Free Republic

The Man-Crush Bouquet: If a political talker gushed over a Republican candidate like this, his credibility would evaporate and his career would be in jeopardy. Good thing MSNBC’s Hardball host Chris Matthews is swooning over a Democrat. His endless prattle over Barack Obama has quickly slid from the media’s usual leftwing bias down to downright cheerleading. It has actually become embarrassing.

To mark our tenth annual freep against media bias outside the White House Correspondents Association Dinner, the D.C. Chapter of FreeRepublic.com will hold an awards ceremony to announce the ten worst examples of media reporting over the past ten years.Nominations are being accepted on this thread from now until 9 a.m. EDT Monday, April 21. Voting will commence shortly after that and will close at 3 p.m. EDT Friday, April 25.Nominees should be backed with quotes and source links. Acceptable nominees are news media outlets, reporters, commentators, photographers, editors and executives. The time period runs from 1999 through 2008. The...

http://www.youtube.com/ytawards07 You can vote on the best videos. The famous "Dont Tase Me Bro" video is listed under the category "Eyewitness", and the video is named "University of Florida student Tasered at Kerry forum" Select a Category... ...and watch the nominees. Then click on the box next to your favorite video OR hit "Vote For This Video." You may not change your vote on the same day, but you can vote again the next day for any video you like. Voting continues through March 19, 2008.

A story based on the Three Little Pigs has been turned down from a government agency's annual awards because the subject matter could offend Muslims. The digital book, re-telling the classic fairy tale, was rejected by judges who warned that "the use of pigs raises cultural issues". Becta, the government's educational technology agency, is a leading partner in the annual schools award. The judges also attacked Three Little Cowboy Builders for offending builders. The book's creative director, Anne Curtis, said that the idea that including pigs in a story could be interpreted as racism was "like a slap in the...

BILL HAS A 'DREAM' EX PREZ NODS OFF DURING MLK AWARD PRESENTATION Post Staff Report I guess my comments were rejected because I criticized Republicans. I should have known. This is the NY Post after all... posted by JamekaClick here to commentBill Clinton Has a 'Dream'Former president Clinton nodded off during the MLK awards presentation. January 21, 2008 -- Bill Clinton showed yesterday why he made it into the book "The Art of Napping." During an appearance at the Convent Avenue Baptist Church in Harlem, the former president was caught nodding off. excerpt

It’s looking like a tough year for toll roads in Texas, and no one could be happier about that than Terri Hall, the San Antonio woman whose group is leading the grassroots fight against the controversial pay-to-drive roads that Gov. Rick Perry and others want to see crisscrossing the state. In September, Hall and her group, Texans Uniting for Reform and Freedom (TURF), filed suit in the state district court in Austin against the Texas Department of Transportation, alleging that TxDOT has broken the law by using public funds to lobby legislators for laws favoring toll roads. TURF and Hall...

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif., Jan. 8, 2008 – Sgt. Kevin Knight has been a Marine for four years. He has deployed three times to Iraq. The first was in 2004, when he was just out of his infantry training. He returned from his most recent deployment in November. With their commanders ushered from the room, Knight and about 50 other Marines fresh from deployment were able to sit across the table from Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates here yesterday to ask straight questions and get straight answers on whatever was on their minds. Gates met with troops on Navy and Marine...

The AZ Federation of Taxpayers/Americans for Prosperity put on the biggest AZ conservative event of the year, their third annual Legislative Awards Luncheon. In addition to crediting the guys who put it on, Chad Kirkpatrick and Tom Jenney (on the left), the governor should be credited for frightening so many people into coming this year.This year’s award for the biggest government spender and taxer was renamed from the Vladimir I. Lenin award to the Empty Wallet Award and went to Rep. Steve Farley, who received a 14% rating from AZ Taxpayers, the lowest of any legislator. Farley did not show...

2008 CADILLAC CTS!!!!!!! GM is hanging its future on this car...and it's a good one. They finally got it right!

SIERRA VISTA — Fort Huachuca and the Bureau of Land Management were awarded Saturday for their roles in protecting a tributary of the San Pedro River from future development. The Nature Conservancy gave the Morris K. Udall Outstanding Conservation Achievement Award in the public sector to both the agencies for their work in conserving more than 1,400 acres and 4.6 miles of river to the east of Fort Huachuca. The land is a part of the Babocomari Ranch, nearly 28,000 acres between the Mustang and Huachuca mountains, owned and operated by the Brophy family since 1935. The Babocomari River, one...

