GO FOR IT!!!
This country needs a kick in the ass to remind ourselves just what we are and what we stand for

Can't wait for the essay and the book, but if you have boston creme pie I guess that will tide me over for a few minutes anyway. I think its a very good idea, going around and reminding people that America is nifty. As for my two cents on what it should look like, I think that the wonderful speaker you site in the person of Mark Twain would be a great model of effective speaking and showmanship.

I want to take that back, The wonderful thoughtful and thought provoking essays on this website were written by a man that trully beleives them to a word. I don't know much about showbiz but I have seen enough to know that when people see something genuine they respond to it, Mark Twain was popular not only because he was eloquent and witty but also because he was the real McCoy.

My old man is a musician, I doubt he will ever be famous but that isn't the point to him, he loves to make music and the people that do hear him are entertained because the people can tell the difference between somebody who is into what they are doing and somebody that is just going through the motions. The reason that you get 100's of comments even when you post 'sorry no essay this week', and not short 'you da man' comments but "Four Score and seven minute ago an essay was conceived..." kind of comments, the reason is that you are a genuine, intelligent man and people respond to that, even if a few of the readers think this is total junk a lot of those still take the time to write 'this was total junk, heres why...' to me that is a good measure of success. You have impacted the readers life in some way and if you can bring that same genuine nature to your live talks I have no doubt that it will have a powerful impact on attendies, and if this blog-o-rama is any indication most people will jump for joy.

For future reference, certain variaty of wolves much prefer peach cobler to boston creme pie, you know the scout motto 'be prepared.' sorry about any incoherency my brain went to standby mode a couple of hours ago

Can't wait for the book or the show. Keep up the excellent work. You should bring Kim and The Mrs. along on the tour. Just a thought.

Excellent! I already have two small volumes printed out for my personal comsumption and quoting from.......namely Trinity 1 & 2.
A book? let me be a reseller. A road show? If your show is half as uplifting as your writing,....... you probably have a winner.

Woo-hoo! That sounds fantastic, Bill! When the show comes near here, I'll bring 20 of my friends. (No pressure!)

By an amazing coincidence, Kim du Toit just yesterday put up a link to Albert Jay Nock's, Isaiah's Job, which you're probably familiar with, but if not I highly recommend it.

You're preaching to the Remnant, Bill. The difference is, I think, that in 1936 Nock was right - the only two things you knew about the Remnant was that they were out there, and that they would find you. The difference today is that you have some idea of just how many of us there are, and where.

Go for it. I'll buy a ticket. Just remember Nock's admonition: Don't preach to the masses. They don't care and don't want to hear it. Preach to the Remnant. It's an untouched market.

Getting on stage can be a scary thing, but I believe you can do it. It's not like you'll be alone up there... you'll have the spirit of America with you. Post your tour schedule when you can; I (and a whole bunch of other people, by the looks of things) would really like to see you.

What? You're coming up here? Damn. I'd better vacuum.

Then again, no. I've seen YOUR place.

I'll just shower.

As for the touring show format, that's a tough call. I've never seen one of those "one-man show" thingies, so I don't know what goes for a norm. I guess it depends a lot on how you want the "ride" to feel for the audience.

Want it to be nothing but pure soaring, heart-swelling, patriotic inspiration? That might play in short little bursts, but after about ten minutes, even the french horns are gonna' get tiresome. Going to have slides cross-fading on a big screen behind you? Make sure the projector is pointed OVER your head. Going to have any extras playing "trolls" who'll pop in and out of your monologue to introduce baseless drivel? Hee-HEE! I'll play one.

No, take that back. I just couldn't do it with a straight face.

I think humor ought to be a major component though... snappy, mildly sarcastic injections, and funny analogies, like those already embedded in the essays... just to keep the crowd thinking you're human. Then, if all else fails, hit the helium bottle and quote somebody from the Left.

I don't know. Maybe just deliver it anecdotally, like a stand-up comedy act, only without the constant push to make people fall over dead laughing. Just use that format. You know, something like, "So, I'm standing at the bus stop, and this pony-tailed dude in a beige hemp suit, reading a newspaper, suddenly says, 'That Nazi Bush is gonna' get us all killed.' And I just couldn't let that go unchallenged, so I said..." Then let it flow out of you like a rant... a finger-poking-in-the-chest, all-the-obvious-facts, full-on broadside kinda' dealy.

That would be a short Act One. Subsequent acts would follow different formats.

Oh, by the way, in case you couldn't tell, I don't have a clue.

I'll pay to see it though.

Will you offer group rates?

GHS

Shit, Bill, I thought the "Prairie Justice" thang sucked, but maybe it will work in multimedia.

Good luck - not coming to Oz, I'm guessing, so I suppose I'll have to make do with the book.

Cheers

While you're at it, tour Europe too! The people around here are desperately in need of a bit of sanity.

What Árni said.

I think it's a wonderful idea, Michael Moore is coming to my university (choke, hack, puke) and dammitall, if he can hit the university circuit, in the interest of providing an alternate POV, you can do just as well. For some reason when I read this idea, I was thinking of pep talks at schools, high schools, colleges, that sort of thing. Probably wouldn't pay well, but the kids desperately need to hear what you have to say. It's not an accident that most students are Democrats (liberals, etc), it's because, IMO, they are not exposed to other points of view than that which is presented in the classroom. As this isn't my blog, I'm not going to extrapolate on that point, but you get my drift.

I think it's the best idea I've heard in quite a long time. Is there a way to rush the book into publication to get proceeds to help pay for this? Perhaps tie promotion of a speaking tour in with the book?

Mr. Whittle, this idea has meat and teeth to it. I firmly believe this is the right thing for you to do. GO FOR IT!!!!!!!! We're all pullin' for ya!!!!

How many people know that Sam Clemens pen name is a euphemism for 'too deep'?

As the boats went downriver there was a guy who used a length of rope with knots tied in it every so many feet to measure the depth of the river. Each knot was a called a mark. If the river was two knots deep the guy would sing out "Mark Twain!" (meaning 'two deep')

I am so there for your first show in LA; make sure and let us all know when and where (and I hope you have the books for sale in the lobby by then... I'm up for 10 or so). I'd still *love* to buy you a beer sometime (I'd even volunteer to be part of a "test audience").

So what do I have to slip you under the table to get a smattering of front-row seats in my hometown? (I promise, no footsie.)

--Dave

Bill:
I've enjoyed reading your essays for some time now. You definitely have (1) something to say that needs to be said, and (2) the talent to say it well. Yes, a "one-man show" as you've described it here would, IMO, work very well, very well indeed.

I'm a "vanishing American" my friend; an old Goldwater Republican, former Marine and lifelong biker, now disabled. I find kindred souls to be hens-teeth rare anymore.... my club brothers and sisters, yes, but not many more. You are one of those rarities my friend, so keep getting your word out there; by internet, the written word and perhaps now, the spoken word as well.

The only "tip" I can offer is not to sweat the small stuff, just let your words reflect what's in your heart, as you do here on your website. And remember,as a wise old biker known as The Shaman says, "It's all small stuff." ;-)

Good luck in your venture(s)!
John Morgan
aka "Mountainman"

Do it.
Come to Detroit.

Well, it's either gonna soar like an eagle or sink like a lead lifeboat. Most ideas fail simply because the guy with the idea lacks the courage to TRY. If your tour fails it won't be because of that.
When your tour gets to the Dallas area you'll have Misha and Rachel, the duToits and some other biggies in the front row. I'll be the guy in the back.

Absolutely. IMO, you speak for the vast majority of middle Americans who are too busy working and raising families to devote time to shrill causes on either extreme of the political spectrum. The comments to your posts always have a common thread; you iterate what we all know is the truth, but don't have the talent and motivation to bring into a coherent and impassioned argument like you do.

Now that my own children are bringing home skewed thoughts and views from the public schools, your writing is one of the tools I intend to use in their deprogramming. How about hooking up with the college Republicans groups that have been popping up lately at various colleges and universities? They are looking for speakers who can counter the Noam Chomsky's of the world. University and high school students would benefit the most from your message.

