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Short version:

Long version:

First of all, I make ZERO money off of this, and nobody I know personally makes any money off of this. However, this is a big, BIG deal for every one of us, like nothing you can imagine. This is why:

Take a good look at this picture. Imagine this crowd, but dancing with our hearts completely full of communal joy. Imagine having this group of men (but in much, much bigger numbers) dancing like happy, open-hearted three-year-olds together for years, and never having a single thing go wrong. Visualize never being able to imagine that anyone could ever be rude, snobbish, or treating anyone shabbily. Imagine being able to TRUST that every time we get together, we will hit Diva Overload as a Tribe, over and over, and stagger home with everyone's good wishes, feeling superb.

How on earth could something like this be true?  Easy. We've got it in our nature, and in our history.

Many of you may not know this, but I hosted a leathermen's dance party for years. It was called RAMPART, and it was legendary. It was the exact opposite of your typical "Circuit Party", where you would arrive lonely and never get much better after that, unless you happen to bring a small circle of friends, like a protective coating.

This ain't like that at ALL.

Joy doesn't work if only a few, elite people get it, while everyone else feels like crap. Joy works best when EVERYBODY shares in it. Back when I was hosting that dance-party, EVERYBODY was dancing four feet off of the ground, grinning like apes, with their shirts off, and sweating like pigs, all shoulder-to-shoulder and affectionate.

EVERYBODY shirtless on the dance-floor - ALL ages, all colors, all body-styles.  As I told every single new, shy man that arrived, the only kind of people that we actively and aggressively discriminate against is…

Grumpy People.

This time around, it will be even better. Why? Because it won't just be ME greeting the new guys, giving each man the Official Welcoming Message and helping them fit in and get with the Tribal program. I can't be everywhere at once, though I did pretty well, back when I was hosting between 400 and 600 men EVERY Friday NIGHT for 2-1/2 years, ending around 2006.

This time around, we will have dozens of Community Representatives, like we had at the BELT Party a few months back. These men's job will be to enjoy the party just like everyone else, but if they see somebody standing off to the side, clearly looking shy and lonely, they will go right up to that guy, and make sure that he gets introduced around. If we are going to be a successful tribal society, we have to keep reaching out and bringing more of our brothers back into the Tribe. 

Otherwise, we're just a clique. We can't do that any more.

So, please come out and show your support. Not for the bar, though I'm sure that they are very nice people. 

Come out and INVEST in better days for all of us.  Put some skin in the game. Feel like you have a stake in something much, much bigger than our petty little private concerns and considerations. By getting the momentum started NOW, instead of waiting to see what happens, the HARNESS dance party (specifically for leathermen) can start out as a smash hit, and stay that way.

We need this.  All of us.  A dependable, joyful and long-lasting tradition that we can all count on.

I'll get the party started, like I always do, even though I'm old, fat and gray. I plan to keep dancing for the rest of my life, until they roll me away on a gurney.

Come dance with me and your brothers!