Mike Stark here:  This is another of John Javna's Hero series.  We awarded $1,000 to Amanda for her courage in the face of an irresponsible media; standing up to Bill Donohue's lackies on the fringe Fox network, and then, soon afterwards, in the more mainstream media took guts.

We'll have another story to tell soon.  Please look out for it.

In the meantime, as I said in this diary, it is you and your donations that make it possible for us to make these awards.  Please continue supporting your own by donating to BlogPac's ActBlue page.

Now, over to John:

Imagine this: You're a liberal blogger with a fairly well-known web site. You're proud of your work online, but of course, you don't make any money at it. To pay the rent, you work at the University of Texas, in Austin, as a financial aid counselor.

One day in January you're sitting at your desk when a man who claims to work for the John Edwards campaign reaches you on the phone.

Caller:"Is this (your name here)"?

You: "Yep. What can I do for you?"

Caller:"I'm a consultant with 'John Edwards for President.' We've been running a blog, and we need a blogmaster to take over the whole operation. People tell us you're the person for the job. Would you be interested? Can you move to North Carolina right away?"

Your first reaction is: "This is a hoax...  a practical joke." But you stay cool and simply promise to "think about it." Then you hang up... and immediately call a few friends who volunteer for Edwards. To your astonishment, they verify the whole story. You're floored. Not only is Edwards the guy you like best in the flock of Democrats, but frankly, you've never imagined you could make a living at blogging. And now you're not only going to be employed at it full-time, you'll be starting at the top. It has "a kind of fairytale aspect to it," you confess later to a reporter.

If all this sounds too good to be true, well...it is. The fairy tale will turn out to be more like a nightmare--the most traumatic thing that's ever happened to 29-year-old Amanda Marcotte.

WHAT HAPPENED
Marcotte, proprietor of the Pandagon site, didn't say yes right away. "It was a big decision whether to move, because I loved where I lived," she says. "Plus, I'm not usually a big risk-taker. I asked the Edwards campaign, `How long will the job last?' and they said, `Think of it this way: It`s early in the campaign, and there's no way it won't last at least a year--at least until the primaries, and maybe longer.' That seemed fair...  and this was such a big opportunity -- everyone around me was saying, `Oh you've got to take it.'... Even my parents, who are right-wing Texas Republicans, were encouraging. Of course, they liked the fact that it was straight job with career possibilities. But it turns out they actually like John Edwards, too. I guess he has a lot of charm."

(continued below)

There's more...

This is the third in a weekly series of articles, written by John Javna, that will appear on BlogPAC.org, recognizing unsung heroes of the progressive movement -- ordinary people who are working tirelessly to make America a better place. If you have suggestions about people who deserve more recognition for their work as progressive activists, please contact us at fighttheright@opendoor.com.

A brief interlude: We need to support our own in the netroots. We have to ensure that the next hero knows we'll have their back if what happened to Lane happens to them. Lane was the first BlogPac Hero to receive a monetary reward. When Lane was blacklisted, BlogPac stepped in to make help him keep his apartment, pay for groceries and, in general, sustain him until he could find another job. To help defray BlogPac's expense and to ensure we can continue to do this for future heroes, please consider donating here.

BLOGPAC NETROOTS HERO #3:LANE HUDSON

Ever wish you could single-handedly deliver a knockout blow to the right-wing, like a political Rocky?

For most of us, it's just a fantasy... but every once in a while, it actually happens. It did to Lane Hudson. Armed with only a computer and a nugget of information, he was able to turn the 2006 elections upside down... and give the Democrats the weapon they needed to take Congress.

His reward? Well unfortunately, as you may have heard, "No good deed goes unpunished."

Here's the story:

There's more...