Dredge your overstuffed furniture. Scrape the bottom of your purse. Shatter your kid's piggy bank. Do what ever it takes to find $500 for a ticket to the Churchill Centre's Oct. 25 fund-raising dinner at the Willard so you can witness the presentation of the Emery Reves Award to Chris Matthews for lifetime achievement in journalism.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 16, 2007 – Six U.S. military members recognized by a local patriotic organization for their overseas service in the war on terror also received Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates’ personal thanks here yesterday evening. “You are the best, and we all owe you. And, in all sincerity, we’re all humbled by you,” Gates told the Grateful Nation Award recipients at the start of his remarks at the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs’ annual award dinner. “It’s surreal,” Grateful Nation Award honoree Army Reserve Staff Sgt. Jason T. Fetty said of his meeting with Gates. He said the...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 21, 2007 – Five military members received the USO’s Service Hero award last night before an audience of hundreds who gathered at the National Building Museum here for the 66th annual USO World Gala. Army Spc. Marion D. Pettus III, left, the USO's Soldier of the Year, poses with Gen. George W. Casey, Jr. at the 66th annual USO World Gala held Sept. 21, 2007 in Washington, D.C. Defense Dept. photo by John J. Kruzel  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The United Service Organizations, which has provided morale and recreational services to military members worldwide since...

A VICTORIAN mosque plans to bestow awards on Australians they believe are Islamophobes -- politicians, community leaders or media identities they categorise as hostile to Muslims. The Brunswick-based Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaah Association has unveiled what it calls its annual "Islamophobia Award for the worst Islamophobes in Australia". Likely to be near the top on the group's list of nominees is Pauline Hanson, who has come under fire from the mosque and other Muslims for her recent call for a "moratorium on any more Muslims coming into Australia". Mosque leader Sheik Mohammed Omran, who teaches a fundamentalist minority form of...

INDIANAPOLIS -- Sixth-grader Matt Porter didn't enjoy getting "Most Likely Not To Have Children" and "Sir Clowns-a-Lot" awards from two teachers at his school. His parents aren't pleased, either. Matt said he received the awards in front of classmates during a ceremony at the Decatur Intermediate Learning Center at the end of the recently finished school year. His mother and his stepfather have asked the Decatur Township school system to reprimand the teachers, and they want an apology. "Words cut deeper than any knife could. They hurt," said his stepfather, Joseph Sims. "When you hurt a child like that, you...

Five military personnel were presented with medals for gallantry in Afghanistan during 2006 by Her Majesty the Queen at Buckingham Palace today, 23 May 2007. Amongst the five presented with their medals today were Captain Catherine McWilliam, a Nursing Officer with the UK Field Hospital at Camp Bastion. She received the Associate Royal Red Cross Medal for her professionalism, compassion and care for the sick and wounded under her charge. Over 70 UK Servicemen and women were honoured in the Honours and Awards list made public in December 2006 for their role in operations in Afghanistan. The other recipients of...

FORT WAINWRIGHT, Alaska, Feb. 23, 2007 – Marine Gen. Peter Pace presented a Distinguished Service Cross and two Silver Stars here yesterday to three soldiers for heroism displayed in Iraq on Nov. 19, 2005. Pvt. Stephen C. Sanford, recently medically retired from the Army, salutes Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, after being awarded the Distinguished Service Cross at Fort Wainwright, Alaska, Feb. 22. Sanford received the award for going above and beyond the call of duty while fighting terrorist in Iraq. Photo by Staff Sgt. D. Myles Cullen, USAF  '(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution...

We live in an age of self-congratulation. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the proliferation of awards shows on TV. Where once the Academy Awards were a much-anticipated special occasion, these days one can't seem to change the channel without running into another awards show. It's to the point where the idea of a channel devoted exclusively to awards shows is conceivable. With the Oscars, Golden Globes, Emmys, Grammys, Teen Choice Awards and so on, we seem to be awash in accolades. As a result, awards shows have become little more than occasions for like-minded insiders to pat each...

