Matt Fleming: Thank you, readers, for reading my columns

“So long, and thanks for all the fish” — Douglas Adams. 

This will be my last column for a while, if not forever.

It’s simple, really: This column is a side gig and I will soon be starting a new main gig that prevents me from sharing my opinions publicly.

I am eternally grateful to the Southern California News Group for the opportunity to share my opinion and advocate for a stronger state and country.

I’ve managed to tick off both Democrats and Republicans alike, usually being called one derisively by the other when I wrote something that challenged their views.

For example: When I wrote something critical of the Democrats who control California, I would be written off as a right-wing nutjob. And when I wrote critically of Donald Trump, I would be panned as a LIB (always in poor grammar and ALL CAPS like a ransom letter from the ‘80s).

Since I can’t be both a right-wing nutjob and a left-wing nutjob, I just took the mixed reactions as proof that I was merely thinking about things critically and would pat myself on the back (good job, you!).

I’ve written more than 100 bylined columns and plenty of unsigned editorials over the past three years on topics ranging from the failures of Marxism, the failures of populism, failures of COVID, failures of California governance, and so many other failures.

I wrote about triumphs, too: Capitalism, my family, California as a tourist destination, books, America, and a few others. These types of columns were known internally as my “art projects.”

Last year I wrote about trying to beat my significantly younger brother in a race to reading 1,000 books. He was ahead of me at the time, but, fueled by the embarrassment of losing an eight-year head start and many bonus reading hours while awake with an infant, I now have a comfortable lead.

I’ve read nearly 100 books this year. My favorites include: “Train Dreams” by Denis Johnson, “A Garden of Earthly Delights” by Joyce Carol Oates, “August: Osage County” by Tracy Letts and “Bird by Bird” by Anne Lamott.

It took nearly the entire year to finish Amity Shlaes’s biography of Calvin Coolidge (a good read, but does every biography have to be so long?).

And I want to put in a special plug for “Frank’s Shadow” by SCNG columnist Doug McIntyre. I am only about a third of the way through, but it’s excellent so far, as are his columns.

For a family update, we are down in San Diego for Thanksgiving. My 14-month-old daughter is learning new words, like “Woof Woof” for “dog” and her version of “please,” which can be translated as “give me food now.”

My two-month-old son is starting to smile, cries a lot less and loves being bounced way beyond my comfort level. His love language is tooting.

My wife brings an infinite level of patience to the whole operation and is an amazing partner and mother. She also killed a bug on her own recently; we were all so proud.

My favorite column was one documenting my wife’s and my triumph over a $33 reissuing fee from Sacramento County because our pastor’s pen ran out of ink while filling out the date on our marriage license. We fought the law and we won!

But I am most proud of my work professing my faith in Jesus Christ.

I’m an imperfect messenger. At times I wondered if my other columns might turn off possible converts, but I promise anyone interested in Jesus that you don’t have to agree with me on politics in order to be saved by Him.

I wrote many columns critical of Gov. Gavin Newsom (derided as the rantings of a right-wing nutjob), but he is the most powerful politician in the state and it would be hackery not to cover him with skepticism.

I tried to be fair by judging Newsom by his own standards, which he struggled to live up to. But was my mocking tone un-Christian? Perhaps.

Though I don’t speak for Christians, I am one and therefore have a moral obligation to act respectfully towards leaders (1 Peter 2:17 and Romans 13:1).

One thing I would have liked to have explored more in my columns is how to be respectful of leadership while being appropriately critical. Again, I think this starts with my tone.

Another topic I would have liked to have explored more was how Christians who read the same Book can arrive at such radically different political opinions — there are many good Christians on both sides of the aisle.

I would do a disservice to the topic now to cram in my thoughts in the final few paragraphs of this column, but if you’d like to explore this more the late Pastor Tim Keller often wrote about what he called the “Third Way.” His point was that Christians shouldn’t feel entirely at home in either party.

And if you are in the giving mood, you should check out the work of Pastor Frank Erb, who has a ministry in the Statehouse in Sacramento (www.frankerb.org). Frank’s ministry even helped bring the Good News to me.

Sal Rodriguez and Matt Fleming debate the greatness of Scott Wiener

Finally, thank you to my editor, Sal, who endured many circular brainstorming sessions while I tried to figure out what I was going to write — though in turn I endured countless references to how great Sen. Scott Wiener is, so I guess we’re even.

And, of course, thank you to the readers of this column. We had some good times.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Follow Matt on Twitter @FlemingWords