Spotlight: Jumping In Pools

I’m honored to introduce a website called Jumping in Pools and a gentleman named Michael who writes for them there. Michael was gracious enough to reach out the other day and ask if I would be interested in being interviewed for his site, to which I agreed [honored to have been asked if you really want to know].

JIP is a right-of-center blog that houses a good deal of excellent analysis and commentary, and – once you visit the site you’ll see – doesn’t take itself TOO seriously. Besides, any site with a “babe of the week” is a friend of hickpolitics! Please go visit them often, give them some link love, and sit as still as you can for the teaser from the interview pasted below. You’ll have to go to Jumping in Pools for the rest.

Thanks Michael-much work ahead in 2010 my friend-looking forward to doing some of it together!

Why did you start hickpolitics.com?

I got into politics and writing because of the “Father’s Rights” issue. Way back when, I was drawn into the Yahoo groups world; connecting with like-minded men (and women in some cases) struggling with a legal system that had become more concerned with giving politicos a few choice sound bites and brownie points with the “women’s vote” than in truly trying to find legislative solutions that could genuinely address “the best interests of the children.” We found and pursued State legislators…HARD…to enact more level-headed legislation to address Family Court and divorce/custody/child support laws. This was around the time so-called 50-50 custody was first coming into vogue.

I literally “fell” in to a newly launched National political website, Redstate, because some of the Yahoo group members found it and suggested we see what help their connections might give our own state level cause in NH. One thing led to another and I became hooked…and eventually became a Front Page Contributing Editor. My initial user name was “estrangedad”, and my political blogging career had begun.

Over time, I convinced myself I had enough talent (and enough to say) that I should go it alone, and start my own gig. Hickpolitics, and haystack, were born. The site ran for about three years, and then was turned off for most of the last year because my personal life came to a screeching halt. I had some pretty dark moments I had to endure, but with the many prayers from friends, family, and loved ones… and the abundant sustenance from God (and a little bit of my own dogged determination), I decided to come back and lend my voice to the debate.

“Why” I started it is simple enough-I needed a place where I could say and do whatever I wanted…outside the otherwise reasonable boundaries of a larger community with rules and requirements I didn’t always want to have to follow.