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This article is the product of extensive research in archives and secondary sources, as well as consultation with other historians who are specialists in naval air combat in the Pacific on both sides. Individuals like John Lundstrom, Barrett Tillman, and James Sawruk not only looked at the same official records I did but, in the case of Lundstrom and Tillman, also interviewed surviving pilots and read letters and diaries. For the sake of brevity and accessibility, this article does not attempt to discuss the sources in detail, but a much longer narrative, along with many of the key...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 5, 2007 – Newman’s Own, the Fisher House Foundation, and the Military Times Media Group are inviting volunteer organizations that serve military families to compete for a share of $75,000 in grants. The Fisher House Foundation is a member of America Supports You, a Defense Department program that highlights and facilitates support among Americans and the corporate sector for the nation’s servicemembers. The volunteer organizations are asked to present an innovative plan to support military families. The plan garnering the most votes from the judges will earn $15,000 to put that plan into action. The judges will...

Staff Sgt. Bryan Resh stands in front of a medical evacuation helicopter at Forward Operating Base Sykes where he is serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Resh is one of several crewmembers of Dustoff 77, which has been awarded the Army Aviation Association of AmericaÂ’s Rescue of the Year Award. U.S. Army courtesy photo Air Ambulance Team Awarded for Daring Rescue The crew of Dustoff 77 risk life and limb to save the lives of their fellow soldiers. By Spc. Daniel Bearl 25th Combat Aviation Brigade Public Affairs TIKRIT, Iraq, Jan. 29, 2007 --When the soldiers from the 68th Medical...

  For Immediate ReleaseOffice of the Press SecretaryDecember 30, 2006 President's Radio Address       Audio      Remembering President Gerald R. Ford (1913-2006)      THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. This week, as Americans prepare to welcome a new year, we do so with heavy hearts and fond memories of our 38th President, Gerald R. Ford. We mourn the passing of a courageous leader, a true gentleman, and a loving father and husband. On behalf of all Americans, Laura and I send our prayers and condolences to Mrs. Ford and the entire Ford family. Gerald Ford was a great man who devoted the best...

Go vote!- http://www.rightontheright.com/real/index.php/?p=1609

WASHINGTON, Sept. 13, 2006 -- Special operations forces personnel, so accustomed to operating in the shadows, stepped sadly into the light tonight as the Navy presented the widows of two SEALs killed in Afghanistan with the nation’s second-highest military award for valor. Navy Secretary Donald C. Winter presented the Navy Cross to Cindy Axelson, widow of Petty Officer 2nd Class Matthew G. Axelson, and to Patsy Dietz, widow of Petty Officer 2nd Class Danny P. Dietz. The ceremony was fittingly held here at the U.S. Navy Memorial. “These were our men,” said Rear Adm. Joseph Maguire, commander of the...

Best show on broadcast TV.

Here Are Pulitzer Prize Winners, Announced Monday By Joe Strupp Published: April 17, 2006 3:05 PM ET NEW YORK The New York Times and The Washington Post were the top winners as this year’s Pulitzer Prizes for journalism were announced at Columbia University shortly after 3 p.m. ET on Monday afternoon. In an unusual event, there were two winners in two categories, including the coveted Public Service slot -- shared by the Times-Picayune in New Orleans and the Sun Herald in Biloxi, Miss. The Post won four prizes and the Times won three. The Times-Picayune had not been named one...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 18, 2006 – The Army has authorized award of the Bronze Star Medal for Service to the living Canadian veterans of the 1st Special Services Force for their service to the U.S. Army during World War II. The unit was known as “the Devil’s Brigade” during the war and was one of the first U.S. special operations forces units in the war. The unit included U.S. Army soldiers and soldiers of the 2nd Canadian Parachute Battalion and 2nd Canadian Special Service Battalion of the Special Operations Group. From 1942 to 1944, about 2,500 soldiers served in the unit...

There was a show presented here in Indianapolis called The Pillowman and if you read the letter presented below you will understand what is was about. I saw this letter and was just so stunned by it's content that I did not know how to respond, so I thought I should post it here at the FR and get some feedback. There is a lot to this story, I may not have all the information I should, but this letter says a lot. BTW - "NUVO" is local liberal "arts" newspaper that caters to the "in" crowd around Indianapolis. ************...

OTTAWA (AFP) - Canada's biggest city will host what is believed to be the world's first "feminist porn" awards ceremony, to highlight "really great" female erotica. "There is so much bad porn out there. A lot of it is really, really bad -- not just sexist but racist, too," organizer Chanelle Gallant told AFP by telephone from Toronto. "We wanted to celebrate filmmakers who are making really great porn, the kind that makes us feel good about sex, makes us feel good about our bodies and treats sex as something fun and good," she said.

