POP THE CHAMPAGNE
As Liberty Watch turns a year old, we optimistically look forward thanks to your support
BY GEORGE HARRIS

George Harris is publisher of Liberty Watch: The Magazine. He is also a political activist and successful Southern Nevadan businessman. Reach Harris at gopgeorge@earthlink.net  Other stories by George Harris

We didn't know what to anticipate when launching this magazine a year ago. We knew there was a market for free-thinking Nevadans, and we knew there was a void in this state for conservative minds. After careful planning and discussion, we sought the ideal editor for the risky job of launching an unproven yet ambitious publication. We penetrated unlikely grounds. As a solely online forum at the time, we knew which writers were friendly to our philosophy and we knew which ones weren't. To prove we were serious, we selected our editor from an uncommon publication. 

Known for his free-market opinions and wealth of knowledge for layout, we quickly realized that Mike Zigler, then news editor of Las Vegas CityLife, was just doing his time, writing for a publication he didn't 100 percent believe in. It took many lunches, but we knew there was more to Mike than his writing talent. He was the only one to give conservatives a fair shake in his liberal publication and he was the only one to step outside the shadow of a byline and give free-thinkers like Doug French, Bob Beers and myself the time of day. Unlike your average writer, Mike understood how to market and maneuver a news publication.

The result - we gave him full control of Liberty Watch (sort of).

In the year that we've been in hard print, Liberty Watch: The Magazine has championed serious issues. Bob Beers, this state's best candidate for governor, has been the inspiration. 

For example, we laid out Beers' plan for tax relief. Called TASC, the Tax and Spending Control issue in August gave readers the ins and outs of supporting this most conservative measure. 

In July, we introduced the Silver State to the best candidate for U.S. Congress. A charismatic politician with fundamental ideas, Sharron Angle professed why Nevada needs mindsets like hers versus those of current Rep. Jim Gibbons. 

In October, Liberty Watch exposed the corruption at McCarran International Airport. Randy Walker, manager of the facility, certainly wanted to know why his name was in print. Readers certainly didn't shy from expressing their feelings about Walker's public misdoings. 

Last May, we didn't fear the big government empire, dubbed UNLV, when they tried to silence Professor Hans Hoppe over a matter that put facts against a homosexual's lame classroom accusations. The following month, Liberty Watch examined why Vin Suprynowicz was singled out in a book deal because of its content.

Drew Carey, John Stagliano, and Michael Badnarik have all stopped by Liberty Watch and have all shared their hopes that one day America would become educated. While we only reach 20,000 Nevadans, we are doing what we can to shake the United States out of its indoctrinated education and realize that things aren't exactly right here. Until then, all we can do is feed our message and hope you share it. 

For 12 months now, we have read your e-mails and listened to phone messages. While a quarter of those notes are negative, 75 percent are encouraging. When we took Jon Ralston to task last month, we didn't know what to expect. Honestly, we prepared for the community to back him. After all, he's a fixture in this area and covers more than we can in a 24-hour period. 

However, we received more high-fives and more pats on the back. We took the risk, and frankly, we knew what we were up against. Seeing that Jon has the temperament of a vicious Chihuahua and that he hasn't even responded (except for his mommy, er, sidekick Dana Gentry, in her attempt to get a magazine), our story was more than well-researched; it was accepted and praised.

With every day that goes by and with every subscription that is filed, we understand that Liberty Watch has a place in this community. If you haven't subscribed, I invite you to do so. We don't shy from giving true free-minded individuals what they need to know. We value those ideas and you. There's no question that this magazine will succeed. It's a matter of who will be part of the fight. LW