Re: Frank Robinson White House Names Medal of Freedom Winner
Jeff Lichtman 4 November 2005 23:43:36
Those to be honored at a White House ceremony this coming> Wednesday are:> Frank Robinson. The current manager of the Washington Nationals,> Robinson won most valuable player awards in both the American and> National leagues. He broke the color barrier for managers, becoming the> first black manager in Major League Baseball in 1975.
The Medal of Freedom should be considered a great honor, but its value has been diluted by increasingly questionable awards in recent years:
PlГЎcido Domingo Julia Child R. David Thomas (Wendy's founder) Doris Day Estee Lauder Rita Moreno Arnold Palmer George Tenet
Not that I have anything against these people, but what have they accomplished that they should be honored with the highest award bestowed to civilians by the U.S. government? Some other award winners make more sense to me, such as Rosa Parks, Jimmy Carter, Vaclav Havel, Nelson Mandela and Dr. D. A. Henderson (leader in the eradication of smallpox).