Free Republic

NASHVILLE (The Borowitz Report) - President Barack Obama stunned the country music world today by picking up its highest honor, Country Music Entertainer of the Year. Mr. Obama was chosen unanimously, according to the Country Music Association, beating out such favorite as Carrie Underwood and Toby Keith.

Finally, an award he deserves.

Green Car of the Year Finalists Announced Posted: Oct. 08, 2009 10:10 a.m. Steady gas prices have made Kermit's words come true: It's not easy being green. Still, despite American car buyers not exactly being red-hot for green cars, automakers are rolling them out, determined to meet government deadlines for fuel economy standards and emissions -- as well as being prepared for the next time gas prices spike and car shoppers start clamoring for the latest in alternative fuel and ultra-efficient cars. The L.A.Times says "diesels and hybrids dominate the roster of finalists for the 2010 Green Car of the...

https://secure.glamour.com/magazine/sweeps/nominate_woyy_2009/entry/long/

Leigh Wolf graduated from San Francisco State University this spring and most recently served as Co-Chair of the California College Republicans. In 2008 under Leigh's leadership, SFSU was named College Republican National Committee Chapter of the Year. Ultimately, he was successful in leading the most effective chapter in the country. Leigh will be honored on Friday during our Biennial Convention in Washington, D.C. During the convention, we'll also be electing the next National Chairman of the College Republicans. A special thanks to all of our nominees for their hard work and continued efforts to the conservative cause. Don't forget to...

GAINESVILLE, Virginia (May 20, 2009) – Tertium Quids has named Sen. Ken Cuccinelli as its inaugural “Legislator of the Year” in the Virginia Senate. “Virginia would not have passed a law to put the state budget online or a law to prevent Kelo-like eminent domain abuses without Senator Cuccinelli steadfastly pushing for them for several years in the Virginia Senate,” said John Taylor, president of Tertium Quids. Cuccinelli’s budget transparency bill to put more of the state’s budget, revenues, taxes, and expenditures on the Internet in a format easily understandable and accessible to the general public was signed into law...

The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals have long been fiercely opposed to KFC. PETA even operates a website called "KentuckyFriedCruelty":PETA is also the group that made Oprah Winfrey their "Person of the Year" in 2008 for her shows highlighting animal cruelty. Now, Oprah's pushing KFC coupons on her website: I'm as confused and suspicious as Pamela Anderson's kid during the balloon toss game at the cosmetic surgeon's mother/daughter picnic.

MANORVILLE, N.Y., Jan. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Alaska Governor Sarah Palin has been named "Honoree of the Year '09" by the Independent Group Home Living Foundation (IGHL; www.ighl.org), a Manorville, New York-based not-for-profit organization providing programs, services and support for people with developmental disabilities in New York State.

Outdoor Mag: Obama is 'Gun Salesman of the Year' @ 10:47 am by Walter Alarkon President-elect Obama is the Gun Salesman of the Year, according to The Outdoor Wire, a news service for outdoor sports. "Manufacturers are months behind on orders for semi-automatic pistols, AR-style rifles, and anything with so-called 'high-capacity magazines'," declared The Outdoor Wire's publisher, Jim Shepherd. "Buyers we’ve surveyed across the country seem to have a single explanation for their rush to purchase firearms — Obama." Guns are in demand because sportsmen are wary of Obama's support for gun control laws, Shepherd said. "Mr. Obama has consistently...

Obama Named Gun Salesman of the Year Barack Obama's election has definitely stimulated one segment of the economy: Outdoor Wire Names Obama "Gun Salesman of the Year"­ BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — In recognition of the unprece­dented demand for firearms by nervous consumers, The Outdoor Wire, the nation’s largest daily electronic news service for the outdoor industry, has named President-elect Barack Obama its “Gun Salesman of the Year”. With the selection, Outdoor Wire publisher Jim Shepherd says it is time the firearms industry recognizes the fact that without President-elect Obama’s frightening consumers into action, the firearms industry might be suffering the same...

