The "Party"

The Conservative Party USA is a national political which I founded January 6, 2009. However it had an antecedent history going back to the 1970's. During that time, I created a new retail coffee product as part of my work as President of Morning Treat Coffee Company, a coffee roasting plant in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The new produce required breakthrough technology in manufacturing, one step in its production so new it received a U. S. patent bearing the name of Simeo A. Gallo as the principal inventor. Considering the magnitude of the product which gained worldwide attention in the coffee trade, it was given the "Gallo Coffee" name out of a sense of pride of achievement. Certainly a normal human response. Some time after the "Gallo Coffee" product was produced and on store shelves, Morning Treat received legal notice from the Gallo Winery in California to cease production as the word "Gallo" was a trademark of the Gallo Winery. Morning Treat already had excellent long lasting trademark representation by a Chicago law firm from whom we sought legal advice about the Gallo Winery matter. Their advice was that our use of the word Gallo was only about a single variation of the new coffee product, and not a challenge against the technology, it wasn't worth the fight because the Gallo Winery had financial resources way above those of Morning Treat. So, we "folded" and dropped the single variation of the new product. I have always had a genuine interest in genealogy, so after retiring from the corporate world I started a genealogy hobby. The Gallo surname has a very long place in history going back to the Roman Empire. Fascinating study. The internet was in bloom and I created a website with the Gallo name. In 2002, another demand came from the Gallo Winery this time to close down the website. I contacted a law firm in California about this second demand upon me by the Gallo Winery. I was advised that if I went to court I would win, but the win would be at the U.S. Supreme Court given the financial strength of the Gallo Winery and I should expect an initial retainer of $80,000 and substantial legal fees thereafter. Once again, I "folded" and gave up the website. However by that time I was angry. How could a surname with a two thousand year history be a trademark? When surnames are in a trademark they are either preceded by, or followed by, another word. Like Ford Motor Company, or, Team Ford. After a great deal of research over what I believed was an improper restriction of the use of a surname it appeared to me that tackling this issue should be through Congress. Never was to happen. The majority leader at that time was Robert Dole. A "Google Search" even today reveals that the Gallos of the Gallo Winery had contributed $381,000 to Dole over the years and about $900,000 to foundations with which the Senator has been connected. When I contacted Congress people about surname trademarks "in Simpliciter" meaning a single word, I was told in so many words to get lost. It was at that time I decided, perhaps too personal, but so be it, that Congress was essentially corrupt. I needed to get involved, and I did. After researching political parties, I felt that it must be one that was truly "Conservative" a meaning more in line with our Founding Fathers. I volunteered to one and quickly gained notice for my work. Yet over about a year's time, I concluded that I was in the wrong political party because it refused to take on social issues, like the right to life and traditional marriages. I resigned and finding no other political party that met the "Conservative" test, I formed Conservative Party USA. On my own, I established its corporate form in my home state of Louisiana, and with websites for it and every state in the union. Also, Conservative Party USA is a U.S. servicemark - I did learn along the way. The Conservative Party USA website caught the attention of fellow Conservatives who volunteered to serve it and much of where we are today (2015) is due to their effects. In fact, in 2014, I voluntarily reduced my corporate position to Chairman Emeritus and became where I am today, a volunteer. Starting Conservative Party USA was never intended to be a one-man show, an ego trip. My goal was to build "structure" for others to use.