Freeper Congressman BillyBob has died

20 August 2010 | Dolly Howard/DollyCali

[DollyCali]

Thanks to FReeper libbylu

Congressman Billybob has died.

ACRU Mourns the Passing of John Armor

John Armor”John was a great American, a dear friend and a champion of liberty,” says Susan Carleson, CEO and Chairman of the American Civil Rights Union. “He will be sorely missed.”

On August 20, 2010, ACRU Senior Legal Counsel John Armor passed away in a North Carolina hospital, following cancer surgery. He had appeared to be in full recovery, so his death was a shock to family and friends.

Armor, a graduate of Yale University and the University of Maryland School of Law, had a long and distinguished career, practicing before the U.S. Supreme Court for 33 years and authoring eight books and hundreds of articles. His latest book, These Are the Times That Try Men’s Souls: America Then and Now in the Words of Tom Paine (ACRU 2010), is being released in early September.

“It was a blessing that he got to see it, hold it in his hands,” Carleson said.

These Are The Times That Try Men’s Souls A favorite at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) and Tea Party events, especially in North Carolina where he lived, Armor dressed in colonial garb and impersonated Benjamin Franklin, explaining the origins of American liberties to 21st Century audiences. Some of his performances can be seen on YouTube.

“John was one of the first people that my husband Bob [Carleson] brought on board at the ACRU when there was no money, just great spirit,” said Carleson, who met Armor when they worked together on the National Commission of the Bicentennial of the Constitution in 1986. “He has been a delight to work with and will be sorely missed. This is a deep loss to his wife Michelle, to his children, his friends and his colleagues at the ACRU.”

Armor, who was one of the few attorneys to write an amicus brief in the presidential election case in 2000, was a well known legal scholar of American politics, particularly third party movements. He represented Eugene McCarthy during the Minnesota Senator’s challenge of Lyndon Baines Johnson’s presidency in 1968.

“John was also the first to figure out the constitutional basis of recalling federal officials,” Carleson said. “That led to the ACRU’s current campaign, RecallCongressNow.org, to educate Americans about the laws in 11 states that allow for recall as a way to ensure greater accountability.”

For the past several years, Armor wrote the weekly “ACLU Outrages” feature for the ACRU’s Website. “John had his finger on the pulse of the ACLU, tracking their misdeeds and writing amusing and disturbing accounts,” Carleson said. “He said he never worried about finding material, because the ACLU’s absurd stances came as reliably as ‘the rain falling on the fields of Ireland.’”

Susan Carleson, Chairman, CEO

[visualops]

Thank you for the beautiful post.

[scrabblehack]

I was flattered that he said I correctly analyzed the situation of massive vote fraud in a presidential election:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1726052/posts

He didn’t respond to some of my other vanities, but there were probably more important things going on.

Yes, he was an intellectual giant of Free Republic.

Prayers up for him, yes.

[spacewarp]

John, you truly will be missed.

[Robert DeLong]

John Armor for Congress North Carolina's 11th District

Male
67 years old
Highlands, North Carolina
United States

Read more

The above is from his facebook page.

Also a nice and informative obituary I found while looking him up. Though I knew of him vis-à-vis Free Republic, I really did not know much about him. I thought others might enjoy reading what I found.

R.I.P. John. Perhaps you can carry on the fight for America's salvation in your new environment. I hope so. Losing a good man like yourself really hurts, and I will miss your insightful and enjoyable posts.

[Robert A Cook PE]

John:

Prayers for your family: You were a dear - though never met - friend and confident.

[dervish]

May he rest in peace in God’s Kingdom. May his family be comforted.

[teeman8r]

our loss is heaven’s gain and my prayers for his family as he will be dearly missed. i knew him only through FR and admired him greatly through his writings and postings.

God Bless You congressman billybob.

teeman

[Rockitz]

Prayers of comfort and healing for his family and those who loved him. His charm and intellect will be sadly missed here at FR. RIP Congressman BillyBob!

[rangerwife]

Prayers and condolences for his family. He will be missed. I really enjoyed reading his posts here on FR.

[pop-aye]

BillyBob was a beacon on the hill. He will be missed.

[skinkinthegrass]

OH! C**D!
*sigh* R.I.P. John

[publana]

I am stunned... and in tears. I cannot believe he is gone. His passing leaves a huge, gaping hole in FR and in our hearts.

[cubreporter]

Rest in peace.

[Krankor]

This is very sad. I used to see his posts all the time. It’s like losing a friend. My prayers for his family, friends and loved ones.

[Focault's Pendulum]

Just got back online. This indeed is saddening news. My thoughts are with his family.

He will be sorely missed here.

[Protect the Bill of Rights]

I may have missed it but has there been any announcement of funeral arrangements or an online obituary? Legacy perhaps? I would like very much to sign the online guestbook.

[Enterprise]

Rip to a great FReeper.

[Experiment 6-2-6]

I met John back in ‘98, since he lived an hour and a half drive away from my folks in North Carolina, so I have made many trips to the Highlands. But the last time, in December 2003, when he thought about running for a real seat in Congress in ‘04, it was suggested that his heart wasn’t strong enough for it.

Apparently the recent operation went well, but his heart just gave out. John had suffered through too many heart attacks and bypass operations in his past. =(

The man was a Constitutional Law genius. FreeRepublic and these United States will be worse off by his absence. My father died just over a year ago, but I was glad that he had a chance to meet him.

Rest in Peace, John.

Mark Frederick Ude, Esq.

[Darksheare]

So my guess of “Heart gave out” was on the money.

Wish it wasn’t so, I liked his sense of humor.

[Keith in Iowa]

>>>I may have missed it but has there been any announcement of funeral arrangements or an online obituary? Legacy perhaps? I would like very much to sign the online guestbook.

I’ve been searching for same - no results searching yet.