As you know, the Important Blog has, from time to time, bestowed the most presigious and sought-after award on the internet: The Stephen Colbert Personal Hero Award, sponsored by the Nation of Sweden.

This award has been won by esteemed Americans like Dave Barry, Jon Stewart, and Harry Taylor.  And all these luminaries got was a nice story on the internet, 2-for-1 pizza coupons in the mail, and a pat on the back.

Recent Hero Award honoree Ian Douglass, though, has raised the bar in more ways than one.  Not only did he change the face of Michigan politics forever by successfully standing up to a right wing smear campaign, but he also has introduced the official Hero Award Trophy.

There’s Ian now, brandishing the Hero Award.

Ian also holds the distinction of being the only person to win both a Hero Award and the most reviled dishonor on the internet: a Karl Rove Big Dummy Award (sponsored by Wal-Mart).  In fact, Ian won a special Nemesis Edition of that award for accepting funding from Wal-Mart itself.

But now he has more than redeemed himself, by singlehandedly standing up to the right wing’s worst, while also finding this perfect trophy for the Hero Award.

The ‘H’ on the belt is simply outstanding.

Mr. Douglass’s Hero Award Announcement also holds the record for the most important comments of all the stories on the entire Important Blog — more than 40 at the moment.

Thank you for being such an inspiration, and congratulations on finding the perfect trophy to celebrate your accomplishments.