Bloggers have done a lot of important work in recent months, from driving the MSM crazy in general, to debunking specific stories that were either completely false (Dan Rather) or just misleading (missing weapons).
On Pundit Review Radio we are dedicated to following the work of the best, most influencial bloggers and thought leaders in the new media. We started this show because of how impressed we are with these people and because we believe they play an increasingly important role in how politics is covered by the media and digested by the public.
For all the great work that has been done, nothing can compare to what Chief Wiggles, Dean Esmay and Operation Give have done.
Dean was one of the first guests on Pundit Review Radio. He came on not to talk about media bias or his blog, but to discuss a special project that a group of bloggers had undertaken to help a young Iraqi girl.
Here is the backstory, Chief Wiggles is a military blogger stationed in Iraq. He started handing out toys to kids there and was blown away by their reaction. He posted about it and asked for more toys. Before he knew what hit him, he had thousands of toys. A group of bloggers decided to formalize this and started Operation Give, a blogger driven charity.
A soldier associated with Operation Give in Iraq was approached by an Iraqi man who told him that his seven month old daughter needed immediate medical attention. The baby, named Tabby, had a cancerous growth on her face that would kill her if left untreated. The operation needed was unavailable in Iraq but routine here in the states. Operation Give went to work, letting the blogsphere know about Tabby’s situation and they proceeded to raise funds for her and her father to come to the states. They also found a doctor to perform the surgery, a family to put them up and even arranged for an expedited Visa so they could get here quickly.
Today, Dean posted an update on Tabby. The long and short of it, thanks to Chief Wiggles, Operation Give and thanks especially to the blogsphere who rallied around this cause, Tabby is here in the Unietd States, having her surgery and getting a new lease on life.
Fox News just did a story on Tabby that is incredibly moving. Be sure to watch the attached video.
For more background on Tabby and Operation Give, check out Pundit Review Radio’s interviews with Dean Esmay on here and here