by the Republican Party, it will be perceived by some as being partisan. Though we have invited Republican speakers to address the group for a brief period, this event is more of a celebration of family and community than a partisan political rally. There are many Democrats and independents in Bartow that share our conservative values, and this event is meant to reach out to them as well, to celebrate our common beliefs regardless of party affiliation. It is open to all and we would welcome anyone who chooses to attend.
The Family Freedom Fest is opportunity to unify as a community because it celebrates, as its name proclaims, family and freedom, which are ideas that we all share regardless of party affiliation. There will always be partisan differences because the parties align along philosophical lines that are often diametrically in opposition. The political process, and the parties as the delivery mechanisms of that process, is meant as a platform for these ideas to compete for the hearts and minds of our fellow citizens. However, there are some basic ideas and beliefs that the vast majority of Americans hold dear, and this event celebrates those commonalities and offers an informal forum for us to gather and see that, for all of our political differences, we are Americans at heart and can work through these differences with grace and civility, and become stronger as a community, state and nation as a result.
So, for all of these reasons, we hope that you will join us on July 30th for our Family Freedom Fest and get to know us, let us get to know you, and celebrate these things we hold so dear.
p.s. If all of these things are not enough to get you to join us (perish the thought!) then come out simply because it is going to a great time, and admission is free! We'll have great speakers (including Congressmen Phil Gingrey and Tom Graves, Attorney General Sam Olens, former military intelligence officer Gerry Purcell, and more). And if THAT is not enough, we have hamburgers and hot dogs, plus a delicious crawfish boil by Chef Jeff Moreau of Gumbo to Geaux fame, games for the kids, access to the lake, and much, much more, including the drawing for the winner of a Glock pistol and literally dozens of prizes and gift certificates drawn in our $1 raffles! Don't miss it!
Sincerely,
Louis DeBroux
Chairman, Bartow County Republican Party
