As I reflected on the experience, I first took note of the fun we’ve had interviewing candidates for public office – mostly for the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate – giving our audience the opportunity to get to know them and their positions on the issues. We continue to offer many grassroots candidates who might otherwise be ignored by the media, a forum from which to reach out and connect with potential voters and contributors.

Then I began to reminisce about the many notable people we’ve had the honor and pleasure to interview and – in some cases – meet in person. Our first big name guest was Florida U.S. Senate candidate Marco Rubio, who we interview for the first time in June of 2009 – long before most pundits even considered him a contender for the seat. At last January’s Freedom Forum in Miami, site of our first and only on-location broadcast, we interviewed Rubio for the second time.

Two weeks later, we had the opportunity to interview author, columnist and regular ‘Red Eye’ guest, S.E. Cupp. At the time, she was busy promoting her book Why You’re Wrong About the Right. And that was when our show really started to develop a following.

Since then, we’ve spoken with such well known personalities as Michigan Congressman Thaddeus McCotter; former CIA operative Mike Baker (who has become a true friend of the show); Kellen Giuda – a founding member of the NYC Tea Party and co-founder of Parcbench.com; comedienne Ellen Karis (who has become a personal friend); wildly popular congressional candidate Lt. Col. Allen West; Greg Gutfeld, Andy Levy and Bill Schulz of Fox News Channel’s hit show Red Eye; author and Fox News contributor Michelle Malkin; former Fox News Senior Military Analyst Major General Paul E. Vallely (U.S. Army retired); current Fox News Military Analyst Lt. General Thomas McInerney (U.S.A.F. retired); Michigan Congresswoman Michele Bachmann; and Iowa Congressman Steve King.

The fact that all of these influential Americans took time out of their busy schedules to talk with us and our audience is a testimony their generosity and character. I’ve had the distinct pleasure of meeting some of them in person and each was just as nice face-to-face as on the air. In particular, General Vallely, S.E. Cupp and Ellen Karis spent a great deal of time with my friends and me when we had the opportunity to hang out with them.

In 2010 we initiated our “Grassroots Candidates Series”, expanding our format from one-hour to an hour-and-a-half. This series has allowed us to feature several congressional and senatorial candidates – from Hawaii to Massachusetts – in what we consider to be a public service to the nation in this crucial mid-term election year.

When we started the show, I never could have expected that so many high-profile people would willingly agree to appear on our little Internet radio show; I certainly never dreamed I’d have the opportunity to not only spend time with any of them off the air, but to actually call them friends.

I also want to thank my friend and co-host Daria for taking time out of her life each week to ride shotgun with me on the air. Her support and encouragement have made the show enjoyable, and to be perfectly frank, she’s also saved my bacon from time-to-time, particularly when we’ve experienced the always-unavoidable technical difficulties or had a missing-in-action guest who failed to call-in.

Looking back on this first-year anniversary, both Daria and I sincerely hope our guests have enjoyed being on the show as much as we’ve enjoyed hosting them. As for our audience, we cannot thank them enough for tuning in each week, and we hope they continually find something of value. With their continued support, it is our fondest wish to remain on the air for a long time to come.

-

Steven Rosenblum is the Republican nominee for Florida State House, District 89. He is also the Southeast Director of Stand Up America Us.

Conservative internet radio talk show host Diane Student, of Blog Talk Radio’s Freedoms Wings, has been discussing her unique perspective being a Conservative Born Again Christian, yet she is gay which many people consider antithetical.

But Student, with a shrug, laughs it off and pushes on attacking President Barack Obama with as an “Eagle Eyed Pundit.”

Instead she focuses on what she does have in common with her Conservative and Christian Compatriots.

In part one, she discussed the “thought police” and political correctness.

In part two, she discusses her background and how she touches on the religious conundrums her life has brought her.

QUESTION: I had asked, how can a homosexual be a conservative and you said you consider yourself of a Libertarian Conservative.

DIANE STUDENT: Yeah, because I do not believe the government needs to have a say in my life.

Let me take this back a bit, I grew up in a household that was Democratic. So right off the bat, I had already had liberal leanings. Add to the fact, when I went to college I was a wildlife biology major, so I was friends with a lot of environmental extremists.

And in the 1990s, I voted for President Clinton twice and I watched as he promised all sorts of things to the gay community such as repealing the Defense of Marriage Act and the “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy, but he did not.