You have the passion, the smarts, and the truth on your side, so I'm sure your writing abilities will translate into great public speaking. Good luck! When you tour the Twin Cities, I'll be bringing my kids to see you.

I am extremely glad I live in LA right now. Are you going to be doing colleges, or more like a theatre thing or what? (and where can I buy front row tickets?)

go for it , Bill! (but put a little money into on-site security, just to be safe!)

You are going to be a TV personality within 6 months, Bill. Just hold true to your beliefs, stick to your guns, and you'll do great.

You are going to make more money than you ever dreamed of. And you deserve it.

I call shotgun.

I'll be his on-site security.

I'll cook.

Kelley says:

IMO, you speak for the vast majority of middle Americans who are too busy working and raising families to devote time to shrill causes on either extreme of the political spectrum.

Well said, and I agree. Because of the sensationalist media it can often seem like the pseudo-marxist lefties protesting a G8 summit or the foaming evangelists carrying "God Hates Fags!" signs are representative, but they simply aren't. They're just far more visible than the rest of us because their antics attract TV news jackals by the dozen. The truth is that the vast majority of Americans are nice, private, hard-working folks who just want to be left alone and are happy enough to, in turn, leave everyone else alone.

As for your one-man show, Bill, it sounds great. If you get to Tampa I'll be attending with as many friends as I can get to come along. The only advice I would have is to follow the "Keep It Simple" rule as much as possible. Involving too many different media could be distracting; shifting from spoken word to film to music to acting would probably throw an audience who came to learn something. Henry Rollins used to do (perhaps still does) "spoken word" tours, which were marketed and presented much the same way that comidians are, but were indended to make the audience think more than laugh (though there were plenty of laughs thrown in, too). You might want to research his methods a bit - I'm sure there's plenty of information about his spoken word tours online.

A

Hi Bill. This is the first comment I've posted on your site but I have voraciously devoured every essay you have posted then followed up by taking everyone I could by the neck and shoving their nose onto this site so that they, too, might experience the thrill and inspiration of such lucid ideas so brilliantly articulated (of course, gettin them folks to actually read one of your essays as soon as they see how long the things are is a different matter altogether...but I am diligent...I really am).

I wanted to suggest that you try and contact the folks as frontpagemag.com as a springboard for the tour. I imagine you are aware of the site, but you might not know just how dedicated Horovitz and co. are to dessiminating rhetoric to counter the leftists' ideological tyranny. I think you might find some mightly friendly faces around there.

Also don't forget that Charles Johnson is a big fan of yours and he has an enormous readership.

I wish to God that I could be there to see you (would be Dallas area if I still lived there) but I currently reside in Japan and I don't think I am gonna be back in the greatest country on earth for another couple of years. It will be an absolute shame to miss you. And I mean that. You have done so much to keep me sane and to reassure me that the goodness of America will not be drowned out by the shrill voices of resentment. I will be urging as many people as I know to get out and see you. You just tell me when.

God bless you and all the good you do for our wonderful country.

Shawn Deats

It's a hell of an idea. Go for it, and good luck! I certainly hope to be able to buy a ticket to your show somewhere in Minneapolis or St. Paul (I'd love to see such a thing at the U of MN campus, but somehow I doubt it).

Good luck to you Bill. If you get to Florida, I can guarantee you I'll be there. If you need a street team, let me know.

JK

I hope you'll list appearance dates and places on your site so I can get to whichever one is closest to Kansas City, MO. Can't wait for the book. The agent is right, this country needs and I believe wants, to be reminded about the good we are and do in the world. Keep up the great work!

I think it sounds like an interesting idea. Participatory democracy has to start somewhere, and for many decades that somewhere was meeting halls.

That being said, I distinctly recall Twain describing being taken for a ride on numerous occasions. Watch your back.

btw, for what it's worth, I think you'd do just fine without any distracting multimedia displays. And it'd be a whole lot cheaper.

Bill, there has been a broadway/touring show called (I think) "Saving the Caveman" for a few years that uses this mixed-media w/speaker format. If you can get to see a video or an actual performance of this, it might give you some tips on what works and what doesn't.

I'm eagerly awaiting your appearance in Chicago.

Bill, I can only say one thing. PLEASE come to the Upstate NY area. By 'Upstate', I don't mean the Hudson River Valley. I mean the REAL upstate NY.

You would be quite surprised to find that, outside of NYC, there are many intelligent, hard-working people in the Empire State.

Personally, I am just outside Rochester, but would travel anywhere from Buffalo to Albany to hear you speak.

Also, as many others have said, I would drag many people with me.

I anxiously await your book and tour.

Sincerely,
John Chambers

Excellent, excellent...!

Damn, I'm looking forward to all of it... especially to being able to say "Yes, I've been reading his stuff from the very beginning" to everyone I know.

Now if I could convince you to pay a visit to Raleigh while you're out this way....

Bill:
Been lurking about on your blog off and on for some months now, and have been really impressed with the way you project your thoughts. Yours is a voice that shouldn't be only 'crying in the wilderness'. Get out there on the boards and talk; I say there'll be an audience. Just post your east coast sked, and I'll be there for one. Break a leg!

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is the best news! How many times have we all said you should do this...and you ARE doing it!

Glee! I can't wait to tell everyone I know!

We got your back Bill. Can't wait till you start!

I have read your essays aloud to my children (and several adult friends), and they are moving, eloquent, and work great in an oral format. I assume that your show would be much more than simply reading your essays, and for that reason I believe that it will work.

But I am sad.

I am sad not for you, Bill, but for America. I am involved (for better or worse) in our political process (with the hope of being a candidate one day). I see so few politicians with the conviction that you have, the words that you use and the guts to shout out the greatness of this land. We are giving them, the politicians, the keys to our political future, and many--on both sides of the aisle--are pissing it (the future) away for petty squabbles and personal power.

How do I change it? And don't tell it I change it with my vote--I only get to vote for the people who run, while many (most?) of the good people, the people with powerful vision and great love of country, don't run. My complicity in helping these candidates sometimes keeps me up at night (though I like to think that my candidate right now is at the top of the heap in terms of statesmanship).

I consider the posters to this comments board to be thoughtful, intelligent and opinionated. For this country that I love--the one Bill Whittle so eloquently describes in his essays and soon-to-be live show--I want to best leaders. Help me to get them off of the sidelines and into the game.

I never saw Mark Twain in person so like many others do not know that format. But what I do 'get' from Mark Twain is that he was a gentle regular guy with heart-felt convictions. I think that when you 'tell' your stories on your site that is what you do so well--it's the best, you capture people's attention. So, I would say, just do that (and as my niece says, "Yeah, that"). I agree with the person that mentioned/referenced you can't preach to the masses, just the remnant. I am just one of those people who sits on the side lines and can not identify with much of what the media or entertainment has to offer, you offer another opportunity to hear ideas that are real and personal, that reach inside and beg us to think again (or think-along-with-me). To re-value what we have in America through your eyes is priceless. So don't worry about being snappy or modern, effective or funny. Just be your self, no one is doing that.

"Excellent." (Read more in a diabolical Monty Burns voice, not a hipster Bill & Ted voice)

And the best part is that since I've been telling all my friends (both my friends, anyway) about your writings for a while now, I can now claim to have gotten in on the ground floor. I'm sure that will pay off big in some way. Just have to figure out how...

If your one man wrecking crew comes to Ohio I and my family will be there. Ohio's beautiful in winter, really. Really.

I won't waste your time with my suggestions for the presentation. If I were creative enough to design that kind of event meaningfully, I'd already be doing it.

JKS.

Bill:

As a first time commentor/long time reader, I must state for the record that this idea is a long time coming. Even before the idea was posed to you by the agent man, I mentioned to my father that you should either publish or tour, or both for that matter. Turns out I'm a prognosticator too!

Many thanks for the courage to share your views and bear the slings and arrows.

There seems to be a theme in these comments so let me add my name to the list......I'm in! Look out Oprah, here comes Dr. Bill!!

I too first thought of the university circuit.

My next thought was: "My God, his test audiences will all be in California. Am I going to be hearing about a riot at Berkeley in three months? Will the National Guard become involved? I'm sure they'll be in the audience."