A jury awarded $500,000 Friday to a woman who sued her employer after she was spanked in front of her colleagues in what the company called a camaraderie-building exercise. The jury of six men and six women found that Janet Orlando had suffered from sexual harassment and sexual battery when she was paddled on her backside on three occasions during her employment at home security company Alarm One Inc. in Fresno. The jurors, however, said that Orlando did not suffer from sexual assault as she had claimed. Orlando, 53, had asked the jury for at least $1.2 million in lost...

The Pulitzer awards reflect discontent (Of course discontent with President Bush means that it is okay to give Pulitzer Prizes to a newspaper which lied about the NSA non story while breaking National Security Laws.) Commentary: By Jon Friedman, MarketWatch Last Update: 12:01 AM ET Apr 19, 2006 NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Many awards presentations are accused of being out of touch with the public or even appearing to be popularity contests. But I contend that many of the Pulitzer Prizes, handed out on Monday, accurately reflected the nation's growing discontent with President Bush. In particular, the awards presented to...

Heroes of Basra riot among 70 honoured for bravery in Iraq Richard Norton-Taylor Friday March 24, 2006 They also include a bomb disposal officer awarded the George Cross - which ranks with the Victoria Cross as the highest award for gallantry - and a Royal Marine who led an assault in his river craft which, in the words of the Ministry of Defence, "unhinged the enemy". Lieutenant Colonel James Woodham of the Royal Anglian Regiment is awarded the Military Cross for his role in charge of negotiations when the two SAS soldiers were arrested by Iraqi police in Basra last...

WASHINGTON, March 23, 2006 – The United Service Organizations of Metropolitan Washington honored several individuals and the Miss America Organization here last night during its 23rd annual awards dinner. Navy Adm. Edmund Giambastiani, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (left), Marine Corps Sgt. Michael Donnelly (center), and Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Justin Ledsome talk at the USO of Metropolitan Washington Annual Awards Dinner, March 22. Giambastiani presented Donnelly with the Bronze Star Medal and Ledsome with a USO award. Photo by Tech. Sgt. Sean P. Houlihan, USAF  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The Miss America...

Site requires membership to pull up story but here is excerpt... Grandson Wants Russian Authorities to Investigate Stalin’s Death Joseph Stalin’s great-grandson has appealed to the Russian authorities with a request to investigate the circumstances of his great-grandfather’s death, news agencies reported Thursday. “When Stalin was disposed of, Khrushchev, who imagined himself to be a statesman, was able to come to power. His so called activities were nothing but a betrayal of the interests of the state that he headed,” Jacob Jugashvili said in a statement. The betrayal committed in the Kremlin should be judged in the Kremlin, too, he...

Clooney film faces censorship (But You Know The New York Slimes...) by Julia Wheeler The film which won George Clooney an Oscar may be banned in one of the countries where it was shot because of political sensitivities. Syriana was partly filmed in the United Arab Emirates. The authorities there are still deciding whether the film, which is a political thriller, will be shown.

Here's a speech we would like to hear from an Academy Award winner: I thank you for this wonderful award. Receiving an Academy Award gives the recipient an almost unique opportunity to speak to hundreds of millions people around the world, so I would like take this once-in-a-lifetime moment to say this:

WHAT I SAW AT THE SPIRIT AWARDS Yesterday, Film Independent hosted their annual Spirit awards on the beach in Santa Monica. The awards are held in a huge, warehouse-sized white tent set up in a parking lot right on the beach, and the boardwalk was full of curious fans and passers-by – myself included – who stopped to gawk at the fenced-off press line. With a few hundred others, I watched as shiny black limos, hummers, and SUVs pulled up the valet line to stop and discharge their glittery occupants. Beach police officers and security guards with head sets nervously...

WASHINGTON, March 1, 2006 – The National Guard Youth Foundation honored a U.S. senator, two governors' wives and the chief of the National Guard Bureau at the organization's first ChalleNGe Champions dinner held here last night. Louisiana Sen. Mary Landrieu and Nancy Murkowski and Kim Henry, the wives of the governors of Alaska and Oklahoma, respectively, all received ChalleNGe Champion awards, while Army Lt. Gen. H Steven Blum was honored with a National Mentoring Partnership Award during ceremonies at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center. During his remarks to dinner attendees, Blum noted that the foundation's National Guard...