Here is what Defense of Marriage Act does, first, it states that no state (or other political subdivision within the United States) needs to treat a relationship between persons of the same sex as a marriage, even if the relationship is considered a marriage in another state.

Second, the federal government defines marriage as a legal union exclusively between one man and one woman. I don’t think marriage is a federal issue, it is state’s right issue.

Plus, Clinton said he was for gays and then signed this.

And regarding “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” while it protects gays from being asked about being gay, it also keeps them in the closet and unable to serve openly. It is just a garbage law and gays should be allowed to serve.

If I can just rabbit trail, even former Vice President Dick Cheney said it was time to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” When I read that I said, “Awesome ”

But getting back to my personal political history, in 2000, when it was Al Gore versus George W. Bush, I did not even vote. I couldn’t stand Al Gore and I thought George W. Bush struck me as kind of hokey and “Aw, shucks ” (Something I admired about him later).

[LAUGHS] However, for me not to vote now I consider a corporal sin.

QUESTION: What happened that caused you to become a Conservative?

DIANE STUDENT: Sept. 11th happened.

It caused such a cosmic shift in thinking. I began to ask, “Who am I? What do I believe?” And I began to ask, “Who were these terrorists who attacked us because of our freedom?”

And what I realized was that George W. Bush was the right President at the right time for this country when those cowards took out the World Trade Center, tried to take out the Pentagon, and tried to take out the Capitol building, but though everyone on board lost their lives, thank God for the average Americans who stood up to them over Pennsylvania.

But at that time, I fell for President Bush hook, line and sinker. Granted, he lost me later on when he began embracing Big Government policies. But before that, I took a serious look at the Republican Platform and I found we had more views in common, than we did not.

Let me be candid, at this time, I did not like the country to the point where I would not even say the pledge of allegiance, but when I began reading and studying, what I found was a country that would accept me and I fell back in love with my country again.

QUESTION: Anything in particular?

DIANE STUDENT: Actually, yeah, my sexuality.

When you look back in history at the countries with Socialist rulers, the homosexuals were always one of the first groups of people subjected. In Nazi, Germany, homosexuals had to wear pink triangles. Today in Iran, there are roving squads of police hunting down homosexuals.

Not just arresting them when they stumble upon them, but actually having undercover busts, where the homosexuals are tortured until they spill the beans.

Does that happen here in the U.S.?

No

QUESTION: What do you have in common with the GOP platform?

DIANE STUDENT: In no particular order, I, first, I really am for a strong defense. In fact I speak up for soldiers’ causes all the time on my show. In fact, during the recent Christmas holidays, I was getting people to send cards to soldiers who were serving all over the world during the holiday season.

How can we debate gay marriage with buildings falling on us? Our national defense is out their trying to send these rejects from the Old Testament back to the Old Testament, so they have my support.

In fact, if it weren’t for my stupid asthma, I’d be out on their on the front lines with them.

Second, I am a small business owner, so I say lower taxes and less government intrusion in our lives. I mean, how much paper work do we need to do and how much of our hard earned money have to go to these people who barely have the collected brain power to wipe their nose let alone spend the tax money properly.

Thirdly, I am very Pro-Life. To be honest, I am all for making abortion illegal. And for the people sitting there thinking, “What about the life of the mother?” Take a look at laws in place, that is already allowed, so it is a null and void point.

Fourth, speaking Pro-Life, and adoption is a wonderful abortion alternative, I believe that every child needs a mom and dad, but sometimes the best situation can only provide a single mother and I look at same sex couples as adopting as also a chance to give a child, who would not have parents, as a wonderful opportunity.

CONTINUED IN PART THREE

Freedoms Wings can be heard on BlogTalkRadio.com/freedomswings, every Tuesday and Thursday night from 6 to 8 pm EST and Saturdays 2 pm EST. For more information visit, www.onfreedomswings.com.

And in this sea of opinions and speakers of Blog Talk Radio, Diane Student, a Floridian talk show host based in the Orlando area, has been carving a name for herself because of her unique Conservative spin. And having only been on the air for just about a year, her show, Freedoms Wings (which is found at blogtalkradio.com/freedomswings) has totaled over 12,000 listeners. Not bad considering Blog Talk Radio has, according to their media kit tens of thousands of hosts, and Blog Talk Radio is just one of many web sites such as this on the internet.

What makes Student’s show so unique is that she is unapologetically a Born Again Christian; a Conservative, with a libertarian bent; and she is gay. And she admits all this with an acerbic sense of humor and parodies leaving and taking no prisoners.