DETROIT -- The Detroit Three auto industry received a much-needed shot in the arm Sunday when the 2009 Ford F-150 pickup was named truck of the year at the North American International Auto Show. (please see url for full article)

DETROIT (CNNMoney.com) -- The Hyundai Genesis won the prestigious Car of the Year Award Sunday at the start of media preview days for the 2009 Detroit Auto Show. The redesigned Ford F-150 won the Truck of the Year award. To be eligible for the top prize, a vehicle had to be all-new, completely redesigned or "substantially changed," and available to customers during calendar year 2008. From among those vehicles, a jury of 50 automotive journalists from the United States and Canada narrowed the list down to three cars and three trucks that were eligible for the final award. The three...

Honorable Mentions: Bill Ayers, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, Juan Cole, Kent Conrad, The Daily Kos, Bill Delahunt, Glenn Greenwald, Alcee Hastings, Christopher Hitchens, The Huffington Post, Jesse Jackson, Jesse Jackson Jr. Caroline Kennedy, John Kerry, Ezra Klein, The L.A. Times, Mike Malloy, Rachel Maddow, Michael Moore, MoveOn, Michael Newdow, The New York Times, Michelle Obama, Rosie O'Donnell, Keith Olbermann, Michael Pfleger, Ted Rall, Bill Richardson, Randi Rhodes, Al Sharpton, Cindy Sheehan, Ted Turner, Oprah Winfrey, Jeremiah Wright, Matthew Yglesias 20) Chris Dodd: Dodd, who ran a perfectly awful campaign for President, was one of the few candidates who didn't get...

Washington, Jan 4 : Despite her failed U.S. vice-presidential bid, Sarah Palin has emerged as the top political newcomer of 2008. The Alaska governor was a significant political figure in her own right before 2008, but in the span of just a few months the former Wasilla mayor exploded onto the national scene to become the first woman nominated for national office by the Republican Party and one of the most controversial political figures in the country. Caroline Kennedy landed the second spot. The last living child of President John F. Kennedy, the 51-year-old Manhattanite emerged from her famously private...

Earlier this year Prospect teamed up with Foreign Policy to list the world’s 100 greatest living public intellectuals, a contest won (after some sharp-elbowed campaigning) by the Turkish cleric Fetullah Gülen. But who has had the most impact in 2008? We gathered an all-star judging panel (see opposite) from the worlds of policy, media and ideas to find out. The concept of “public intellectual” remains satisfyingly vague. Nonetheless, we instructed our panel to weigh up the field on three criteria: novelty, real-world impact, and intellectual pizzazz. Internal debate, along with soundings on our blog, First Drafts, created a shortlist of...

INDIANAPOLIS – He overcame injury, odds and adversity. Five months ago, he was recovering from knee surgery, and just two months ago, his team was under .500 and he had just one more touchdown pass than interceptions. Now, Peyton Manning is something else, something historic. Now, he is the NFL’s Most Valuable Player. Again.

It’s a safe bet that Geert Wilders won’t be Time magazine’s Man of the Year any time soon. If anything, the unusually coiffed Dutch MP is a favorite hate figure of the Western media, which has spent years vilifying him as a “reactionary,” a “particularly dangerous type of demagogue,” a “racist” and an “Islamophobe.” Wilders would almost certainly plead guilty to the last charge, and with ample reason. His tireless campaign to sound the alarm about the growing threat of Islamic radicalism in the West has turned him into a target of Islamic jihadists and the object of untold assassination...

The most powerful woman in the world. So Hillary Clinton will become with the dawn of a new White House. Madam Secretary of State. A strong hand in a velvet glove, extended to the globe on behalf of the most anticipated presidency in generations. Short of Barack Obama, no American today­ has a greater opportunity to shape international history than does New York’s departing ­junior U.S. senator. And, short of Barack Obama, no American played a greater role last year in influencing the choice of the 44th President of the United States. Clinton galvanized 18 million voters and made her...

The influential conservative newspaper Human Events has named Alaska Governor and Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin "Conservative of the Year." For embracing the vocation of motherhood and articulating conservative Christian views as a political figure, she deserves the title. But it turns out that she is not so conservative on some critical economic and international issues. We had asserted during the campaign that "Palin is a target and possibly in harm's way because she is being perceived as someone who can take a bold stand against George Soros and his nightmare vision and turn the country around on such critical...

Sarah Palin wins HUMAN EVENTS’ prestigious “Conservative of the Year” Award for 2008 for her genius at annoying all the right people. The last woman to get liberals this hot under the collar would have been … let's see now … oh, yeah: Me! The entire presidential election year was kind of a downer for conservatives. Once the “maverick” John McCain won the nomination, the rest of the year was like watching a slow motion car crash. Except at least a slow-motion car crash is occasionally entertaining. So it was going to be a long year. Until Palin. When McCain...

