Changing Gears in the New Year

In January of 2007, I promised to give the Anvil more fuel than I had ever fed it before. I know that I have been true to my word in that regard. However, I also said that by December I would have some tough choices to make based on the success of this project. The Anvil has been more successful than I honestly anticipated; it has proven beyond a doubt that one man or woman can still make a difference in this confused and crazy world. Yet, I can not honestly say that it has been enough for me.

I have made personal sacrifices to develop the Anvil into an atypical blog, sacrifices that I was more than willing to make. I do not regret these for a minute. I’m proud of my work here and I know that I stand on the side of truth in this war with Islam.

All this stated, I come to another crossroad and I must make a choice. For those of you holding your breath, you can start breathing normally again now: the Anvil is not going to vanish, but I am going to change how I approach this blog.

Beginning in 2008 I will be changing gears here at the Anvil to low. I know that many people will be disappointed with this, but it has to happen. I’m going to slow down my pace here considerably. The Anvil will not be a daily-updated blog any longer, something that most of my regulars already noted happening after the first week of December. I simply cannot afford to continue draining my own life of the time and finances, intellectual and emotional energy required to go at the pace that I kept up since January of 2007. Yet the hardest part of that work will continue to pay dividends, so to speak, for years to come: the Anvil is a known commodity on the Internet now! All the marketing of the site, the site design, the content — it’s all in place and works, even while I sleep, to get the message out there.

Then, of course, there are you, my gentle readers, that I have to thank for most of the success of this endeavor. Without readers a blog is nothing more than print on virtual paper. I am extremely gratified by all the positive responses that I have gotten every day to the Anvil. When I set out to build this blog I had one simple goal in mind: educate a mind each day to the Truth. I have done that.

Along the way there have been enemies that have contrived to stop this blog. They have failed. They will continue to fail. Truth can be misdirected and hidden with smoke and mirrors but it can never be stopped. Truth has a way of always finding a light in the fog and poking its head through. So, to those few energetic detractors out there and especially to the “special” few that have criminally attacked my efforts here at this blog, I simply have this to say: you failed.

Some friends could have helped a little more. I reached out a few times to blogging networks that, for reasons of their own, never took the Anvil in. I do not begrudge their choices but there is no doubt that if the Anvil had been taken in, I would probably be typing some different things here today. You see, traffic for a blog is its lifeblood. That traffic builds clout but it also builds financial stability. I might have been able to get the traffic levels here at the Anvil up to a far greater extent with just a little nudge here and there. Who is to say why a blog like Gay Patriot can get more support than Foehammer’s Anvil, but there you have it. And that’s not a dig at homosexuals, that’s simply a glaring example of the irony involved here. It’s also a clue for those who want to put two and two together.

I will also say now, while I’m at things, that I was completely ignored by the editors at Townhall on every single occasion that I took the time to write them and test the political waters. Yep. They weren’t my first choice anyway though. (Sorry, Townhall, but I just wanted to make sure that my opinion actually does count.)

Still, this is not a farewell editorial today. I simply have other plans that now need finishing. I will still post here from time to time. I will still make my appearances in the comments over on Jihad Watch as I have done since its inception. I will still be a general pain in the ass for jihadis and Islamists and bad guys everywhere. Yes, I will still be Foehammer.

I will also now get back to working on my books. One of these is simmering in the back of my brain right now and it might be a book about my experiences with this blog and about the fight with Islam on the Internet in particular. Yes, I might actually do that non-fiction work. We shall all have to wait and see. I have other projects that I would prefer to get done first though, because life should continue. None of us should give up our dreams because of the insanity we face from the Middle East. Not now, not ever, no matter the level of our passion to combat the menace of Islam.

Also, I have my life to consider on other levels. I may start a new job soon. I may buy a new home. I may move. I may, I may, I may do many things and all of these things will affect how I continue blogging. Other aspects of what happens to me in 2008 could also spill over from my “other life” into what I do here at the Anvil. That could get very interesting. I am a chameleon of sorts and I’ve made some “threats” over the years to get politically active beyond just my typing of words. Might that now be in the picture? Maybe, but don’t go holding your breath again. I won’t make promises that I cannot keep.

The promises that I made back in January of 2007 have all been met. To all those that have supported me in words and a few with more than words, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I know that there is still hope to overcome the approaching evil that this way comes. We will stand firm and continue to hold up our principals. We shall never give up the fight.

I will still be here — I just won’t be here with quite the same verve as before.

Happy New Year to all and many, many thanks.