In a previous blog I wrote (and on similar blogs), ParaTed2k made an astute observation. Press=Participation.

My own example in this area underscored that greatly. Back a few years when church burnings were going on throughout the south, Reggie White's church in Tennessee was burned. Because of White's high profile, businesses and individuals in the Green Bay and Oshkosh (where I lived at the time)/Appleton/Neenah/Menasha area contributed and volunteered, churches pleaded for donations, and White's church was provided with more than ample funds to rebuild (funds which were apparently misused by White's co-pastor, but that is off topic). It was truly a heartwarming example of cooperation.

Not a few weeks later, a church in my hometown was burned. Its pastor was a longtime friend of mine, as I had worked at a community center with his son over the summer back when his son was six. His son was one of those kids everyone picked on, and I did my best to bolster his self esteem and to help him to develop the confidence he would need later in life. And so, upon hearing the news, I phoned the pastor to ask what could be done. I worked to do everything I could do, and I notified every media outlet I knew (as they so often profile situations when there is a local connection).

The media was silent. Not ONE returned call, out of dozens of calls made. Apparently, Reggie White's church mattered more, despite the fact that this man's SIGNING BONUS could have rebuilt his church without a dime of public assistance, and yet a small church in the heartland that was, due to availability of funds, only able to afford the minimum of insurance, didn't matter at all in the big picture.

It's a tragic indictment of our commitment to aid when we hold recipients of aid up to a measuring stick and neglect other, more worthy recipients for the sole purpose of the media spotlight.