Norfolk, December 20: Oprah Winfrey, who features in the lists of world’s most influential, impressive and not to mention ‘the rich’ lists, has been bestowed with yet another honor: animal-rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has named her its ‘Person of the Year.’Winfrey has used her "powerful voice to defend those without one," said PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk on Friday.PETA will present her with a plaque and a letter of appreciation -- like when your kid gives you a "World's Greatest Mom" t-shirt.Winfrey used her famous talk show to throw some light on important concerns...

There are times when Nicolas Sarkozy resembles a force of nature rather than a conventional political leader. He has energy, ideas and vitality in abundance, as he showed in such matters as his handling of the Georgia crisis and the global economic downturn. Of course, as with any new leader, 18 months — Nicolas was elected President of France in May 2007 — is insufficient time to make a final judgment. But certain elements are already clear. First, Nicolas has the hallmark of any true leader: a capacity to take decisions and implement them. He sees a problem and wants...

COOL:

First black U.S. president trumps Clinton, Palin, Paulson, Phelps and others Could TIME magazine’s 2008 Person of the Year have been anyone other than President-elect Barack Obama?

Barak Hussein Obama Time magazine must have a sense of humor or are stupid. He looks like a black Clinton! More interns in the oval office?!

Ann Coulter Conservative best-selling author I name Sarah Palin for her genius at annoying all the right people. I haven't seen liberals so enraged by a woman since me. Once John McCain was nominated, the election was a snoozefest until our hero bounded out of the Alaskan tundra. Palin is wildly interesting, charismatic and charming, so Democrats fixated on her inexperience--meaning she is only five times as experienced as our next President. Ron Paul Texas Congressman and 2008 Republican presidential candidate Amid a horrific financial crisis, all we hear are calls for more of the money-printing, spending and subsidies that...

Howdy Freepers! Every year about this time I need your help. Enter Stage Right is looking to name a Person of the Year for 2008 and as every year I'd like FR to help out. Just hit http://www.enterstageright.com/conyear.htm and enter who and why you think should be the person of the year. Last year thanks to you guys we named Gen. David Petraeus. My thanks in advance!

Democrat received honor about 8 months before alleged love child born Where was John Edwards around the time his alleged "love child" Frances Quinn Hunter was conceived? The senator was in New York – receiving his Father of the Year Award. Edwards accepted his June 27, 2007, honor from the Father's Day/Mother's Day Council exactly eight months before the child was born Feb. 27, 2008, according to a birth certificate obtained by the Charlotte Observer. Before beginning his Father of the Year acceptance speech, Edwards told an adoring crowd, "I hate to admit it, but I am not the best...

Too hilarious — here's John Edwards accepting an award for Father of the Year. Edwards accepted this award a little less than 9 months before his mistress Rielle Hunter gave birth the Breck Girl's apparent love child, Frances Quinn Hunter. Too bad they don't give awards for the Cheesy Philandering Phony of the Year. On a tip from Simon.

Where was John Edwards around the time his alleged "love child" Frances Quinn Hunter was conceived? The senator was in New York – receiving his Father of the Year Award. Edwards accepted his June 27, 2007, honor from the Father's Day/Mother's Day Council almost nine months before the child was born Feb. 27, 2008, according to a birth certificate obtained by the Charlotte Observer. Before beginning his Father of the Year acceptance speech, Edwards told an adoring crowd, "I hate to admit it, but I am not the best parent in my family." The John Edwards campaign website lists his...

LISTEN ONLINE TO KABC Ron Cogan, editor and publisher of Green Car Journal, is one of the top automotive writers in the country. He is often quoted on MSNBC and newspapers. Ron will be discussing with Al Rantel the Green Car of the Year, which his magazine names each year at the L.A. Auto Show. I've done some writing for his newsletter and magazine and worked on several ride and drive events. It was at a ride and drive a few years ago in San Francisco where I nailed Arianna Huffington caught in a Chevy Suburban. She was mocked...

