I pray y’all had a great Labor Day and got a little rest. Of course, our Congress is finally heading back to Capitol Hill. I’m quite sure they’re well rested after a nearly 40-day taxpayer-funded break.

I wanted to take the time today to just say thank you .. and you’re saying for what? I want to personally thank you for allowing this website, allenbwest.com, to be a part of your information routine.

When this idea was presented to me back in late 2013 by Michele Hickford, I thought it was a joke. I never thought we would be able to supply enough information to you, the American people, to hold your attention. Boy, was I wrong, and trust me, Hickford reminds me of that often.

When we started, there were just two of us, Hickford and me, and it was a simple operation designed to provide you thoughts, perspectives and insights. We started out rough and had to refine our TTPs (tactics, techniques and procedures), but we refined our operating systems. We realized there was a greater demand and began to add others to our team, but there was always the commitment to a high standard of integrity, competence and professionalism. The visibility of this site has grown, thanks to y’all.

As we’re about to hit our four-year point, it’s imperative that we conduct a self-assessment in order to improve, grow and ensure we’re providing you the best content. My objective for this website is to be a premier constitutional, conservative aggregation of current news, and supply you with thoughtful analysis beyond the pabulum you receive elsewhere.

I also want to provide a platform to develop the next generation of constitutional, conservative op-ed writers. And so you’ve seen our crew of two has grown to include Matt Palumbo, Michael Lee, Michael Cantrell, Derrick Wilburn, Marie Stroughter, Joe Vidueira, Terence Reddick, Zachary Smith and Ashley Edwardson.

As well, you surely have recognized our collaboration with the Young Conservatives. Again, my objective is to reach and develop the next generation of constitutional conservatives in America. This is something where we woefully fall behind the progressive socialist Left. Let’s make sure millennials know conservatism is indeed cool … working hard, earning your way, helping others to independence is cool.

We want to continue to quietly grow this website and provide you, our readers, with the best aggregated content and analysis anywhere. And I want you to know that allenbwest.com isn’t about cheerleading a political party or an individual. There’s a reason why the motto of the 4th Infantry Division is at the top of our header, “Steadfast and Loyal.” Our commitment is to our founding principles and values as a Constitutional Republic, and our allegiance is to these great United States of America and the seminal document that embodies who we are as a nation, the U.S. Constitution.

We want to challenge you to think beyond the headline and always seek to be an informed citizen — not a subject.

As we enter into our fifth year — time flies — we’re looking at some adjustments. Sadly, we do not have any George Soros, Tim Gill, Tom Steyer, Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos or Warren Buffet types who provide us funding to compensate our team for their time and efforts. We do our best to earn our way with minimal disruptions. However, we’ve heard your concerns about ads, so we’re examining alternatives to funding our efforts and we pray you’ll join us. Also, we’re looking at expanding our content to providing monthly live-streaming of town hall meetings. I’d love to be able to answer all the many comments to our pieces, so be on the lookout for an announcement on our monthly meetings where you can join in and personally hear me respond to your questions on current news topics.

We want to step up our game, as we do our best to do as Benjamin Franklin challenged us all and preserve our “Republic, if you can keep it.” There’s no doubt we’re engaged in an ideological civil war in America, and the future of our country is at stake. That is not hyperbole; when you have black-clad, hooded and masked thugs roaming our streets and attacking those of a dissenting philosophy of governance, we have a problem.

We’ll search out the stories and keep you abreast of what’s happening. We know you’re busy working hard and taking care of your family, or just trying to enjoy life. We hope you’ll visit us here to stay informed with real, not “fake” news. We will hold ourselves to an exceptional standard and are humbled and honored to have your trust.

So stay tuned. We’ll be updating you on our new initiatives. The one thing constant in life is change, and only those who are adaptive stay relevant. Thank you for your patronage, support and prayers. Our sights are on cresting the three million mark for our associated Facebook page. We shall remain Steadfast and Loyal!

Oh yeah, we appreciate those progressive socialist detractors who troll this site. Y’all inspire us, and provide us humor. And as my dad, Buck West always said, “a hit dog will holler!”

[Learn more about Allen West’s vision for this nation in his book Guardian of the Republic: An American Ronin’s Journey to Faith, Family and Freedom]