I had to laugh last year when Tim Eyman obliquely referred to the troika of me, activist Steve Zemke, and NW Progressive Institute founder Andrew Villeneuve as his “longtime opponents.” Steve and I had only been nipping at Tim’s heels for about a year; Andrew was the veteran of the group, launching his anti-Eyman website, Permanent Defense, back in February of 2002.
And here’s the funny part… what Tim didn’t realize was that the longest of his longtime opponents first entered the fray as a freshman in high school.
I often plug Andrew’s NW Progressive Blog and his incredibly useful Pacific NW Portal. What I don’t usually tell people is that he’s only 18. While Andrew never denies his age, he doesn’t promote it out of concern it might detract from his credibility. But since Frank Sennett dwells on Andrew’s youth in a column in today’s Spokane Spokesman-Review (“Young progressive schools state’s right wing“), I thought I’d take the opportunity to toss Andrew a compliment.
I am proud of the way Andrew has matured these past few years, both as a writer and an activist, and am honored to have had the opportunity to play some small role in his political education. Andrew’s dedication and energy is truly impressive — if at times annoying — and while I kinda wish he’d stop calling me at all hours of the day and night, I’d rather have a dozen Andrews incessantly badgering me than none at all… as long as they didn’t all have my cell phone number.
Even more impressive than his activism are his accomplishments. Lot’s of teenagers have energy to spare, but few channel it into something as constructive as Andrew’s multiple websites, all of which have played a role in influencing media coverage of political events. Sennett calls Andrew a “role model”, and the description is well deserved.
It’s refreshing to see youthful energy produce something of value! But just watch, the wingo trolls will go negative and attack Andrew. They have nothing good to say about anything that doesn’t conform to their dogma.
There is something quite revealing about a society when the youth are more mature than their elders~ bullying, intimidation, name calling, rankism, classism, etc are certainly the hallmarks of those who claim that they post on this site as a means of entertaining themselves at the expense of those with whom they share no common ground. These are also hallmark traits of young adolescents.
The wingos would love the kid if he would only join the military and get shot up so the US can control the world’s oil supply.
Lucy,
“Why not go to war just for oil? We need oil. What do Hollywood celebrities imagine fuels their private jets? How do they think their cocaine is delivered to them?”
Only 18 and that active?!? Maybe there is a shread of hope for this countries future yet…
Andrew’s one of the good guys.
If it weren’t for him, LIE-man would be so, so, and so unstoppable.
BTW: It was LIE-man who helped push me in community college into state politics. He’s the Kim Jong-Il of state politics – the nutbar banging on the nuke for attention.
OUCH!
Comment by Josef in Marummy Country— 5/20/05 @ 4:43 pm
I wrote that in part to see if my spoof will now call me an “idiot” for saying that.
And in part because I DO believe Tim Eyma-il is one POS.
PBJ: Then say that’s why you want to go to war. Go to the high schools and explain to the 17 year olds that they need to die in Iraq so Arnold can keep a full tank of gas in his Hummer. You’ll get about as many takers as you are with your bogus appeals to patriotism are now. John Fogerty’s song,”Fortunate Son” is still the last word on this war and the whole political situation we have at present.
Headless Lucy,
I printed some of these off for my nephew to take to his HS, because the goon squad is in full force these days. Go take a look and a laugh! Look 4 rows up from the bottom (newest stuff) for the poster “earn money for middle school”….
http://homepage.mac.com/leperous/PhotoAlbum1.html
A mind is a terrible thing to waste -UNCF
I used to be a democrat too>
Then I got older and wiser and realized that was not the way to go. With any luck Andrew will turn from the “Dark Side” as he gets wiser. in fact most democrats remind me of those idiots who still think they are in high school. Ya wait for them to get past that stage in their lives but some never do.
I’m still holding out hope that Goldy will “wise up” soon. I’m just not holding my breath.
One hopes that EnoughBullshit will turn away from Emperor Bush’s leadership and rejoin the light side. I’m not holding out much hope for you though.
Goldy (and Andrew)
If the PD “Rossi=Eyman=Craswell=tool of the evil empire” article a few months back is any indication of what a “role model” should publish, then the world is going to hell in a hand basket.
http://www.permanentdefense.or.....Rossi.html
I hope you realize, Andrew, that there are indeed Rossi supporters out here who are also anti-Eyman. I am one and you will never have any support from me beacuse of the hack job you pulled in the above article. Thanks for listening and I hope you clean up your act some day.
Comment by zip— 5/22/05 @ 12:18 pm
Thank you for being like me.
Together, we will restore common sense to politics.