For Immediate Release Contact: Leslie K.Paige 202-467-5334 Alexa Moutevelis 202-467-5318 February 20, 2008 CAGW Names Rep. John Murtha Porker of the Year Taxpayers Are Not in His “Corner” Washington, D.C. - Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) today announced the final results of its online poll for the 2007 Porker of the Year. Rep. John “Jack” Murtha (D-Pa.) won in a landslide victory, receiving 63.4 percent of the vote. A distant second, Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) received 10.6 percent, while Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) came in with 9.9 percent, Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.) had 6.7 percent, and Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.)...

The president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission says comments by best-selling author John Grisham at the recent "New Baptist Covenant" meeting are theologically off base. During a rare public speech, Grisham criticized Baptists who believe the Bible is the inerrant Word of God. The novelist spoke about a Baptist church he attended as a youth, which he described as intolerant because its leaders said the Bible should be read literally. The Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission president, Dr. Richard Land, disagrees with Grisham and says it is not intolerant to defend God's Word....

THE boy from the bush is back in town, with country music star Lee Kernaghan tonight named Australian of the Year for 2008. A proud Kernaghan, 43, admitted he was surprised at the honour but said he would use his new role to help farmers battling the drought. The Victorian-born singer and songwriter was anointed successor to climate change crusader Tim Flannery at a ceremony outside Parliament House in Canberra tonight. Naming him Australian of the Year, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said: "Lee Kernaghan's music resonates with every Australian by connecting us all to the spirit of the bush, but...

But some natives don’t want to be lifted. Published 1/24/2008 Perceptions of The Immigrant vary, to say the least. Merchant and restaurateur Eduardo Martinez of Little Rock sees himself a few years ago — ambitious, hard-working, law-abiding, soon to become a pillar of the community. Mayor Stephen Womack of Rogers sees people who drive up the crime rate, strain government services as well as the patience of the natives, and generally bear watching. A curious coalition of hard-nosed businessmen and soft-hearted do-gooders sees someone who needs protection from ill-informed and ill-intentioned elected officials. A fair number of inhospitable Arkansans see...

95% Respond Negatively to Illegal Immigrant as Texan of the Year By Noel Sheppard | January 7, 2008 - 17:37 ET On December 30, NewsBusters voiced its displeasure with the Dallas Morning News naming the illegal immigrant as its 2007 Texan of the Year. As it turns out, Morning News readers were just as offended.In fact, according to Saturday's "Ask the Editor" piece on the subject, 95 percent of readers that sent in letters or e-mail messages were highly negative about the paper's choice (emphasis added throughout, h/t Tim Graham):   By midday Friday, some 700 reader comments had...

Rush Limbaugh’s detractors never learn. They’ve tried everything to come between Rush and his more than 20 million listeners, intending to destroy his appeal and impact. But it’s a hopeless, almost laughable endeavor. They led boycotts against his advertisers -- yet his show continues to generate more revenue than any other on radio. They pressured his affiliates to drop his program, but he’s still heard on more than 600 stations -- more than any other talk host. They tried to keep him off Armed Forces Radio, of course, but he has the most popular program on the military’s radio network....

Rush Limbaugh’s detractors never learn. They’ve tried everything to come between Rush and his more than 20 million listeners, intending to destroy his appeal and impact. But it’s a hopeless, almost laughable endeavor. They led boycotts against his advertisers -- yet his show continues to generate more revenue than any other on radio. They pressured his affiliates to drop his program, but he’s still heard on more than 600 stations -- more than any other talk host. They tried to keep him off Armed Forces Radio, of course, but he has the most popular program on the military’s radio network.

DALLAS, (AP) -- When editorial writers at The Dallas Morning News chose the illegal immigrant as the newspaper's Texan of the Year, they expected some criticism. But not this: 800 blog postings and more than 150 letters to the editor blasting the decision. Some of the critics threatened to cancel subscriptions or pressure advertisers to stop doing business with the paper. "What an asinine article!!!" exclaimed one reader. "What part of stupid are you guys that support illegal aliens? This puts us ALL in danger," another wrote. Editorial writer Rodger Jones said he was "surprised at the nastiness" of the...

Note: This commentary was delivered by PFM President Mark Earley. 2007 was a banner year for atheism. Anti-God manifestos by Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins were bookstore blockbusters. And The Golden Compass, a not-so-subtly atheistic children’s film, hit theaters last month. With all the attention the atheist agenda is receiving, doesn’t it seem strange that most Americans find heroes among those who reflect a biblical worldview? Earlier in 2007, CNN began polling people for a list of their heroes. As the results began rolling in, it became apparent that the frontrunners had something in common. Whether or not they professed...