If you survive California, be sure and pay a visit to UNM in Albuquerque. I'll definitely make the drive for that. (Hell, I'll make the drive to Denver or Phoenix for that.)

I'm assuming a stopover in Atlanta is a given (airfare's cheap from anywhere) but just in case: See you in Atlanta, right?!!!

Excellent idea. Can't wait.

Bill,

Go for it! The country needs this.

I was a bit surprised to see you use a strange word here, it was "edit." I didn't think you had ever heard that one.

Just kidding of course, keep up the good work. America needs your voice.

So, are you selling stock in this venture? And where can I buy some?

Excellent! I wish you all the luck in the world, Bill.

You've been given excellent advice, and I doubt I could add to it coherently. Let me just say -- keep it simple. And don't expect your presentations to be static. You'll learn as you go what works and what doesn't, and you'll adjust your presentation accordingly. Some things that sing in print won't work on the stage (e.g. too long), and contrariwise, things you thought could NEVER work will do wonders! Try it out and see.

(By corollary, as you adjust your presentation, some of your early shows may go over like a lead balloon. Don't let it discourage you. As long as you believe in what you have to say, people WILL pay to hear you say it. And, in time, you'll suddenly realize that you're playing to packed houses, and have been for a while!)

Who knows; you might wind up junking the multimedia format entirely, and doing it with just you, a microphone, and a wooden stool on a bare stage. Twain did something like that (as did Hal Holbrook in his Twain imitations). Try it sometime and see.

I do hope you schedule some appearances in the Boston area. If you do, I'm there. Let me know what beer you like; I'm buying. Most of all, though, I want to shake your hand.

best wishes in all your endeavors,
Daniel
Medford, MA

Bill, if your show ever comes within driving distance, you can guarantee that I will be there. Not only me, but everyone else I can drag along with me.

One tiny suggestion. See if you can get some video of Rutan's rocket engine firing off for the video wall....

That and I wish you good luck with the Tour. When the book comes out, I EXPECT to see you on O'Reilly.

I'm there.

Thank you.

It's about TIME!!! This is the best news I've heard since you announced you were going to be putting out the book! If you should get out to mid-Missouri during your tour, let me know and I'll make sure there's something in our local newspaper about you and your show.

Folks, it occurs to me that, if this goes over as well as I expect it to, Bill ought to be positioned quite nicely for when George W. can no longer run for another term in office.....:)

Jim

Bill,
When you head up to the Pacific NW, check out this venue:

http://www.aladdin-theater.com/about_us.asp

I've gone to a couple of concerts there. It's a campy, intimate kinda place, but you get to connect with the audience 100%.

Man oh man. We could use your voice of reason in the Portland, Oregon area.

You are planning on bringing your show to Richmond (VA), aren't you?

I'll buy a ticket, & others will too.

When ya' coming? I'm already getting antsy waiting.

If you make through the Gulf Coast, be sure to put a pin in your map at Mobile AL.

Our folks will be friendlier than the LA crowd.

CBK

I enjoy one-man shows, whether they are Mark Twain's imitators doing making his observations, or Will Rogers. Robert Hardy (All Things Great And Small) did one as Churchill. A friend of mine did one as Damian the Leper Priest. Never seen a bad one.
However, that said, only the latter was a coherent narrative. The rest were observations which, I presume, had been ordered carefully to make a point. But nobody recited essays.
I understand that screenwriters new from novels find it difficult to get used to how little dialogue screenplays actually have. They have actors instead.
I expect you'll have to cut the hell out of your work, or start from scratch. Or get a co-author who doesn't see each word as flesh of his flesh.
Maybe you'll have to have a different show for each theme.
Anyway, best of luck and make sure you post your schedule well in advance so we have the opportunity to make the time to see you.

After having read all of your work Bill, I have come to an understanding in that it fills me with pride to look back on past events, sacrifices and determination - among other great attributes that define America - which you have bestowed upon us with your fine writings.

Additionally, I have found you to be very firm on disallowing those who wish to destroy America(including those within) by motivating people to oppose it.

After all is said and done, I find that I look back in admiration and pride at those who came before this generation. I look at today and savour my freedom, remember what it took to get here - then look forward. What can we do to preserve this great country? How can we go about doing it? These are questions we as Americans should be asking ourselves in light of current events as well as future issues abroad.

I feel you have given us a clear, concise view on what it is to be an American today and how we can use that pride to stop those who wish to take out freedoms away.

I find most of the time, it's not healthy to dwell on the past. Live for the moment, and plan for the future so they say. However, regarding who we are as a country, how we got here and where we are going I find you have to dwell on the past to really understand the present. People should be educated on American history regarding the moments in time where our good men and women stood on the front, putting thier lives in harms way - all for something as intangible as freedom. A just cause. A righteous cause.

A cause many people wish to see destroyed.

If you manage to rally even one person to have a burning desire to see this great country preserved, you will have done a great, selfless deed in my eyes.

Go kick some ass, Bill.

Dammit, Bill, you promised ! This weekend, you said, POWER would be ready and . . .

oooh, look, PIE !!

While we wait on POWER, know that we have faith in you and will be behind you every step of the way. All the way!

Starting in LA, Bill? Talk about kicking in the gates of hell...

Congratulations. We're all going to be backing you.

Hey, I like that. Being a part of the Remnant. *?)
Are you coming to Texas? Are you coming to Houston? If so, I'll be there.

Yay - Come to Fort Worth and do a show. Dallas is for chumps.

I'll be a couple of rows up from quark2 in Houston, assuming you don't make us drive to Dallas! God, I wish you could talk some sense into our city council....

Bill:

Atlanta,
Jacksonville,
then Orlando,
then Tampa;

seems to me you've got the southeastern portion of your trip all lined up. At least as far as your readers are concerned... ;-)

I hope this comes through for you, and I can't wait to see this show in a Theater Near Me.

It's a fantastic idea, make sure you get yourself heard on the college campuses - it'll be painful, but they need to hear it.

If you come anywhere within 300 miles I'll be there with my son. Even if I have to drag him while he's kicking and screaming.

Oh and if Mrs. du Toit is cooking, have her make that delicous, moist chicken she makes...OH man! You will NOT be disappointed!

*delicious (spell check is my friend)

Sounds like a mandatory formation to me.

I'll be there...

When you get the kinks worked out of the stage routine - tape it.

Think 3-camera shoot and edit in the wall material for a DVD presentation of the thing. No doubt there are plenty of markets you'll never make it to, and the dupe costs are low enough that you'll recoup + just selling it as a companion to the book.

I'd love the show to be in every major city in the United States, perhaps especially close to commie colleges (i.e. Berkley, Boulder)

Please don't forget Portland, Oregon! If you can't make it here, I guess I'll drive to Seattle...

Either way, I'm there!

Mickey Rooney and his wife have a two person show that they travel with. Do you have a contact who might be able to arrange a meeting to tap into his experience and advice?

Also, The Reagan and Nixon Libraries would be excellent starting points for getting the word out and to spread the news.

I wish you great success in the venture.

What a fabulous idea. I think everyone in this country should be exposed to your powerful postivitity.

Go forth and spread the good word. No doubt I will be in an audience should you come anywhere near my neck of the woods.

Come to St Louis. We'll set you up and bring you a big audience.

Us yokels love a good speechifier.

You can also enlist the help of local conservative organizations. One place to keep in mind if WhittleTour ever comes to Minnesota is The Center of the American Experiment (www.amexp.org), a conservative thinktank.

As for what the show should look like, I think you should open the show by coming on stage wearing your flight suit. Dems seem to hate it when people wear flight suits. (The background music, of course, would HAVE to be "Danger Zone.")

--Dave

If you want to come to the Phoenix area, let me know. I'll do what I can to find you a decent venue.

Oh. Well, look who decides to waltz back into my life again.

Do keep us up-to-date on the tour. I'll definitely be in attendance when you get to the Palm Springs area.

Dear Mr. Whittle,

When (not if), you bring your show to Houston, I'll come up from Galveston with as many people as I can possibly kidnap for the event.

I want the Kleenex concession though. As many times as I've been moved to tears by your essays, I've not doubt that I'll grow rich selling tissues.

