Another Award We Lost [UPDATED]
First, we finish dead last in the race for Infidel Blogger of the Year (in an 80%-2% squeaker to Robert Spencer of Jihad Watch); we didn’t even get a mention in People’s Sexiest Man Alive (in spite of our bedroom eyes—by which we mean bleary, bloated and bloodshot)—now this insult
Liz McCartney, dedicated to helping survivors of Hurricane Katrina rebuild their homes, has been named the 2008 CNN Hero of the Year.
McCartney, of St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana, received the honor at Saturday night’s taping of “CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute” at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood. The telecast airs at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Thanksgiving on the global networks of CNN.
McCartney, who will receive $100,000 to continue her work just outside New Orleans, was selected from among the top 10 CNN Heroes after six weeks of online voting at CNN.com. More than 1 million votes were cast.
“To the country and the world, I ask you to please join us,” McCartney said. “Together we can continue to rebuild families’ homes and lives. … If you join us, we’ll be unstoppable.”
I can see why they picked her and all—the dimples are hard to resist—but it’s not like we ignored the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Who but BTL coined the term Katrina Fatigue (in a post dated 1/26/07) to describe the nation’s collective sickness and tiredness at hearing the very real hardships of that natural disaster blamed on racism and Republicans? (OK: Dr. Helen beat me to it by five months—we lost that race too.)
If you don’t get the kick in the pants to stop blaming everybody else and take care of your own business (with the good-hearted help of others), when will you ever do so?
You’re welcome.
My point, then and now, Pelican Staters, is that a lot of people who were predisposed to help you were offended first by the looting and other criminal behavior, and then by nasty, groundless accusations of heartlessness and bigotry. If that’s not advice worth a Hero of the Year award, we can live with that.
But here’s some advice for your next hurricane. Republicans are known to have some money, and are provenly more generous with it than Democrats. Don’t blow wind in their faces.
The CQ Press “City Crime Rankings” list named New Orleans its most crime-ridden city based on a reported 19,000-plus incidences of six major crimes — including 209 murder cases — in 2007.
The Gulf Coast city of about 250,000, still grappling with the aftermath of 2005’s Hurricane Katrina, was followed in the rankings by Camden, New Jersey; Detroit, Michigan; St. Louis, Missouri; and Oakland, California.
Worse than Camden, New Jersey. That’s gotta hurt.
I meant to point out before that at least Louisiana has a legitimate governor now.
