Howie Klein R.I.P: UPDATED
When the news of Howie's passing reached me on Christmas Eve, I was shaken.
Heather "Digby" Parton and I were devastated.
I had no desire to write or speak about his passing to anyone except very few until now.
I've known Howie for over twenty years. I met him after he posted an article on the Huffington Post back when they had just started and we became acquainted.
That acquaintance soon turned into friendship, then mentorship - until I finally called him my brother.
His support of the working class and those disenfranchised by racist, misogynistic, and homophobic elites was boundless.
He cared nothing for what anyone thought about his views and positions, because he stood for what was right and fair.
He held back not a single word of disdain for those who sought to oppress this country and turn it into a dictatorship of hatred.
Howie taught me what it meant to be a progressive, fighting for change and the rights of all Americans.
Howie Klein was a titan of the music world, of industry, and of progressive causes.
Most of all he was a titan of what it meant to be human.
The world cries as I sit in sadness.
It lost a burning light of compassion.
I lost a compatriot.
It lost a symphony of progress.
It lost an irreplaceable warrior for those suffering.
I lost my friend.
Howie Klein, you will be missed.
R.I.P