Honoring Breitbart

There is a sadness that is permeating the people on the right today.  A fearless warrior has left us today.  A man who was willing to shine a bright light on the hypocrisy that surrounds our politics today.  He was fearless.  He was tenacious.  He also was a son, a brother, a son-in-law, a husband, and a father.  His eldest child is just 12 years old.

I have been reading the tributes to him around the blogosphere.  Some made by people who only knew of him.  Others by people who met him.  And some who could rightly call him a friend.  They are very touching.  Some surprises are there as well.  Media Matters handled it with dignity:

Media Matters has a long history with Andrew Breitbart. We've disagreed more than we've found common ground, but there was never any question of Andrew's passion for and commitment to what he believed.

Our thoughts and prayers are with his family today.

Of course there are those on the left that have not.  The twitter feeds will make your hair curl and frankly ashamed.  They are all too willing --eager really -- to bring up Breitbart's response after the passing of liberal lion Ted Kennedy, which was not his best moment, to justify their own hate filled over the top glee at the death of a man who was too young to die.

We also have the people on the right who have already are out with the conspiracy theories that he was murdered.  Some of the accused are George Soros, President Obama, The CIA (apparently they invented a some sort of dart that gives people heart attacks without leaving a trace except a red spot where the dart hits them), and lest we forget Bill Ayers.

What is being lost in all of this is his family.  He has four young children who are dealing with the loss of their beloved daddy.  From all the accounts I have ever heard from people who really knew him, he was a very happily married man and a doting father.  This is a devastating loss for them.

There will be an autopsy.  His father in law has made a public statement that he had a history of heart problems.  I personally knew two people who died very young from natural causes.  Both under the age of 40.  Someone I have known since elementary school has heart problems so severe he can longer work.  These issues started in his late 20's.  These things do happen to young people.

Andrew Breitbart tried to shine a bright light on the truth.  He firmly believed in it.  To honor his memory we owe him and his family some time to process this loss.  To respect the fact that he has young children.  There will be plenty of time after the coroners determine the true cause of death to talk about what happened.  Today should be about honoring a man who stood up for what he believed in.  Regardless of where you fall on the political spectrum, as human beings, we owe his family the time to mourn their loss with dignity and respect.   Above all, we owe Breitbart the truth, not theories that have no basis in fact.

I read somewhere today that he was a devout atheist.  I don't know if that is true or not.  But in case it is, Andrew, may your spirit live on in the hearts and minds of your children.  There are foremost in my thoughts today.