Liberty Lunch in Palm Desert

Lindsey Sangalli & Patty Barrier, coveting Lindsey's crown.

Today my good friend, Patty Barrier and I went to a ladies’ luncheon at Augusta Restaurant in Palm Desert hosted by owner, Denise Roberge.  This was a luncheon to learn more about Liberty Lunch, a women’s group established in Nebraska specifically to create a network of well-informed, motivated women who are engaged in promoting patriotism and conservative ideals and supporting our military and their families.  They also plan a monthly educational forum providing speakers on a broad spectrum of current issues facing America today.  Their focus is on policy and issues.  They are non-partisan and not aligned with any group.  Therefore, they don't endorse candidates or fundraise at their meetings.

Founders Kathleen Allan, Liz Varvel, Debra Evnen

Of the approximately 25 women attending, In addition to Patty, there were several friends from The Reserve in attendance including Gail Cottle, Kathleen Allan, Amy Adams, Cathryn Palmieri, Anne Marie Cullen and Lucy Danis.   Gail organized the group get-together in order to hear more from LIberty Lunch Founders from Lincoln, Nebraska, Kathleen Allan, Liz Varvel and Debra Evnen.  Denise greeted and welcomed us and shared her passion about what she believes needs to happen over the next nine months before the presidential election.  The founders then took turns talking about how they have brought together a group of 200 conservative women in Lincoln to focus on educating and expanding their knowledge about the primary issues facing our country today.   

Gail Cottle organizing Palm Desert group

Associated as part of the Liberty Lunch group is the Liberty Lunch Book Club and we received a reading list of the 12 books they have read on a monthly basis over the past year.  Liz Varvel, who serves as the lead on the book club, shared that three of the favorites of the past year included The Roots of Obama's Rage by Dinesh D'Souza, The Shadow Party by David Horowitz and the book we received as a gift at the luncheon courtesy of Denise, The New Road to Serfdom by Daniel Hannan.

One of Patty’s desert friends whom she had invited to join her at the luncheon was Lindsey Sangalli, who won her local pageant and is the reigning  “Mrs.Texas Conservative Woman of 2012”, who arrived wearing her tiara and a banner announcing her title.  Patty couldn’t wait to try on her tiara! 

Denise Roberge, our luncheon host

There was general agreement by the women attending the luncheon that they want to develop a similar women's group for Palm Desert under the name of Liberty Lunch and for their next luncheon to plan a speaker who can discuss the healthcare bill and educate the group on the pros and cons of "Obama Care".

In trying to research a little more about aboiut the Liberty Lunch group, I found a link to a group in Salt Lake City (http://www.libertylunch.org/ ), also called Liberty Lunch, which seems to share many of the same ideas and goals of the Lincoln group.  It looks like this kind of thinking may have a ground swell of support from different corners of the nation.