God Bless you, sir !

Jim
The People's Republic of Galvetraz, TX.

Most excellent idea.
The country needs a countervailing perspective
on the drumbeat of dim pessimism.
------------------------------------
Despair is the preferred narcotic of the intellectual classes.
=====================
"We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through
the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may
have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything
can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms -- to
choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's
own way."

--Viktor Frankl, author, neurologist and psychiatrist, Holocaust
survivor (1905-1997)

Fantastic idea Bill.

People need to hear your words said by you at your own pace. The way you weave the arguments of your essays shows true craftsmanship.

Today, all the masses get are quick sound bites, sharply edited, without any setup or context. And because of this people don't understand what they're hearing.

Actually having folks come together for a few hours to listen. No commercials. No changing the channel. Just Bill Whittle controlling the pace, painting his verbal pictures.

And all with the world's most powerful advertising medium - word of mouth across the internet to promote the events.

I predict standing ovations

Go! Go! Go!

What the Hell are you waiting for??

Go, Bill... I knew your writing from the first paragraph almost a year ago. Please go, and find solid Americans waiting to hear you speak. I will be there.
We will serve our lady liberty well, and we will not disappoint you.
Trust me.

Bill

If you need a road crew give me a call. I am free at the moment.
I hope you get to a lot of colleges our young people need a lot of de-programming.
Hope to see you in Houston.

Hmm, late to the party, as always:)

I agree with what previous posters have said regarding college campuses. All of us here are familiar with your work, and come back for more because we appreciate your writings (even if we don't agree with every point you make).

Others (like my son & daughter, both college students) don't see posts like this, and don't hear anyone express these thoughts. As adults and voters, they need to be exposed to diverse viewpoints to excercise their intellectual, decision-making capabilities. Colleges currently define diversity as a particular ratio of ethnic/economic backgrounds in the student population (IMHO, this is racist, but, I'm not a professor). I'd argue that *true* diversity would be comprised of a mix of *ideas* from people of different backgrounds which provoke intelligent, reasoned thought and debate about the issues at hand.

Bill, you can provide a set of ideas and justifications which just might get our daughters & sons thinking. Heck, we may not agree with the conclusions our offspring reach, but if their position is well-reasoned and based upon consideration of a wide *diversity* of viewpoints, at least our daughters & sons have been given an insight on HOW TO REASON.

I also have to agree with others, doing test presentations in LA may not give you a true sense of how an audience may receive you in flyover country (the Lower 46).

Like several commenters, I'm also in Minnesota, and would welcome a visit here. Twin Cities would be good, but, heh, a visit to Rochester would be a Godsend :)

Randy

PS - for the correct email, please replace "diespambot" with "schwandt1"

Hmmm. How good are you at extemporaneous wit? Everything I've seen from you has been composed over time and at length. If you're going to do a traveling lecture in the manner of Twain, you'll need to be able to respond instantly, pithily, cheerfully, and memorably to audience feedback.

Sweet.

Then when the reporter asks you why you did it, you can say, "Because I'm an American." And it will mean something and no one will want to beat you up for saying it.

Go for it, man!

I wish you'd come to Williams College. The students here are very intelligent and largely quite moderate in their politics. We have the usual complement of lefties, but Republicans and conservatives have a respectable presence. We also have a number of centrist or even (gasp!) conservative professors. I think you'd find a smart, respectful audience here.

If you go around college campuses, you'll find that many of the stereotypes just aren't true. Most students of the current generation are NOT moonbat lefties. This whole generation was changed by September 11, and are, at least, receptive to conservative ideas. Which is why it so important to present those ideas to them - on college campuses.

I remember the BBC doing a piece before the Iraq war. They went to Kent State University - site of the famous protests and shooting - and it turned out that while professors were madly anti-war, most students ranged from skeptical to moderate to undecided to even supportive.

I mean, there may be a lot of steretypes about hippies at Berkeley, but nowadays that's truer of the town of Berkeley (aged hippies) than of the University.

Great idea! COming up to thes mountains is beautiful and conducive to deep thinking. Fully support your road show - if you do colleges, pencil in Appalachian State University in Boone, NC - the voice of reason is needed!

Tell me where and when. I would love to hear you speak. If the wife can drag me to Celine Dion concerts and Cirque de Soliel, I can drag her to hear you.

Wow! 86 comments and not a troll in sight!

Congratulations Bill, on everything. When you make it back to DFW, Rick and I (and Rachel and gang)will be there with bells on. When we actually got to meet when you were passing through, my first comment to Rachel was "That guy is gonna be on TV..."

There is a difference, I think, in being able to write well, and being equally magnetic in person. I've got to say, you can do both, so I have no doubts that this venture will be a success.

And what about Power? I didn't get my pie!

I'll be there with bells on!

My thoughts, apologize if someone else mentioned them...it's hard to retain everything from the comments section with just a couple of reads.

Videotapes, including Q&A sessions following the main presentation, should be made affordably available via the web. Make a new one whenever the theme of the presentation changes and possibly a compilation of "the best of" every so often. I'm sure lots of overseas readers, well, at least one, would appreciate this.

One thing I would emphasize is the responsibility of people to be active in their pursuit of news and knowledge. The information is out there to be had, just don't accept the talking heads' version. There's a lot of garbage on the web as well, but it's fairly easy to pick the wheat from the chaff.

I'd love to see part of your effort be something showing the truth about what's going on "now" in Iraq. I'm tired of the general media beating dead horses. It's happened and instead of trying to gain political leverage, we should be trying to succeed. I don't mean something unbalanced in the positive direction either. Our troops still face a dangerous task, but the reality of the positives and negatives can be expressed far more clearly. I'd like to see how you would tackle this. Not sure if that's at all feasible, but someone needs to do it. Thanks again for all the great thoughts everyone, especially you Bill.

cheers,

Dick

Bill, Please do this tour and do not skip Portland, OR. I will bring my daughter up from the People's Republic of Eugene (she is an art student at the U of O, swelp me) to hear you.

I have but one thing to say Bill, come to Salt Lake City(we're on the way to everywhere).

I live in Charleston South Carolina, and have been reading your essays for about 3 months now. Each and every one of them have been true gems. I'll buy several books to distribute, and if you come to Florida, Georgia, or North Carolina I'm there in a heartbeat. By the time you get over here your show should be 'spot on.' I plan on rounding up at least 10 people, renting a couple of vans, and seeing your show. If you stay in one city for a few days we'll make it a vacation scenario and see you multiple evenings. You have been a much needed breath of fresh air. Good luck over there in the Cali area. Don't let them bring you down. To paraphrase one of the most enlightened men on the planet; 'keep your chin up!'

If you manage to meet Michael Moore at some point, be sure to give him a nice big smack on the jaw for me. We Southern gals think he's a big pile of manure.

"Of course, there is an ocean of distance between Bill Whittle on one hand, and Mark Twain and Will Rogers on the other."

Not in my mind, there isn't.
Great pity we in Australia won't get to see and hear you.
Maybe the BW show on DVD?

Woohoooo!!! Sacramento's not so far from LA, ya know! Can we pre-order tickets now? They'd make great stocking stuffers! hehe...

Jen and I will be more than happy to put you up and feed you if you come into the Seattle, WA area. We are in the process of moving to Bellingham, WA so we can cover the two venues...

Go for it!
Dave

sounds like a great idea, but you're gonna need more boston crème pies to fend off michael moore.

Bill, sir, you are the man. I have been (and am currently) and stationed overseas for five years. If you go on the lecture circuit, I will take some leave and fly back to attend one of your talks.

Rob

It's a good thing you mention "Swimming to Cambodia", as Spaulding Grey puts on a fantastic one-man show. Even if you don't agree with everything that Spaulding says, when you finish seeing the movie you come out with your head hurting from having so much information packed into it, and with a desire to learn more for yourself.

Watch "Swimming to Cambodia" again. Study how he paces himself... how he mixes humor and stark information... how he builds up the energy level then directs that energy into "key moments". Mixing the hard information with humor (to make your audience lower their internal barriers) and riveting, accelerating-pace storytelling (to hold their attention) keeps the flow going. Spaulding does this masterfully.

