I’ve known Andrew Breitbart for several years. This picture is of us from the 9/12/2010 tea party. I considered him a friend. Sadly, though, I didn’t get to know Andrew as well as many others were lucky enough to. I wasn’t close enough to him to do justice in explaining all the details of his life that made him a great man. However, I do have one of those details that I’d like to share.

Andrew Breitbart never turned down a request from a fan for a picture. He never blew off somebody who had a question for him or a story to tell him. He was simply too nice to do that. He was a great guy.

Everybody knows that he never shied away from a fight he thought he was on the right side of. He never feared showing his righteous indignation. That’s always been clear to everyone.

But if you ever met him in person you saw another side to him. He never dismissed anybody simply because he didn’t recognize their name or hadn’t read their work. He was open to any and every person that approached him.

I remember hanging out with Breitbart in the hall outside radio row at the AFP Defending The American Dream Summit last August talking about the video I’d shot of an occupier using her kids to blockade a door that I’d shot the night before. He was, of course and as always, ready to expose that dirty trick for the world to see (and he did help do so). However, we were also in a public hallway with lots of summit attendees walking by. Naturally many of them wanted to talk to Andrew or have their picture taken with him.

At that point I ended up becoming an impromptu camera man of sorts. After all, he was a nice guy so he always said yes and he always listened to what people had to say to him with genuine interest. It wasn’t the first time, nor the last, that I witnessed Breitbart doing that but it did give me pause and make me marvel at his nature.

A nature that was truly one of a kind. I’m not sure anybody will truly be able to replace him but I know the imprint he left on the conservative movement, his family, his friends, and even complete strangers will never disappear.

This meet up is completely unofficial and not endorsed by FreedomWorks or any other organization but will start at 7pm Friday night at The Rocket Bar (changed it to this bar because it’s bigger). The tavern happens to be right across the street from FreedomWorks’ office and right after the last organized Friday event for BlogCon. So, hopefully, that will allow for as many people as possible to show up and hang out.

It should be a good time. Everybody is invited. Come on out if you want to share some food, a few drinks, and the sentiment that Politico can shove their legal bullying where the sun don’t shine.

Or come and defend Politico… the main goal is to get together and have some fun.

Don’t worry I’m going to keep fighting the good fight and won’t be backing down. I’ll try to keep everybody updated on whats going on. Thanks for all the support though it really helps keep me strong.

If you don’t know what I’m talking about check out these background posts from a while back.

Sorry I haven’t been writing here as much lately but I’m spending most of my time writing over at my new MRC blog The Blast which has been incredibly successful by the way. It’s reached more than 300,000 visitors in just the past three months or so. It’s also been linked across the blogosphere and the rest of the web.

So you can check me out there and also at Human Events where I get to write op eds from time to time.