Belichick voted coach of year for second time in four years Associated Press Updated: January 3, 2008, 2:35 PM ET NEW YORK -- New England's undefeated season now includes yet another achievement: Bill Belichick is The Associated Press 2007 NFL Coach of the Year. The first coach since Don Shula in 1972 to lead his team through a spotless regular season, Belichick won the award Thursday for the second time in four years. In 2003, the Patriots went 14-2 and won their final 12 games. This time, Belichick's team rampaged through the first part of the schedule, then won a...

The Mean Girls star – who career has stalled following multiple stints in rehab – was awarded the honour for her performance in movie dud, I Know Who Killed Me. Over half of the 3.8million voters in website AOL’s poll slammed the starlets turn as a erotic dancer in the film. And the bad news doesn’t end there - Lindsay’s other film in 2007, Georgia Rule, came second only to Eddie Murphy's Norbit in the roll call of dodgy acting. Note to self: must try harder in 2008...

These are tough times for the national liberation movement of the Jewish people. Everywhere one seems to turn, Zionism and its values are in retreat. Aliya is on the decline, settling the land is no longer in vogue, and classical Zionist institutions are under attack for promoting the distinctively Jewish character of the state. Last week, the Ministry of Immigrant Absorption announced that a paltry 19,700 people chose to immigrate to Israel in 2007, representing barely two-tenths of one percent of Diaspora Jewry. That is the lowest number to arrive here in the past 20 years. The government of Israel...

Man of the Year: General David Petraeus   By Ben Johnson FrontPageMagazine.com | Tuesday, January 01, 2008 IN MOST YEARS, SEVERAL PEOPLE COULD REASONABLY BE SELECTED FRONTPAGE MAGAZINE’S MAN OF THE YEAR. This year, one candidate distinguished himself beyond all others: General David Howell Petraeus. In commanding the U.S. Surge in Iraq, Petraeus has not merely arrested an explosive and deteriorating security situation but has reversed terrorist initiatives, driving al-Qaeda out of a province it once governed and denying it the ability to reconstitute a Salafist safe haven. No one has more significantly advanced the welfare of the United...

Today, we put him in the spotlight again by naming Gen Petraeus as The Sunday Telegraph's Person of the Year, a new annual accolade to recognise outstanding individual achievement. He has been the man behind the US troop surge over the past 10 months, the last-ditch effort to end Iraq's escalating civil war by putting an extra 28,000 American troops on the ground.

Think about this for a moment. Who is the one individual who has made the biggest difference in the world in the last year? That's the main criterion that Time magazine uses when selecting its "Person" every year. To quote, Time editors choose: the man, woman, couple, group, idea, place, or machine that "for better or for worse, ...has done the most to influence the events of the year." The answer is pretty obvious. It is President George W. Bush. He is not just Man of the Year. He is Man of the Decade. Whether it was the contested election...

Comedienne Rosie O'Donnell has hit back after she was named the world's most annoying celebrity by insisting all stars are irritating.

The Sunday edition of the Dallas Morning News carries a lengthy lead editorial extolling the “illegal immigrant” as the 2007 “Texan of the Year.” The full piece is here. (hat tip - Freedom Folks and MM.com readers). I’ll cut to the chase and give you the paper’s rather underwhelming, “on the one hand, on the other hand, time will tell” ending: "If critics are correct, we could be seeing the advent of the kind of fractiousness that bedevils public life in Canada and other nations where peoples who speak different languages, and come from different cultural backgrounds, live together only...

Baptist of the Year: Al GoreRobert Parham 12-28-07 Al Gore, pictured here from "An Inconvenient Truth," is EthicsDaily.com's 2007 Baptist of the Year. Al Gore is EthicsDaily.com's pick as Baptist of the Year for 2007. He has pressed for the global good with a compelling message about the danger of climate change and a clear call for moral responsibility, knitting together science and faith, reason and passion. He has refused to be distracted by the character-assassins, the fear-mongers, the science-deniers and the merchants of short-term gain. He has remained faithful to his mission of protecting the earth and its inhabitants....