And give your audience moments to rest too! Consider that most people take their audience-participation habits from watching television, which means there is a deeply-ingrained attention span of about eight minutes. If you segment your show to have a rhythm like that, it will gel well with your audience's attention-habits. There doesn't need to be a "hard break" in that interval, just a lowering of energy for a few moments.

Another source to consider is Stanley Kubrick's "Full Metal Jacket". In particular, the opening scenes, following R. Lee Ermey (the drill sergeant and host of the History Channel's "Mail Call") and the bumbling would-be Marine nicknamed "Gomer Pyle" are worth studying. The movie starts out like a rough-and-tumble version of "Stripes". You're laughing, then laughing harder, and harder... sure, the first bits are much less gentle than other boot-camp comedies, but they're FUNNY. And just when Kubrick has you laughing like a maniac, all emotionally opened up and receptive--

Wham. A sucker-punch to the gut, and a mighty hard one.

When the sword falls, it falls all the harder, with more impact on the viewer, than it would have otherwise. Those great laughs are groundwork to prepare for what follows.

Be prepared for hecklers, just in case. Let the bouncers take care of the rowdy ones, and don't let the rest interrupt your pace and rhythm. Have a couple of "shutdown lines" in your back pocket for the more persistent hecklers. Time enough for debate after the prepared material, after all.

I wish you the best of luck, and will be watching for ticket info. I live in San Jose, but will happily travel to Los Angeles for the show if need be.

Congratulations!

I'd like to expand and clarify my original comment (way back up at the top :-))

Like Kelley and aliestar said middle America just wants to be left alone to live their lives in peace, but with the mainstream media bombarding us with sound bites and video clips we've become lost in a sea of biased news reports, infomercials, political posturing ect.ect. ad nauseum. Vocal minorities dominate the media making average people think no one shares their point of view.
Middle America has a hard time figuring out what's real or what to do about it.
Your essays have a resonance to them that strikes deep within us. Reading the comments from your other posts I get the impresion that most people are saying to themselves "I knew that. I just didn't know how to say it." You remind us of what an American is and what we stand for.
We need you to be the voice of middle America. To let let the average person know they are not alone, that there are others with the same opinions. That those opinions do matter and can make a difference. So we can really have a government by the people, for the people.

Bill! This is an excellent opportunity, and so very needed. You go get 'em. If you wind up touring on a grand scale, be assured that I'll be there, front row and center, when you are anywhere near Colorado.

I don't know what else to say--I'm just very excited for you, and for the people who will get to experience your message on such a personal level.

Good luck!

--Linda

Outstanding news!

I have been reading your site for over a year now (despite those horrible lapses in posts you've occasionally had - for shame!) and have eagerly awaited your articles. You have a way of clarifying an issue that most people will understand without any effort at all.

Detroit is certainly going to be ready for you. In point of fact, there is currently a road-tour going on with Hal Holbrook as Mark Twain. This is priming the pump for you ;-)

NYC is awaiting your presence, be sure to post dates and times as soon as you can.

This is going to be really great.

Good luck!

Those of us fortunate enough to have read The Essays can't wait to see your message carried to the whole Nation. I would do anything you asked to be of help in this venture. I would happily accompany you as your assistant for a cot and meal only. (And, no, I'm not homeless! I gave a wife and son and a nice home on a farm. I do have the freedom to back up this offer.)

Get a good vocal coach, director and stage manager to build a smooth presentation and relieve some of the pressure. Speak just as you write! but, somehow, in some fewer words.

I need the book to give to all the young people in my life to, as someone said above, 'deprogram' them from the swill their being fed in the socialist re-education camps known as public schools. So, get it on, already!

I think you'll find that, with the readership of the many influential blogs that support your views, you'll have no problem selling out whatever venues you choose. And we'll bring our friends, arms twisted or otherwise. Have copies of the book to sell at the talks. Your advertising budget should be nil!

Bless the man, Mike, who persuaded you to this aspect of your calling. And Bless You, Bill Whittle. It's an awesome and honorable challenge to be the Conscience and Inspiration of a Nation, for that's what you're becoming. It comes not even once in a generation and to very few, but it comes here in America more often than anywhere else. And nowhere else in the world are the people more prepared to respond.
Ronald Reagan new this and confounded all our enemies with that knowledge!

I'll pre-order five books if you need the inspiration. ;)

Bring your show anywhere in TX and I'll be there!

YES! Do It! Just a couple of thoughts for you. In my past life I was a tour manager for rock acts, toured all over the world. First, don't through yourself to the wolves to quickly. Even veteran acts (Stones, Eagles) spend extensive time rehearsing by themselves, locked away from all but a few people, to prepare themselves for any tour. And then, they don't open in big cities, they start out in smaller venues, a little off the beaten track, working those venues as futher preperation. Good Luck, and I will be looking forward to seeing you in Detroit. Bill

Good luck Bill. I'll be tuning in to the show, I can tell you that much. Looking forward to the book as well.

The times, they are a changin'. I think the whole net broadcast (I assume it will be a netcast, anyway) could be a great success. People like me, and many others I know, are hungry for a positive message to listen too.

So, when can we book you for a couple of gigs in Europe?

;-)

JoJo

Please, please, please tell me that you're going to do college campuses. I can't think even off of the top of my head how many people would want you to come to theirs, my campus included.

I'm just posting this so I can prove I was reading Bill before he made it huge!

Bill,

I have but one small favor to ask. When you tour, please don't stop in DC. My girlfriend lives there and I don't want her to get hurt in the resulting implosion when you try to introduce logic into that environment.

I can only guess that the collision between a room full of beltway insiders and your commentary would be similar to a matter/anti-matter reaction.

On the flip side of that, if you make it to Ol' Virginny, I'll beat the band to make the show.

Ferchrissakes you peopel!

If you want the man to speak in your town, start doing something useful like telling him he's he'll have a roof over his head and a fine steak dinner waiting for him, if you're blessed enough to have him stop by. Scout out venues - help him and do a bit of the crappy legwork. He'll not have a chance to evaluate venues on foot before he arrives, so make yourself familiar with some of those (BUT DON'T BOOK ANYTHING UNTIL HE ASKS YOU TO).

Just saying Gimmie! Gimmie! isn't the kind of responsible volunteerism that I know and expect out this group of Wildmen and Badasses.

Well ain't that a big fat dollop of grand news? Not only a book, but a speaking tour- may every supreme being and polytheistic god known to mankind smile upon both of these endeavours- I can think of noone in the blogosphere or elsewhere whose talents more richly deserve this kind of treatment.

When you get to Chicago, please don't hesitate to drop a line- any help you need, from running cables to taking tickets to buying you a richly deserved beer or ten - you got it.

That said, the dude from Australia makes a good point- you most definitely should (if you aren't already) think about taping these gigs. They'd be great for those in remote (or damned furriner) places, and it'd be marvelous to see a movie of your in person rants (well, spoken word performances) atop the video sales and video rental charts........ there would be no joy in Mudville (aka Hollywood) the day that came to pass. Then again, if that did happen you'd probably be contacted by some network drone ideologue to see if you'd be interested in optioning the rights to your life story for a wacky sitcom called "Fascists in the House" or somesuch..... ah well, the trials and tribulations of the soon to be famous- good luck with your burden, sir.

Go man go!

Any thoughts on webcasting the show?

I am a card carrying no talent bum, so I have absolutely no suggestions about what the show should look like. But I hope you make it to Chicago. If it's half as thoughful and thought provoking as the essays, it will be well worth it.

Gimmie! Gimmie!

(Hey, I'm already in LA, so I'm sure Bill's way ahead of me in all the areas AR mentioned... but I'd still like to buy him a beer :)

In my most humble opinion, from a little experience on both sides of the stage, I'd suggest that you keep it simple. You're selling the message, not the gimmicks. Gimmicks (such as Power Point) have spoiled many a good presentation of information that the audience needed and wanted. It might be easier to suceed (how are we defining that?) on stage by yourself . In any case, consider it. Keep it Simple, Sir.

Looking forward to seeing you here in Colorado.

