Saying Sorry Ain't Easy

Apologizing seems to be a trend these days. And now Bill Christofferson, in response to this post, is asking for one from me.

You know what? He's going to get one.

Bill, I'm sorry if I made it seem you did nothing to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina. That was not my intent. Whenever an individual aspires to help those in need I consider it a noble act.
Ultimately, though, that wasn't the point of what I wrote.

I wrote what I did in response to your accusations that Jim Sensenbrenner is heartless, uncaring and unfeeling for demanding accountability when increasing the amount of and distributing tax dollars for Hurricane relief. Your stance left me with the impression that you felt the alternative was a blank check for the victims, and that any opposing viewpoint was bereft of compassion. So while you were quick to call Sensenbrenner heartless for his position, I felt it only appropriate to point out that you could easily be considered an opportunist for using the tragedy as a chance to make a political statement.

For the record, I was in New Orleans, Biloxi and Gulfport only a month before Katrina. It is one of my favorite places to visit in the country and has been for twenty years. I was heartbroken to see the devastation that followed the storm and realize that much of what I had come to love was wiped away. So I offered what little help I could, writing checks to organizations I felt were able to use the money best. And I did so without asking why Ray Nagin never got those school buses loaded with evacuees, why Kathleen Blanco didn't reach out to the federal government when she needed to or what more the federal government could possibly have done.

Sure, I may ask all those questions now, but my first reaction was not to make light of the situtation and make a political statement in the process.

So again, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for implying you did nothing to help those in need. You certainly did and that's to be commended. But, as they say, no good deed goes unpunished.

Jim Sensenbrenner wants accountability when people need help? That's heartless. That's your view.

Bill Christofferson creates a board game when people need help? That's opportunistic.

That's mine.