'Brokeback Mountain' Leads Academy Awards With Eight Nominations By Stephanie Cole 'Brokeback Mountain' leads the 78th Annual Academy Awards this year with eight nominations. 'Crash' and 'Capote' will face off against the Ang Lee love story in the Best Picture category, along with 'Good Night, And Good Luck' and 'Munich.'

CAMP VICTORY, Iraq, Feb. 20, 2006 – It was a day for some troops serving in Iraq to remember. Some were re-enlisting, some received Purple Heart Medals and other troops were being awarded combat infantryman, medical and action badges. The day meant even more to the soldiers because the presenter was Gen. Richard A. Cody, the Army's vice chief of staff. Gen. Richard A. Cody, vice chief of staff for the U.S. Army, recites the oath of enlistment to soldiers of 1st Battalion, 327th Brigade, 101st Airborne Division, during a reenlistment ceremony last week. Cody visited troops at various...

Link is on Drudge's homepage. I wonder if the actors union has decided they may had gone too far and went back to the "bottom line?"

Los Angeles - Reese Witherspoon as singer June Carter in "Walk the Line" and Philip Seymour Hoffman as author Truman Capote in "Capote" won lead-acting awards Sunday from the Screen Actors Guild, while the ensemble drama "Crash" pulled off an upset win over Brokeback Mountain" for the overall cast award. Rachel Weisz of the murder thriller "The Constant Gardener" and Paul Giamatti of the boxing drama "Cinderella Man" received supporting-acting honors. "Oh, my God, y'all. Sometimes, I can't just shake the feeling that I'm just a little girl from Tennessee," said Witherspoon, who plays Carter during her long, stormy courtship...

ANYONE JUST SEE THE PATHETIC JESSICA SIMPSON DOING HER RENDITION OF THE NANCY SINATRA SONG "THESE BOOTS ARE MADE FOR WALKING"? THIS GIRL WAS TERRIBLE, HAS ABSOLUTELY NO TALENT AND THIS IS THE FARE HOLLYWOOD GIVES US. WON'T BE WATCHING THE REST OF THIS HOLLYWOOD LOVE FEST.

I formally propose that we establish an annual award to be assembled at this time of year regarding "best of" and "worst of" type categories for the things that are discussed here. I suggest that Jim Rob and the Admin Moderators be the official administrators and judges of these awards and the members of FreeRepublic (in good standing) be the voters.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 13, 2005 – Six servicemembers were lauded for their distinguished military service at a Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs dinner here Dec. 12. The servicemembers received the Grateful Nation Award, which JINSA established three years ago to express appreciation for the men and women of the armed forces. Each military branch and U.S. Special Operations Command chose one person to be honored. All the award recipients distinguished themselves by exceptional service and an outstanding demonstration of the values of their service branches, Norman Hascoe, the organization's president, said. David Steinmann, chairman of the JINSA board of...

"Kng" will not win any mjor non-technical awards- it neither features a gay lead nor bashes Bush/McCarthy(Identical in lefties' minds)

This is important! A couple of our own are losing badly to far left blogs in Wizbang's Weblog awards. I wouldn't care, but the fact is they're only losing because Daily Kos, DU, Crooks and Liars and and other radical left-wingers are pleading with their readers to keep conservatives from winning. Please support these blogs! You can vote once every 24 hours until December 15th: Michelle Malkin for Best Blog. She's losing to Daily Kos. This can't happen! Vote for Wuzzadem for Best New Blog. Wuzzadem is a Freeper, and is losing to a terrible blog called "Yellow Dog Blog",...

Time to vote!

The Stars Have Come Out To Shine!

FORT BENNING, Ga. (Army News Service, Nov. 22, 2005) -- Army Chief of Staff Gen. Peter J. Schoomaker presented Army Rangers more than 25 awards for valor during a ceremony at Fort Benning, Ga., Nov. 18. The Soldiers, all assigned to 3rd Bn., 75th Ranger Regt., deployed between July and October in support of Operation Enduring Freedom or Operation Iraqi Freedom. “I am glad I could be here to recognize great heroes,” said the Army chief. “I’m proud of your service. I am proud of what you do and what you represent. You are living the Ranger Creed and Warrior...