I was wondering when this would start. I've thought from the beginning that putting your ideas out in front of a live crowd would shake the House of Idiotaria down. Want to see it happen!

Let me know when and where the first show will be. As the inimitable Blackfive said:

Starting in LA, Bill? Talk about kicking in the gates of hell...

Don't you know that is the raison d'etre for Sappers? Breaching obstacles is what we live and breathe for. As far as the Gates of Hell...Cool. To paraphrase Tigger "Breaching Hell is what Sappers likes best!"

Bill, I'll take Point. We'll put Kim on Slack, GHS on Drag, and Rachel and John on the flanks. Connie is in the trains, putting the finishing touches on the evening's repast. Could be a great trip.

Sapper Mike

Hey Bill - don't skip Houston - I'll go and drag all my buddies along for the ride. I don't know what a multimedia version of one of your essays might look like, but I'm sure it'll be one helluva show - and thought-provoking, which is a much better way to spend time than the brainless slush in most "pep talks."
You are certainly not the only voice out there, but you're one of the most articulate, and as such to be treasured - the conservative point of view is far better served by a few people who can present a reasoned and logical case FOR conservatism than it is by enormous ravening hordes who say "I like this, um, because it's, um, like cool, or something."
Go for it, man. More power to ya.

I would have that planetarium show ready, you know as a back up, people (as you know) really dig those light shows and dramatic music.
:^)

Be yourself, have fun... make sure your mic is nice and loud, that is all my advice. CONGRATS!!!

Follow that dream, fall on your face, but make sure you have people email to supply reasons you fail (none of which are traced to you). Maybe you can get gigs at Indian Casinos!

Congratulations on the tour, whatever help you need from Indiana just put me on the 'gofer' list.

And for the Trinity file.

From the 'we're going to space on our own dime' dept. two links from this week:

Mojave Airport applies for SPACEPORT license!!!!
http://www.avpress.com/n/mosty3.hts

and Burt Rutan has picked a rocket manufacturer for SpaceShip One (and if anyone cracks a joke about using laughing gas and rubber to get there, whack 'em good, we'll use whatever it takes)

http://www.scaled.com/projects/tierone/index.htm

Quote from Burt on website: 'Scaled now looks forward to entering into the historic phase of private manned space flight.'

I think someone's going to bag an X-prize soon.

Then it'll be orbital for the next step.

Ed

I hope your show will find its way to New York. I assure you there are many of us in the land of the blue meanies that agree with you. I can hardly wait to read your book.

Another vote for Colorado, specifically Denver area. (Boulder would certainly be an entertaining choice.) It's too bad your book won't be ready for Christmas... I know several people it'd be perfect for.

Idunno, Bill, positive message, hope, patriotism? Well, it did seem to work when Reagan was speaking in public.
Seriously, better start adding layers of ever-thickening skin now, watch your back, and in the most Reagan-esq of mannerisms..."Trust -but verify. The enemy doesn't play fair, and we all need to be in this fight to WIN, not just to contain.

Lotsa room and food here in Orlando when you need it.

Touring college circuts would be a great idea, I would love to see you come to MSU. Groups such as the Leadership Institute (which I run a Campus Leadership Program for) would most likely help fund speaking engagements, especially since you probably wouldn't be asking for much (as you are not a well known or popular speaker...except to us.). Young Americans Foundation is another group that would probably help subsidize a speaking tour. Any Campus Leadership, College Republican (which I also run a group of) or similar group would probably be able to raise money so that people could just come and watch, not having to pay for tickets (cause most of us college kids are broke.)

Make sure you have some autographed copies of your book availible too.
~Rob Walter

I'm new to this blogging stuff but very enthusiastic about your plan. Look to some pro-America foundations to get grant funding for your tour. Or set up a special "donation by PayPal" on your site to gather funds. This tour could be expensive. Pro-America organizations and local bloggers could work to organize each venue and handle publicity--you have lots of support in many areas. Use those people and have them link all the news on their own sites. The word will spread. The logistics for a nationwide effort could be tough, but I'm sure all these folks in the "comments section" will help. Right? I definitely agree that this message has to be heard. The timing is excellent. Good luck.

Just a few comments:

Glad to hear that the book will come out as a coherent whole, rather than a collection of blog posts -- that's the best news in this post, in my opinion.

The analogy to Will Rogers and Mark Twain might not be perfect; TV did not exist in those days. There are many, many people who would rather stay home and watch "Friends" (is that still on?) than go out and hear a lecture. Of course, if you're preaching to the "remnant", then go on ahead. I just have to figure that it's a tough row to hoe, and I don't think I would have the nerve to try such a thing. But hey -- I'm a chicken.

Also, I think it's a bit silly to think that you'd be the first guy to hit it big from this "internet" thing. Ever hear of a guy named Matt Drudge? He seems to have done pretty well...

You're certainly welcome at my place in Bloomington, Indiana if you're going to tour colleges. And I'll be getting multiple copies of the book when it comes out.

I agree with Lance -- take your cues from Spalding Grey. His "Grey's Anatomy" was likewise brilliant...
the pacing, the emotional connection, the themes that you hit on can work in much the same vein.

Well, I am pretty much speechless. Thank you all so very much. Your response has been just mind-boggling.

Also, I find that once again my instincts did not let me down. Once I got to the mountain, I picked up a book and got the mother of all CLICKS! regarding POWER. I'll start on the re-write today after I watch the Gators break my heart in two one more time.

I may be one of the most well-introduced weblog writers on the planet. It's been my pleasure to have met, in person, Kim and Connie Du Toit, Rachel Lucas, Emperor Misha I, Steven Den Beste, Charles Johnson, Tex from Wacking Day, Jen from the Greatest Jeneration, and Armed Liberal. In my conversations with them, they all say, to a person, that this whole enterprise is made worthwhile by not the quality of the comments and compliments we receive, but rather the quality of the people who make them.

It is simply dumbfounding. Thank you all. Much writing to do today. But first we need to confront the greatest evil that faces this nation, indeed, this entire civilization: The Tennessee Volunteers.

POWER will either be an uplifting bugle call to an American rebirth, or a dirge marking the end of all that is fine and noble, crushed into ashes, never to return. It all hangs on the events of a half-hour hence. Godspeed the Gators in their holy mission!

And speaking of bugle calls: for those who are interested, "Michelle" has some "insights" for us arrogant Americans at the tail end of the comments for "Happy Anniversary" below.

In the meantime, MAN, I hope the Gators win today.

GHS

Bill,

I'll be waiting for the itinerary of your "Mark Twain Tour," to find out where to drag my small cotery of friends when you get to Houston. I'm not even gonna think about you not speaking here.

I'm registered for the "CCRKBA" national "Gun Rights Conference" this weekend (at the Bush Intercontinental Marriot), and, it will be the first thing I've attended in a long time. I got tired of hearing "Social Engineering" from people who were supposed to be on our side, and, gave up trying to get our point across.

GHS,

I can't believe the veiled arrogance sneering through the prose in Michelles messages. I posted a reply before I realized that I should have put it here, but, maybe, she'll find it.

And...hmmmm? What's with the link in the "Posted by Gordon DeSpain," above? It's not an E-Mail Link, but, a link to Wil Fausts "Parratopia," a workgroup discussion of an image he found in the Elysium section of Mars, (I think) on the "Anomalous Roundtable Discussion Board." If it is, that's a members only, password protected, section of "Anomaly Hunters.com." Durn, the link takes you right in.

Gordon

Bill,

I'm volunteering food / room / board / help if you choose to come to the Chicago area. Don't think only in terms of downtown Chicago -- there's more folks in the suburbs anyway.

The better-half also suggests approaching some of the more-positive radio personalities (e.g. Hannity, Limbaugh) - one cursory mention of your show from someone like that and you'll be adding extra shows to accomodate all the people!

