My Thanksgiving column, available here.

In addition to the stuff in the post immediately below this one, we have one more announcement about to hit. I have just been named to the international Board of Governors of Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership (HOBY), the truly extraordinary organization founded in 1958 by TV’s “Wyatt Earp” after his two-week stay with Dr. Albert Schweitzer at his African hospital.

HOBY trains outstanding high school sophomores to be leaders, to be responsible, to be compassionate, and to understand “America’s Incentive System” of free markets and free minds. The very best students from almost 80 countries and all 50 states are selected to participate in state-level seminars, and the cream of that crop in a ten-day World Leadership Congress in Washington, D.C. Among many other things, they gain an opportunity for a uniquely hands-on experience with the world’s top leaders and innovators, from Presidents and Prime Ministers to dot-com billionaires and Oscar-winning actors. And the relationships they build at HOBY last a lifetime, not least because the kids who go to HOBY truly tend to become “tomorrow’s leaders”.

The Board of Governors is a small group of leaders who love Hugh and love his kids, including Tommy Lasorda, Barron Hilton, Dr. Michael DeBakey and now me. It is a great honor to work with these men, and to give back to Hugh and Hugh’s kids something of what has been given to me and to the hundreds of thousands of others who’ve gone through his program and been forever changed by it.

Oh, and we expect another announcement regarding Hugh very shortly. Stay tuned.

Apologies to those who might be wondering why I haven’t posted anything in a while. As some of you know, we’ve been on the road for the past several weeks (and getting ready to go again).

At Vanguard PAC we’ve developed several key strategic partnerships about which you’ll be hearing more shortly. We’ve also brought Gil Amelio — the man who saved Apple Computer, not to mention National Semiconductor — onto our board, we’ve added John Hallman — a great catch whom we stole away from Dick Armey’s FreedomWorks — as our new Executive Director, and our various efforts are proceeding very well. My interview schedule is as busy as ever, our membership is growing rapidly, and we’re very close to rolling out some things which we expect will catch a lot of folks by surprise.

Likely to be far more significant is the other work we’re doing, as a handful of you know. Our enginerring teams are ahead of schedule, and as of last night our core executive team is in place. Our intellectual property position is phenomenal, and after our Silicon Valley swing, it is perfectly clear to all involved that we have something no one else has ever seen. And above all, it is a true honor to work with (and in so many cases recruit) such a team. I don’t know how we could possibly have a better crew; but every day we seem to find out.

Oh, and for those of you who have no idea what I’m talking about, get ready. The whirlwind is about to hit.