Random Act of Vineness: Oldfogey

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One of our very own Newsviner members, Oldfogey, has successfully entered a bid to run for US Congress as Representative for the 18th District in Ohio. Oldfogey, running as Jerry Firman, will be on the ballot for the Special Republican Primary to take place on September 14th, 2006. The winner of this primary election will take the place of Bob Ney, who has decided to withdraw from the general election, and will face the Democrat frontrunner in November of this year.

A resident of Coshocton, Ohio, Oldfogey came to Newsvine and quickly learned to enjoy himself here. Many of us found his unusual charm and approach to writing to be both pleasant and thought provoking. At a venerable 70 years of age, he found his way onto many of our watchlists in short order. Whether by taking out newspaper ads to publicize his Newsvine column in his own town, or by writing open letters to Bill Gates or the Newsvine Community, Oldfogey has always conveyed a candid and personable voice. Oldfogey offers the best account of how his aspirations for public office manifested themselves:

I must admit that running for any office or even thinking of politics was very far from my mind when I first started to write on Newsvine. Newsvine got me off my duff and made me realize I should be doing something for my friends and neighbors instead of mowing grass and going to Texas for the winter.

If it hadn't been for Newsvine and the good people I have met here, I would not be considering a political post.

12 years ago, Oldfogey sold a small newspaper, the Coshocton Free Enterpriser. His experience as a publisher is likely what attracted him to Newsvine as platform for syndication. However, he soon discovered the rich community here and has grown to love the people and the discussions that went far beyond the technology of Newsvine. His story is as exciting as it is inspiring and serves as a reminder that Newsvine is not just a site with many cool features - but it is a tool that is limited only by the imagination of its users.

Perhaps the democratization of content and commentary is what prompted Oldfogey to start thinking that his voice could be heard and that he could make a positive difference in his local community. Or maybe the responses to his articles published on Newsvine compelled him to ponder whether others in his state would find his thinking more down to earth and reasonable than that offered by the politicians in his state. Whatever the motivation, Oldfogey has decided to do something to improve the lives of his fellow citizens and we think that's Sweet Fennel.

So, while we have had the policy of not allowing self promotion on the site, this case is an exception. Oldfogey is not a career politician who has added a Newsvine column to his arsenal of campaign initiatives; he's a homegrown product of the intellectual development that is at the heart of what makes Newsvine special (i.e., Get Smarter Here). Through his participation on Newsvine, Oldfogey has indeed influenced the news, by being the first Newsvine user to appear in an AP article.

We at Newsvine hereby recognize Oldfogey's efforts to perform his civic duty by awarding to him the Random Act of Vineness award, and also by supporting his bid to join the US Congress as a Representative from Ohio.

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