Bill,

Ditto to virtually all of the comments above. Speaking of dittoes, for inspiration, you might want to refer to the great one himself, Rush Limbaugh. He did a couple of similar tours from 1989 to 1991, the "Rush to Excellence" tours.

http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/eib15th/15yearanniversity.guest.html

You might want to contact him directly. He might provide advice and/or publicity. It certainly worked for "Dan's Bake Sale" in Boulder, CO, May 1993.

http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_070703/content/eib_history_lesson.guest.html

Good luck!

sam

yes YES!!!
Bill, you've GOT to do this! If I find you've set foot anywhere in Louisiana, I will personally recruit every member of my family, every friend and every person who may have ever needed a strong reminder of how magnificent this country IS, to come and listen to your words!

Been a long time comin' podnuh!

God bless you!

EFC!

As a nearby resident of "the OC", I am so there Bill! Let me know if there's any way I can help out...

Please bring on POWER.

Just grant a little of that POWER to your Gators.

Did I ever mention the Infantry Company I supported in Panama had a mascot, and it was a Gator? They were the Alphagators, and "lpha" was Airborne Qualified. He was quite an armload on a jump.

Sapper Mike

Bill-
Come within 300 miles, I'll drive to see you.
Come to Boone, we'll provide room, board, and fellowship, plus a vintage cigar if you're of a mind to smoke one. Glad to help out any way possible on the local scene.

Hmmm, If you could get interviewed by the local talk radio shows in the cities on your tour, the conservative AM ones anyway, you could really drag them in. WBAP in The Dallas/Fort Worth market has about three programs that I think would hit your target audiance. You might hear from these guys anyway since a couple of them are blog literate.

Go for it, Bill! You've got to do this, it's a certified hit and it would be wonderful to see a concrete example of the pull the blogosphere has in the "real" world. You know you'd have ALL major blogsites mentioning your show, your itinerary, etc etc. And it's not far from that to some mainstream media blurbs. And talk radio- of course!
When you're in Northern California, I am so there!

That's definitely one show I'd pay to see.

Bill,

I worry less about the show than the propmotion of the show. From various hints and statements, it's clear that you have performmed onstage, and have a sense of audience. There is still a lot of hard work to go from where you are to having compelling content to presented in a live format, but I am convinced that you can do that.

The trick is to articulate that you are a thinking man's speaker, but not not an intellectual. YOu are proundand awed by this experiment called America, but not a jingoistic flag waver (don't worry National Proletariat Radio will call you that any way). Make sure to spend some serious time thinking how to present in a short time, what the show will be about. At some point word of mouth will sell the show, but that won't be right away.

Phil

P.S. Boston desparately needs your show, and yes you will have a place to stay.

This is awesome, and I'd love to see this. Are you planning to leave the US at all? Because if you ever come up to UWaterloo(that's Waterloo, Ontario, Canada), I'm sure I could get 20 of my friends signed up within about 10 minutes of finding out about this. And if I can't see you speak, I'd like to be hearing fond recollections of your speeches in 20 years, okay? Good luck with this though, I'm sure you'll burn up the room after the first couple trial runs, whether or not I'm there to see it.

Oh, and just remember - there's nothing preventing you from putting this on video and tossing it online for all us small-market folks ;)

Hey Bill,

I don't know where all you are going, but if you come to Tennessee, I know I will be there with my Dad, a fellow patriot and American, and my uncle, who is retired military. There are some folks at the law school I know would go too, and you should obviously drop a line to the Blogfather if you are coming to Knoxvegas. I am sure he would be glad to help. I know it isn't much, but if you needed someone to try to get some added publicity before coming, I would do whatever I could to help. I believe in you Bill, and what you say needs to be said. Your book will do great, I will be buying several copies myself. And like someone else said above, you have the courage to try. Good for you, go for it brither. I am praying and rooting for you, and America should be too. Best of luck.

Sincerely,
Chris Whittaker, 3L
UT College of Law

Hey Bill,

One thing on an unrelated note..."IT'S A GREAT DAY TO BE A TENNESSEE VOL!" Sorry, just had to say that, and all us Vols are not eeeevillll. Just don't kvetch too much about your heartbreak...the Gators have owned the Vols in recent years, submarining many otherwise fine seasons. You don't know heartbreak until you've been on the wrong side of two ill-conceived toss sweeps on fourth downs that cost the game, the phantom catch by Gaffney in Knoxville a few years ago, and the drubbing laid on us by a rookie coach named Zook in our own friggin' house last year that greased the skids for one of the most embarrassing 8-5 Vol seasons it has ever been my misfortune to bear witness to. God Bless your Gator-loving heart though, and best of luck with everything!

--Chris :)

Living in liberal Portland, I almost feel sometimes that I'm the only one here
who sees things as you do...especially since all of my associates, friends and
even my family are liberal. Then I read the comments. There are others
here beseeching you to come to our city. Ah hah, thank God I'm not alone.
You know though as anxious as I am to see and hear you I almost hope
Portland isn't first on your itinerary...I want the roar of approval and
excitement that I know will explode all across our country to lure the critics
and skeptics to your show. My guess is it won't take too long. Hurrah! It's
going to be fantastic!

Bill:

You coming to Louisiana? I can't promise you an audience, but I can promise you one helluva dinner. Or lunch. Or both. My treat.

.....CLIFF

Absolutely the best idea I've heard in a month of Sundays.
Go for it! I'll come see you. Furthermore, I'll hogtie and drag everyone I know to see you. (I'll promise to gag the anti-American types after I hogtie them. They can't listen while chanting slogans.)

But I'd rather have a cheesecake than a cream pie. ..

Hi Bill,
Go fer it! Also, I've just watched a program about the Sabre versus the Mig-1. OMG. It was on Discovery Channel. If it doesn't give you the motivation to write an essay that works on at least 117 different levels I'll kiss a fat man's ass. Prove it or disprove it!
rb

Oh yeah. Forgot to mention...I am now living in Oklahoma again, where I go back four generations, and I must say that my love for Will Rogers goes back to the days my age was single digits (even before I knew we belonged to the same tribe). I am SO proud of you for recognizing his brilliance. The "rope trick cowboy" that nearlly single-handedly pulled out country out of the depression (the depressing part, I mean) and COULD HAVE been president (but was too intelligent to want the gig) is a hero of mine and I am looking at a 'study' of him by Charles Banks Wilson (look him up, folks) as I type. I have very few role models that I do not happen to be related to...Will Rogers is one. We could use a lot more like him. ;)
rb

Go Bill!

The old saying has it that a picture is worth 1000 words. I suspect that at times the opposite is true. Think about this scene, for example:

----------------------------------

And so we come to this exact time and place. It is the 2nd of July, 1863, just south of a small Pennsylvania town. You are on a small hill covered with thin pine trees. Your face is black with gunpowder: it burns your throat and eyes, it has cracked your lips, and you are more thirsty than you believed possible.

All around you are dead and dying men, some moaning, some screaming in agony as they clutch shattered arms or hold in their bowels. The field in front of you is covered with dead Rebels, and yet the ground looks alive, undulating, as the wounded Confederates try to crawl back to safety. In the woods below you can hear fresh enemy troops arrive, hear orders being issued in the soft accents of the deep South. You have no more musket rounds. There aren’t even very many rocks left to throw. And you know that this time, they will succeed.

These men have never been beaten, least of all by you. You are a professor of Rhetoric at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine. As you walk what is left of your line, you know you have fought bravely and well, done more than could ever be asked of you. You have no choice but to fall back in orderly retreat. Your men are out of ammunition. To stand here and take another charge is to die. It’s that simple. These men are your responsibility. Their families depend on you to bring them home. Many have already died. To not retreat will likely condemn many more wives to being widows, not the least your own.

You look down past the dead and dying men to the bottom of the hill. Masses of determined Confederate men are emerging, coming for you. They are not beaten. They are determined to have this hill. Off to your left stands Old Glory, the hinge in your pathetic, small gate.

You know that this is war to preserve a Union, a system of government four score and seven years old. Many said such a system of self rule could not possibly survive. If you retreat now, today will be the day they are proven right.

You cannot go back. You cannot stay here. Your men look at you. You utter two words:

“Fix Bayonets.”

-------------------------------

How do you show "gunpowder smoke cracks your lips, burns your face and eyes, and you are more thirsty than you believed possible" on film? I never thought of that aspect of fighting with black-powder weapons, and I am a chemist who knows perfectly well what you get when you burn something that contains sulfur, in air. And I have watched Burns' entire Civil War series on television; if it could be shown, he would have known how to show it.

