Well folks I know there will be much discussion about what to do now and where to go next. I thought I'd start this thread as an "ideas" forum for the future (if any) of this association. I hope there will be one.

My suggestion is a continuation of almost every aspect of the forum and site as a conservative social politcal grassroots network. Let's face it. Most of the sites out there are not reflective of the values expressed by 85% here. Furthermore this has always been by far the most civil, well informed, and insightful politcal forum on the web. It is needed for the "Cause" we support far more than for a particular candidate.

I'll be the first to throw out an idea:

I would suggest a new web address and title. But I would also suggest as little change as possible (afterall we are conservatives).

I propose a new name:

Heartland Army

get it? still HA

Same font. Same style. Basically the same forums and topics. Same ranking system. Same logo with the tank with one change - "Heartland" rather than "Huck's" Army. We'd hold onto as much of the "branding" as possible that way. New mission? Not really. Still supporting the same values, beliefs and hopes for the country we love.

It could be SOOOO much better than RedState!

Ideas?

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"As for us, our days of combat are over. Our swords are rust. Our guns will thunder no more. The vultures that once wheeled over our heads must be buried with their prey. Whatever of glory must be won in the council or the closet, never again in the field. I do not repine. We have shared the incommunicable experience of war; we have felt, we still feel, the passion of life to its top."

Oliver Wendell Holmes

I like the way you're thinking SD. I think there certainly could be a future for HucksArmy, even if that means changing the name a bit. Right now I just need some more time to process, but I could be on board for something along these lines.

I'm grateful for your commitment to this forum, and for the principles and values that bind us together.

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I like this idea and agree with a new website and name but with most everything else the same.

My one concern is about what will unite that kind of community. Up to this point, it's been Mike Huckabee. He is obviously just a man and not perfect by any stretch but he has been the rallying point to help us sift through any disagreements and to draw pretty clear boundaries for what defined this community.

Not that this needs to be decided today but I think it needs some careful thought as to the scope of a proposed community like this. Would open support and advocacy of Ron Paul be acceptable? Why or why not? (not trying to be provocative just giving an example where there might be a challenge). How about Sarah Palin? Pawlenty? et al?

Another similar effort, F3, was started after Mike bowed out of the 2008 race and that group fizzled pretty quickly. I think for two reasons - 1) lack of a leader to rally around and 2) allowing discussion to be fairly raw (IMO). If we maintain the level of decorum here, #2 will not be an issue, but that still leaves #1.

You all are really smart, so if anyone can address this, it's this group, but I wanted to highlight what I see as the biggest challenge to this proposal.

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Ken

Ken,

Here is more fodder for ideas:

The following quote is from a letter sent by George Washington to the various Governors upon the disbanding of the Continental Army:

"I now make it my earnest prayer that God would have you, and the State over which you preside, in his holy protection; that he would incline the hearts of the citizens to cultivate a spirit of subordination and obedience to government, to entertain a brotherly affection and love for one another, for their fellow-citizens of the United States at large, and particularly for brethren who have served in the field; and finally that he would most graciously be pleased to dispose us all to do justice, to love mercy, and to demean ourselves with that charity, humility, and pacific temper of mind, which were the characteristics of the Divine Author of our blessed religion, and without an humble imitation of whose example in these things, we can never hope to be a happy nation."

Personally I think this is a pretty good basis on which to set guidelines for the continuation of some kind of forum comprised of the “disbanded” members of Huck’s Army.

I’ll illustrate the political principles I draw from the above document.

I now make it my earnest prayer that God would have you, and the State over which you preside, in his holy protection.

1.) We believe that “In God We Trust,” “one Nation under God” and our endowment by “our creator” are not just buzz words of slogans. These are principles central to our identity and understanding of the world. Heartland Army (or whatever moniker) affirms these principles and supports the role of people of faith in the public square.

that he would incline the hearts of the citizens to cultivate a spirit of subordination and obedience to government

2.) Civil society requires government. Family is the first form of government in society and no family can long function without authority. Nor can society. How a nation or family is governed is a very large and personal question. What is not in question is whether government, but how much and what forms. HA affirms the worlds of founding father James Madison that, “In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself. A dependence on the people is, no doubt, the primary control on the government; but experience has taught mankind the necessity of auxiliary precautions.”

to entertain a brotherly affection and love for one another, for their fellow-citizens of the United States at large

3.) There is no civil society, no civilization, without civility. HA affirms the need , and requirement, for civil discourse and an awareness that we are all part of a political community. We therefore affirm the closing lines of Lincoln’s First inaugural address that, “Though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.”

and particularly for brethren who have served in the field.

4.) HA honors especially those who have been will to step forward and answer the call of duty to defend our nation.

and finally that he would most graciously be pleased to dispose us all to do justice, to love mercy, and to demean ourselves with that charity, humility, and pacific temper of mind, which were the characteristics of the Divine Author of our blessed religion, and without an humble imitation of whose example in these things, we can never hope to be a happy nation.