On a recent show she announced that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the earthquake ravaged areas of Haiti. Haven’t these people suffered enough? Do they really need to deal with Plasti-Girl?

Student talked with us about her journey in politics, her faith, her sexuality, gays being accepted by the Conservative base and what goes into a good parody.

QUESTION: First, let’s get this out of the way, is there a bigger anathema than a gay Conservative Christian?

DIANE STUDENT: I think of that Skittles commercial with the Koreans in kilts and red hair and speaking like Scotty in Scotland are a bigger anathema. But I am pleased to be in my own category. After all, rugged individualism is what makes America great.

And yes, I get the humor in me being a lesbian and saying, “Rugged.” Feel free to giggle.

QUESTION: [LAUGHS] I have heard you say in the past you are not a big fan at using the term “lesbian” are you?

DIANE STUDENT: [LAUGHS] No, I’m not.

I think it is just another label for people to use and I prefer to use the simplest term which is gay. And frankly, the thought police or the politically correct watchdogs can jump anyone who does not say it properly.
So I say call everyone of us who share their lives with someone of the same gender “gay.” It just makes it easier.

QUESTION: And you have never been a fan of dealing with the “thought police have you?

DIANE STUDENT: Oh heavens no

The politically correct people of this world I find are these personally insufficient people who have to project their idiocies and sadness on others so they have to hold to these dogmatic regulations.

Just more sad than anything.

QUESTION: And sad is something you are not. I know we have talked in the past that you like to have
fun with your show. How did you get started with it?

DIANE STUDENT: Actually, I started the Freedoms Wings blog, at Freedomswings.wordpress.com, in 2008, and to be honest, I always wanted to be a talk radio host. In early 2009, I was surfing the internet and I found a Blog Talk Radio widget, and I listened to it for a couple of months and then one day I decided to host my own show.

To be honest I was not even sure anyone was listening, but then I started getting e-mails and responses. And now we have had 10,000 listeners up today and our increasing continue to increase. I find my chat rooms that are open during the show are doing well.

Originally, I was doing one show a week, but now I am doing five hours a week. And for everyone one hour, I do two hours of research, recording sound bites, uploading video and information, working on my puns and the like.

I actually use a simple Sony program to produce my parodies and bits, and it so simple, if I can do it anyone can And considering, I am in the amateur stage of this, I have to say I spend just 15 hours a week on my show, and that is not counting the other shows, BTR or Cable News wise, I listen too, the research I am always doing, and I constantly have current issues and current events running through my head.

QUESTION: Your sure clearly has a conservative bent. How…

DIANE STUDENT: (LAUGHS) How can a homosexual be a conservative?

QUESTION: Yeah.

DIANE STUDENT: Actually, I consider myself a Libertarian Conservative because I do not believe the government needs to have a say in my life.

CONTINUED

Follow me on Twitter @StevenRosenblum. If you don’t, Nancy Pelosi will nationalize your Facebook account!

And that’s what you can expect from Steven Rosenblum’s and Daria DiGiovanni’s political radio show on Blog Talk Radio, Conservative Republican Forum; a relaxing, informative and fun time discussing politics in today’s world. There’s always a slight twist of humor and a sense of ease that is rare in this climate of intense, aggressive and populist radio shows.

As a disclaimer, I’ve appeared on the show a handful of times so color me biased. But what can I say, I just like talking about politics in a more laid back environment. But you don’t have to take my word for it, just look at the guest list:

Michelle Malkin will be on the show on November 21st, Congressman Thaddeus McCotter has appeared along with Fox News contributors S.E. Cupp and Ellen Karis and Congressional candidates Lieutenant Colonel Allen West and Robert Lowry.

The guest list pretty much speaks for itself: a hot up and coming show every Saturday night from 6-7pm.

CRF is different than appearing on Fox News, Fox News’ Strategy Room or other radio programs where you have to fight for every word, elbow your talking points in and compete with hosts who are trying to win the “most words” battle.

Steve usually wraps up the week’s political happenings for the first 10 minutes then Daria with all her energy will hop on and they will both dive into the guest for the rest of the show.

What I’ve found is that the hour goes extremely quickly simply because it’s just relaxing. It’s my type of speed and style.

So every Sunday night, get at it. And call in, they love it.

Blog Talk Radio Link: www.blogtalkradio.com/stevenrrepub