How do you show a hillside that undulates as the wounded Confederates try to crawl back to safety, without making much of your audience throw up instead of listening to the message?

How do you show a young soldier fighting on while his best buddy and closest friend lies mangled dead beside him, unless you spend an hour of film first to establish that the two of them were best buddies and closest friends?

How do you show the thoughts passing through Chamberlain's head, so that you can teach the perspective that Chamberlain had at that moment, without a zillion-dollar budget to hire an Oscar-caliber actor?

How do you show that Chamberlain was an amateur at war, unless you spend another tempo-wrecking generous chunk of film with scenes such as him lecturing at Bowdoin?

We know how Mark Twain enthralled his audiences. We know how Hal Holbrook continues to enthrall audiences using Mark Twain's material. I know that your essays have a marvelous natural rhythm when read aloud; they need little or no editing to be great speeches, even if they are sometimes a bit long to be used in that way. The essence of your presentations could be just you, and a chair, and an empty stage, and you should be able to enthrall audiences too.

And yet . . .

I glanced through a Battle of Gettysburg memorial magazine at the newsstand today. On the back cover was an ad for some paintings, including one titled "Col. Chamberlain and the 20th Maine at Gettysburg". It shows the colonel drawing his sword while staring with great intensity at the Confederate positions. The men around him are following the just-issued order and fixing bayonets. Could you get permission to use that image as the background as you deliver the appropriate passage of "History"? Paintings and other still pictures might be effective supplements to your words without running your production costs through the roof.

-----------------------------------------

Am I being a presumptions idiot, giving advice to a pro like you? I have no experience with the entertainment or news industries. I can claim to be a good editor of technical standard documents, and that is about it. I hope that I have at least given you some worthwhile starting points as you develop your own plans for your presentations.

Looking forward to seeing you, like everybody else on this comment roll.

Not only will I go, I will tell everyone I know about it.

Bill, come to Detroit area. Do you have a schedule yet? Can I get front-row tickets? When? How soon? Will you sell the book there too? Bring many copies ....

Can someone get a guestmap set up on Bill's site so people can start showing their locations, and Bill can start getting a feel of where he'll have a plate of chow and a bed to sleep on?

Please come to Colorado Springs. Mi casa es su casa. And don't let anyone rush you into publishing that book - you'll find that every time you re-read and edit your essays, you will find something that can be rephrased, polished, or clarified.

Bill,

I'm pretty sure you'll be swinging thru DC (Cross fingers), can't wait to see the show, and hear a voice of reason in this city of talking heads. And please keep on with the book; I'd buy it if it were simply a bound collection of essays, because the binder I have is a pain. Best of luck Bill, and can't wait to see the show!

Well, folks. I've put together a WhittleTour Map on my site, so you can start marking your locations and listing other pertinent information about relevant steak dinners and good beers for Bill and his wandering Horde.

The map link is in the upper right-hand corner of my site at http://AnticipatoryRetaliation.blogspot.com

So go mark down where all y'all want the man to talk. It doesn't do anybody a lot of good to keep a list of interested audience scribbled on the back of a napkin.

Just let me know when you're gonna be somewhere along the East Coast and I'll be there. If you make it up to N'Hampsha' I'll even show you around, get you fed, point you to some of our better local brews, and make sure you aren't taken for some damn Flatlander....

Hey everybody this week is the American Library Association's Banned Book Week. Go to their website, http://www.ala.org/ , to find out more. Find their list of challenged and banned books go to your fave source for printed material and exercise your right to read whatever the hell you want while you wait for Bill's book, or don't, it's a free country (or so I've been told)

Please, sir, do come to the South. I imagine you'd find quite an audience here if we got the word out enough.

Prof. Willard,

Great stuff thoughtfully said.

This is better than cool. This is an epiphany. Go for it!

Bill, Good luck. You have probably already read it, but I would recommend Neil Postman's "Amusing Ourselves to Death". You are attempting to use reason in an age of entertainment. It's gonna be tough!

Best of Luck Bill.

BTW. When dealing with wolves, some say the best tactic is to sit down and take a moment to pull on your running shoes. You can't outrun the wolves, but you don't have to. You only have to run a little bit faster than somebody else. And the woods are full of real live idiots protecting the metaphorical wolves. Some would suggest tossing the cream pies, than shooting the wolves while they're distracted, but I don't like hunting over bait.

The Prairie Justice film short idea sounds awesome. But how about using film shorts or other media only as "bumper". Show a film short before you come out, and another after intermission. As a member of an audience, I'd want, at most, a relevant song, film short, or a few slides to seque into a major change-up of topic, tone, or tempo.
I agree with those postings to the effect that multimedia presentations tend to have too many superfluous and distracting bells and whistles.

Once again, best of luck.

I WANT to see it. Please avoid the Peeples reepooblic of Eugene, Oregon; and bring it on down to Roseburg. (fairly small venue but I think it would be receptive.)

I have, (without permission), printed all of these off and sent them to my nephew in the Gulf. I humbly beg your forgiveness and belatedly ask permission.

Dang, Bill! After your essays inspired me to decide to emigrate to America after I gradute you just keep piling on the reasons for me to do that, don'cha?

I'm confident the show will still be running by the time I get there. :)

Korgmeister


You are not the only one who wants to emigrate to America after having read Bill's essays.

"Basically, I am going to go round the country, live on stage, backed by a video wall, and talk about the things we’ve been talking about here: optimism. Reason. Hope. Individuality. Responsibility. Freedom."...Arrogance (disingenuously couched as "Pride"), Xenophobia, Intolerance, Fear....

Yeah, go play it to the Stepford Men's Club--you'll have Wolfowitz, Perle, Ashcroft, Rove and Co. on hand to beg for a handout.

If you show you're earnest (of which I have no doubt), they'll throw you a bone and make you a 3rd junior assistant to the deputy lackey in charge of fiddle preparation.

Keep up the good work Bill--you are a terrific asset to the new Amerika.

Korgmeister and JFM

I'm sure the US will take you in exchange for Spanky. He's not being much use here.

hey bill, if you're anywhere near tn, i'll be there! and i'm bringing vans of people if i can! i say go for it!!

for spanky, i'd say you are one of the people bill writes about who are trying to do nothing more than tear down america, and the dreams of its people. if you don't like it, i'd be glad to trade you for Korgmeister and JFM.

Take it on the road, but go to Texas first, or Utah. It's easier to play to an audience that has half a brain first. I'd do L.A. or Massachusetts last....
signed,
the only conservative household in Massachusetts

'You ought never to have any part of the audience
behind you; you never can tell what they are going to do'
-Samuel L. Clemens

Always good to quote Samuel L. Clemens. Not only sharp as a tack, straight to the point, and funny as hell, but when offered within earshot of Bill, it's guaranteed to put you on his A-list. He worships the guy, and quoted him heavily in that portion of POWER that I read over his shoulder on the mountain.

Unfortunately, he told me on the phone last night that POWER will be delayed until later in the weekend, for two reasons: (1) he's rewriting what he already started (too negative, he said... not enough "sass"), and (2) he's studying, testing, and cross-country flying for his Private Pilot license this week. He should be legal by Friday evening, which, in turn, means that he'll be in a great mood for the completion of POWER by Saturday morning.

He bandied the premise around a bit while he was visiting, and it's going to be GREAT. A perfect closer for the book. Can't wait.

As for "spanky" above (he being a poster-child for the mindset that he represents)... I read his posting, and I wondered, just how much of my reasoning, class, and social maturity would I have to relinquish in order to make a similar posting on HIS preferred site?

What the hell. I'll give it a shot.

(ahem)

"Spanky, you're a doo-doo head, your feet stink, your mother dresses you funny, and... "

Nope. I just can't do it.

Keep your heads up, folks. More good stuff coming.

GHS

Your blog is one of the two that most inspired me to begin my own - Rocket Man who excerpted your essay on responsibility at length was the other. I hope your tour will bring your to the Northeast - you may be needed here most.

Phew!
The last-minute Kentucky field goal missed!

Now you can get back on your keyboard and finish POWER.