This week's featured teen.

[phoenixx]

Buzzflash periodically highlights someone they think promotes democracy well, and this week it is a 15 year old from Alabama.

There's always so much to comment about in terms of the travesties of the Bush Administration -- and how it is intentionally dismantling democracy and the American government as an entity responsible to its citizens. Every day it is a challenging task to focus on just one abhorrent action or comment from the Busheviks.

But today, we wanted to draw your attention to Ava Lowery, our winner of this week's BuzzFlash Wings of Justice Award. Ava is just 15-years-old, but has produced arresting flash animations -- more than 70 of them -- for the Internet that speak out for justice, peace, and honesty.

She has received death threats and vile attacks for her pro-democracy efforts, when she should be receiving awards and praise from those who represent us in D.C.
Fortunately, the progressive Internet community has embraced her and her work. She is our future -- and a stellar role model she is.

BuzzFlash interviewed Ava yesterday (and it will be posted within the next two weeks), and we can confirm that she is the real thing. She is poised, thoughtful, and full of moral conviction. She told us that her sense of justice comes from her deep Christian beliefs.

Ava lives in Alabama, where she is just another teenager, she told us.

But, she's not.

She represents our hope. She represents all those exhortations you hear at graduation ceremonies about going out and changing the world for the better.

But she hasn't even graduated yet.

She's just 15.

She makes us think how all of us, who are much older, could be doing so much more to improve our nation and our world.

Thank you Ava for giving us something positive to praise and for being an inspiration.
Hang in there, we need you more than ever.

To Restore Democracy in America, We are Going to Need More People with the Creativity, Moral Conviction, and Poise of 15-year-old Ava Lowery, the BuzzFlash "Wings of Justice Award" Winner This Week.

[hadassahchana[$]]

Leslie, I have no idea who Buzzflash is. I do know that after reading just the small excerpt you posted, I won't be clicking that link. They might be right about everything in the world, but their language is really charged and inflammatory. I can't take seriously any site which claims to have an inside scoop on democracy but then calls people 'Busheviks'. I hope you don't take this personallyu, I just find that site (but not you) not particularly useful in terms of starting intelligent debate.

[phoenixx]

Good thing, since this isn't about debate, but about recognizing a teen doing something nice.

As one BuzzFlash reader noted of her appearance on CNN: "Ava was beautiful and gracious and stuck to her talking points. Her poise was remarkable. Folks, this is our future. The right would have us believe that tomorrow holds nothing but darkness for us. But it's just not true. We can move America forward, no matter how small we may feel in the big scheme of things. Ava is a testament to the human spirit, an example of hope for all of us."

[wivabef]

Cindy: Buzzflash is to Carpetbagger is to Alternet is to Media Matters is to Daily KOS...you get the picture.

Which, to me, are akin to FoxNews, CNS, RedState, ConservativeUnderground, etc.

All of them are filled with angry people who present one-sided stories.

This young lady was in the blog news recently because of the death threats (which I find sickening). And she was featured in the NY Times (though the article is now in archives and I'm not paying for it!) as a possible "Campaign Guru."

Her videos are like campaign attack ads. The WWJD one is the one that got people's panties in a knot. Impressive work from a 15 year old, but propoganda nonetheless. It's a pity she was elevated to Sainthood by moron claiming conservative allegiance who make vicious threats and spit out vitriole. Those few individuals only substantiate the claims of the blogs that the "right would have us believe that tomorrow holds nothing but darkness for us."

In many ways, I feel the lefty/righty blogs are more responsible for the hateful attitude Americans feel toward one another than anything else. I can't give credit to any blog that constantly belittles a political party, as if there is this precise wall between one side and the other and there is no one inbetween.

[erik_kosberg]

Other than being all too accurate, what's wrong with Busheviks?

[emeleel]

I don't know anything about BuzzFlash, but I know that Ava's homeschooled.

And that she's had a lot of rude, crude, disgusting comments thrown at her as her 'net popularity has increased.

[Prepoia[$]]

Does being homeschooled make it better or worse?

[emeleel]

No idea. Her mother used to be on at least one of the email lists I'm on, because I remember her mentioning the site when she first got nominated, but I haven't heard anything since then. I heard about the bad comments from some other news story, or someone else posting about it on one of the lists, I think.

[drmomentum[$]]

Here's to Ava sticking to her ideals int he face of the criticism she's likely to continue to receive.

She's young and outspoken, and not just emptying her brain out in front of American Idol every night. What we do at 15 shouldn't define us, and she has a lot to learn, but I hope she doesn't lose her enthusiasm.

-JP

[wivabef]

I'm sure she won't. She's quite talented. And quite committed.

[conradd]

phoenixx said

Good thing, since this isn't about debate

Then why is it posted in the Symposium?

[theworm[$]]

I saw this story on TV last week. Her videos and and interview. She's very well spoken. I can't believe some of the threats that she's received. Horrible.

[phoenixx]

conradd said

Then why is it posted in the Symposium?

Because it comes from Buzzflash, which is one of those sites that pushes people's buttons with far left language. I read Buzzflash everyday because if you can get past the rhetoric, they call attention to some interesting topics. I have other sites that I read that are far less likely to end in debate than Buzzflash, however; Buzzflash has a minimum of an article a day that I won't see anywhere else, and I enjoy seeing the people working for change that they call attention to each week, like this young lady.