Radio host Joe Thomas from Charlottesville Radio WCHV recently received a special award from radio guest Mark Meckler, President of Convention of States Project.
After a discussion of Constitution Week and Article V, Mark Meckler informed Joe Thomas that the grassroots of Virginia had nominated him for the Benjamin Franklin Award for Journalistic Excellence.
Thomas is the only journalist in the nation to receive this award, "because of your excellent reporting of the facts, and the history, and what it means to have Article V to be operative and to be worked on in your state," Meckler stated.
In disbelief Thomas clarified that this award was for Virginia, to which Meckler responded that no, this award is for Joe Thomas.
"You're extraordinary. You've done an incredible job of reporting on this issue in your state. Your grassroots stepped up and said, 'You're the guy,'" Meckler declared.
After commercial break, Thomas explained that he was once required to use an air name, because the owner didn't want Thomas to express his political views. Thomas chuckled, "Rich Andrews and Silence Dogood are now forever connected in history."
After discussing the 2016 simulation of a Convention of States in Williamsburg, Virginia, Thomas explained, "When heroism is asked for, especially Americans, we seem more than willing to step-up to it."
When Thomas asked what's next in Virginia, he suggested it was bringing the bill forward in the General Assembly.
Meckler replied in the affirmative. "The way it gets done is people like you talking about it, obviously that's why you received the award, but also the grassroots who are motivated by listening to you, they have to get engaged, they have to be involved, and that is how we are going to motivate the assembly to bring it forward."
Thomas plans to report live from the 2019 COS simulation.
Listen to the award presentation and interview here, then congratulate Thomas on his facebook page, here.
Be a hero, as Joe Thomas described, by signing our petition.
