February 19, 2005

Young Conservatives of Texas--25th Anniversary Convention

The YCT 25th is next week in Austin, Texas. As I chronicled in my book, YCT has been at the forefront of the campus culture war. We broke away from Young Americans for Freedom in 1980 and have been leading the charge against the academic left ever since. We also have a huge influence in Austin at the State Capitol. Check out details of the convention here. Some of our speakers include Ron Paul, Fred Barnes, Dinesh D'Souza and David Dewhurst. I can't wait to fly back to Austin and see my friends, as well as these big-time political personalities. As one of my friends used to say, "we are conservative thinkers and liberal drinkers."

1 comment:

Brendan Steinhauser said...

I was sitting at my local coffee house studying law and I decided to check my email. I found in my inbox the latest update by Alan Crider which described the minutes of the last meeting.

I am always pushing ahead, thinking about the next event, the next crusade, the next way to get media exposure or funding for our group. But, I think that I haven't really taken the time to sit and think about all the great things YCT has done since it has been a part of my life. Also, I don't have that much knowledge about what YCT did before I joined in 2002.

Now, as I sit here laughing to myself about the next YCT-UT event, the illegal immigrants day, I realize how huge an impact this organization has had over the years. I remember complaining to Austin about how the conservatives at UT just sat back and took the thrashing from liberal profs and the Daily Texan. It seems so long ago. We vented to each other the first time we met and vowed to build an infrastructure that would combat the grip of the campus leftists. And we succeeded together.

Every member of YCT suceeded in contributing to our success. We built our membership base, became much more well-known as a group, and maintained a presence at most campus events. I am more proud of that than almost anything I have been involved in. This took a group effort, and I am so proud to have been a part of such an amazing organization.

We took the campus by storm, and we changed the climate of campus debate. I remember sitting at my cousin's baseball game in the spring of 2002 writing down ideas for a rally for the troops, for a letter-writing campaign to the Texan, and for various other events. Those ideas became a reality when I joined YCT and met up with like-minded and dedicated individuals like Austin, Erin, Bryan, Scott, Lauren, and many others.

We have accomplished a ton as an organization, and I couldn't be prouder. I think the convention should be a time for reflection, a time to talk about the great things we have done at UT, and on other campuses. Our 25th should be a time for self-congratulation. We earned it alright. God Bless Texas, and God Bless YCT.