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This nation -- and freedom -- has lost a great proponent and defender. Andrew Breitbart, who was reported to have died this early morning in California, was and is an American hero of mine.

This man, in what appeared to be in the prime of his life, knew that the key to keeping our endowed freedoms was shining the bright rays of sunlight on whatever issue was stealing away our nation's prosperity and liberties.

Many came to know Andrew as the brains and the will behind the exposure of a cancer on our system that was exemplified by some of the things going on with ACORN, where they were not bothered by the thought of underage girls being placed in the bondage of sexual prostitution, they were not bothered by the idea of getting people in the country illegally for immoral and illegal purposes.

He figured out a way to deal with these issues and to address what was sucking the nutrients and the life from this host country as, really, a cancer. He figured out how to shine sunlight inside offices of what was happening and gave a good dose of chemotherapy to the cancer.

He also innovated ways to expose the extreme bias within many in the media -- that was holding itself [sic] out as being objective. We have freedom of speech. We have freedom of the press. But there should be some degree of honesty. If someone is expressing an opinion, it should be reflected as an opinion and not as unbiased journalism.

Andrew had been in the process of exposing that, as well as so many other issues that were weakening our nation and infringing on our liberties, were deceiving rank-and-file Americans of the truth and our factual history. Andrew was serving as a clarion call to action for honorable Americans across the country to seek truth, justice, and the American way.¹

In visiting numerous times with Andrew, he was so excited. He could see that he was literally and profoundly making a difference for truth.

Often, when innovators or impassioned innovative visionary people depart this world, they have not had the benefit of seeing any of the fruits of their labor. God had favored Andrew with a glimpse of the difference that he was making.

In this book -- that -- and I acquired this copy from the Library of Congress -- Righteous Indignation by Andrew Breitbart -- this is a new conclusion to Andrew's recent books. He wrote this new conclusion himself. These are Andrew's words:

I love my job. I love fighting for what I believe in. I love having fun while doing it. I love reporting stories that the complex refuses to report. I love fighting back. I love finding allies and, famously, I enjoy making enemies. Three years ago I was mostly a behind-the-scenes guy who linked to stuff on a very popular Web site. I always wondered what it would be like to enter the public realm to fight for what I believe in. I've lost friends, perhaps dozens, but I've gained hundreds, thousands, who knows, of allies. At the end of the day, I can look myself in the mirror and I sleep very well at night.

He now sleeps in the arms of God.

Andrew was being demonized by those who were profiting from their deceptions of people and their cronyism with the government. He was rallying like-minded Americans to seek and take back the liberties with which they were endowed and upon which liberties vast encroachments have been occurring.

I would like to speak straight from the heart, but I typed these lines up just moments ago because of the difficulty. It's easier to read. But let me finish with what I wrote moments ago.

Andrew had two films coming out in the near future, of which he was so proud, as he showed me and my friend, Steve King, here the trailers very recently. Those films can and will be quite powerful in furthering the cause of sunlight on darkness, though they may now have to be modified because of his passing.

But Andrew was so kind to be an encourager to my daughter in California, was always complimentary of her when we talked. He knew how to make a father proud.

In considering Andrew's works, the life and death of John Quincy Adams comes to mind. Adams had been elected President in 1824, first son of a former President to be so elected. In 1828, he was defeated by Andrew Jackson. In 1830, John Quincy Adams did the unthinkable. He had been President of the United States and yet he was driven by a God-placed feeling: a need to stop slavery in America. So, after having been President he lowered himself to run for the House of Representatives and was elected in 1830, sworn in 1831, and served until 1848 just down the Hall in what we now call Statuary Hall.

He was a driven man. He believed God had called him, as He did William Wilberforce, to bring an end to slavery -- Wilberforce in the British Isles, the United Kingdom, and Adams in America. He was concerned, appropriately, that it would be difficult to expect God to keep blessing America if we were putting brothers and sisters in chains and bondage.

He gave powerful speeches over and over down the Hall in trying to convince the other Members of the House to pass bills that would end slavery, that would free slaves, and he never got it done. In fact, at one point, he had so alienated the Rules Committee, they passed a rule he couldn't even bring those types of bills anymore. So then he had to fight the rule so he could go back to filing bills to end slavery and free slaves, and eventually he did. And he preached those powerful sermons down the Hall against slavery.

In 1846, a young man, not particularly handsome, some at Gettysburg that heard him years later said he didn't have all that pleasing a voice to listen to, he didn't have a beard at that time, but a young, skinny, some-would-say homely-looking guy was on the back row, just down the Hall of the House of Representatives. Adams liked this guy. Adams was not necessarily referred to as being a warm and fuzzy, cozy kind of guy, easy to warm up to, a bit cantankerous at times -- but he liked Lincoln.

In 1848, having spent so many years devoted to the -- to many great causes, but particularly to the cause of trying to end slavery, sitting at his desk, John Quincy Adams had a massive stroke. He was moved back into the Speaker's suite just off the floor, died two days later -- 1848.

Thirteen years later, Abraham Lincoln was sworn in as President of the United States. It was reported that someone had asked Lincoln, "Was there anything memorable that happened during -- during your two brief years in the House of Representatives." He was reported to have said, in essence, "...not other than those powerful speeches of John Quincy Adams on the evils of slavery."

Lincoln knew it was wrong. It tore at his soul that slavery existed in America. After he lost after one term, went back; tried to make a little money; did; practiced law,  represented the railroad some. But the compromise of 1850 allowed new States to come in that would have slavery. Lincoln had thought perhaps he was done with slavery, but he couldn't stand it. He got back involved in politics; lost; lost again; got elected President, and then helped bring about an end to slavery in the United States.

John Quincy Adams did not bring an end to slavery as he had hoped, but he profoundly affected that young, skinny, less-than-handsome-looking guy named Abraham Lincoln.

Andrew Breitbart is gone. That's the report. [I'll] be interested to see what the autopsy says. But I can't help but think his devotion to truth, to preserving liberty will have inspired so many who will pick up that banner and potentially, as was the case with John Quincy Adams and Abraham Lincoln, do far more than Adams himself could have done; and in this day, in the years to come, do more than Andrew could have done by himself.

Though Andrew did great service to himself, his family, and his nation, it's my prayer that his greatest contribution to this, the greatest nation with the greatest freedoms in the history of the world, will not be those specific but amazing accomplishments he achieved, but that his greatest accomplishment will be the inspiration he was and is to so many who saw his devotion, saw his commitment, saw his goals, and will, just as did John Quincy Adams, accomplish more through those he inspired than those he could ever have accomplished individually.

At a time like this, there is sometimes a temptation to blame God and ask, "Why did God take such an individual so soon?" Our directed comments to our Creator should instead be, "Thank You, dear God, for the gift of Andrew Breitbart. We wish we could have kept him longer, but thank You for this marvelous gift."

God be with his family, comfort his family. Andrew will be sorely missed by seekers of truth. His departure will be welcomed by those he was exposing, but they shouldn't be too comfortable. He was a patriot. He was a lover of liberty. He was a lover of family. He was a lover of God, a lover of this nation.

He was also a friend and encourager to me.