5.) The duty to live our lives for a higher purpose disposes us to graciously affirm those traditional values of our ethical heritage. HA affirms the right and duty to protect the weak, including the unborn, promote justice, and demand responsible action of ourselves, our leaders, and our institutions.

Just a rough draft thought piece.

_________________
"As for us, our days of combat are over. Our swords are rust. Our guns will thunder no more. The vultures that once wheeled over our heads must be buried with their prey. Whatever of glory must be won in the council or the closet, never again in the field. I do not repine. We have shared the incommunicable experience of war; we have felt, we still feel, the passion of life to its top."

Oliver Wendell Holmes

Ken, I have the same reservations. I am sure that I want the site to continue with it's same politeness, but it will be difficult to determine where the boundaries are for the reasons you gave. HA has been able to stay the way it is because there was always a litmus "test" that always guided what was allowed to be said on the forum. Without that test (supporting Mike) it will be difficult to 'control' threads where emotions may run high. It will be hard to stay on topic because the topic will be so much broader.

My suggestion is that we need to create a new set of forum rules and code of conduct that will reflect, in part, our misgivings.

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Brett

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I agree with much of what's already been said: the desire to keep this forum going, the need for some new direction, and the concerns about having something central to keep us unified.

For that reason, I think I actually lean in favor of keeping HucksArmy just that: HucksArmy, but with the explicit understanding that we remain HucksArmy not because it is our central mission to get him elected, but because what has been and will continue to be his central mission has been and will continue to be ours.

For that reason, I think we could actually get away with changing very little here. We could still keep the Huckabee in the Mainstream Media thread, as, after all, he is still the most prominent figure who speaks for us and the values and beliefs we hold dear. And I'm confident he'll continue to do that in the years to come, perhaps even to a greater extent than he's done so up to this point.

Naturally, the General Politics and Other 2012 Candidates threads are likely going to get a lot more play now, but the good thing is that those forums are already up and running.

The Other 2012 Candidates threads will be a place for us to discuss who we're thinking about supporting going forward (when we finally get to the point of being able to start thinking about that), and it'll also be a place for new members who sign up to talk to us about their preferred candidates, if they so choose. I agree that we need some binding values and principles so we don't just let every Ron Paul supporter out there join up and take over our forum, and that we're probably going to have to come up with some other guidelines as well now that we won't be able to rely on "He/she likes Huckabee so they must be nice" to the same extent.

However, I doubt we'll have to worry about too much Huckabee bashing since he's no longer a threat to other candidates, and if we keep our "Huckabee in the Mainstream Media" threads to discuss his recent shows, speeches, public statements, etc., we could have some kind of a rule that that part of the forum is a non-Huckabee bashing/alternate candidate supporting zone.

Just some thoughts I thought I'd share. My biggest concern about going forward is figuring out who we're going to keep people motivated to keep coming back now that the one central figure (and cause) that we could all rally around is going to be taking on a much less prominent role (and cause) than we expected. I think that's why I lean towards keeping HucksArmy, Hucksarmy. Or maybe I just haven't let go yet, haha.

Just my 2 cents.

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I think I am still running through all the emotions one has during the grieving process.

I have to tell you, on my way to Huckabee's speech in Dallas, I turned off my radio and prayed out loud, that if God did not want Huckabee to run, that he would say it loud and clear so Huckabee got the message. And vice versa, if God wanted Huckabee to run. I myself am guilty of praying, but not always taking the time to really listen to what God wants me to do. So I am thankful for the answered prayer, that Mike Huckabee prayed, listened and heard God. I wish it would have been run Huck run, but that was not God's plan. I am sure that God has another great plan for Huckabee. We will just have to wait and see what that is.

I also believe that we here at HA have become more than just Huckabee supporters, we have become a group of friends who trust each other and enjoy our online companionship. There is no other website that I go to where I feel welcomed and no other website where I can express my feelings. I would hate to have HA go away.

I really like Cschande's comments, I think it should stay HucksArmy. Most of us are new to politics and got involved because of Mike Huckabee. But each of us for a different reason. What a shame it would be if we all disbanded and did not have each other to continue the good fight. Mike Huckabee as the prize would no longer be the goal, but continuing to fight for the policies that Mike Huckabee espoused would be that goal.

That being said, I think someone would have to step and say that they would be the new administrator or chief moderator. Someone who had the time and willingness to put forth the effort.

I myself could not be that person. My oldest daughter is graduating and going off to college this summer. And I have two more girls after her. I would like to take the summer off from politics and just be Mom for a little while.

I would be happy to stay on as a moderator though. This is the first website I go to each morning and I would like to continue to be able to do that. I would be happy to monitor stuff while I am online. It probably just won't be as often as I have been doing the past 3 1/2 years.

So I vote for Cschande's suggestions. I think whomever wanted to stay could do that. Whomever wanted to leave would do that as well. And if after 6 months it all fades away, then I guess we would have to fold up shop. But my sense is that people would still like to have this online community to talk about issues, things they are involved with, and to discuss the 2012 race in general.

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ConservTexan

http://ilikemikehuckabee2012.blogspot.com/