Daily Archives: May 30, 2012

AP

President Obama presents music legend Bob Dylan with a Medal of Freedom in Washington.

WASHINGTON President Barack Obama honored 13 recipients of the Medal of Freedom, including former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, novelist Toni Morrison, folk singer Bob Dylan and legendary astronaut John Glenn, in a ceremony at the White House Tuesday.

Awards were also given to Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, smallpox eradicator William Foege and Pat Summitt, the winningest coach in college basketball history who recently ended her 38-year career leading the University of Tennessee's Lady Vols.

The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian honor in the US and, according to the White House, is awarded to individuals who have made "especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors."

AP

"What sets these men and women apart is the incredible impact they have had on so many people," Obama said in the East Room of the White House. "Not in short blinding bursts, but steadily over the course of a lifetime."

The president described many of the recipients as his personal heroes, recalling how he read Morrison's "Song of Solomon" as a kid and listened to Dylan's music during college.

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Obama honors music legend Bob Dylan with Medal of Freedom

Answer: Anybody who's accomplished anything the president of the United States likes. Obama awarded the Medal of Freedom to Bob Dylan, John Glenn, and 11 other recipients Tuesday.

What do Bob Dylan, Bob Dole, Warren Buffet, Earl Warren, Ronald Reagan, Nancy Reagan, Jackie Robinson, and Jack Nicklaus have in common?

No, theyre not characters in the longest walk into a bar joke ever told. They are all recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest award the United States government bestows.

President Obama handed out 13 of these coveted decorations in an East Room ceremony on May 29. The aforementioned Mr. Dylan was one of the recipients. As he and John Glenn, Toni Morrison, and other 2012 honorees bowed to have the spiffy white star hung around their necks, we got to thinking: Where does the Presidential Medal of Freedom come from, anyway? How does it compare to the Medal of Honor and other top US decorations? Why did Dylan wear sunglasses to Tuesdays East Room investiture?

That last question is unanswerable by us. As to the rest were now in position to provide a little US Medals 101 education, courtesy of the always helpful work of Congressional Research Service scholars.

The Presidential Medal of Freedom was established by Harry S. Truman to reward World War II-connected activities. In 1945, the first awards were bestowed on four women who had shown conspicuous service and/or bravery, including Anna M. Rosenberg, a member of the War Manpower Commission, and Marie Louise Dissard, a leader of the French Resistance.

Throughout the late 1940s and early 50s the medal went to figures related to security or diplomacy. In 1963, however, President John F. Kennedy made a major change, establishing the award as we understand it today. Via an executive order, JFK expanded those eligible to include any person who has made an especially meritorious contribution to (1) the security or national interests of the United States, or (2) world peace, or (3) cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.

In other words, pretty much anybody whos accomplished anything the president of the US likes.

Thats the second interesting part of the Medal of Freedom equation: it is something the president alone decides.

As such, recipients tend to reflect the personal and political interests of the President. The accomplishments of past recipients have been in wide-ranging fields, including public service, journalism, business, sports, and entertainment, wrote Barbara Salazar Torreon of the Congressional Research Service (CRS) in a 2004 report on the subject.

See the article here:
Obama honors Presidential Medal of Freedom winners: Who's eligible?

Answer: Anybody who's accomplished anything the president of the United States likes. Obama awarded the Medal of Freedom to Bob Dylan, John Glenn, and 11 other recipients Tuesday.

What do Bob Dylan, Bob Dole, Warren Buffet, Earl Warren, Ronald Reagan, Nancy Reagan, Jackie Robinson, and Jack Nicklaus have in common?

No, theyre not characters in the longest walk into a bar joke ever told. They are all recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest award the United States government bestows.

President Obama handed out 13 of these coveted decorations in an East Room ceremony on May 29. The aforementioned Mr. Dylan was one of the recipients. As he and John Glenn, Toni Morrison, and other 2012 honorees bowed to have the spiffy white star hung around their necks, we got to thinking: Where does the Presidential Medal of Freedom come from, anyway? How does it compare to the Medal of Honor and other top US decorations? Why did Dylan wear sunglasses to Tuesdays East Room investiture?

That last question is unanswerable by us. As to the rest were now in position to provide a little US Medals 101 education, courtesy of the always helpful work of Congressional Research Service scholars.

The Presidential Medal of Freedom was established by Harry S. Truman to reward World War II-connected activities. In 1945, the first awards were bestowed on four women who had shown conspicuous service and/or bravery, including Anna M. Rosenberg, a member of the War Manpower Commission, and Marie Louise Dissard, a leader of the French Resistance.

Throughout the late 1940s and early 50s the medal went to figures related to security or diplomacy. In 1963, however, President John F. Kennedy made a major change, establishing the award as we understand it today. Via an executive order, JFK expanded those eligible to include any person who has made an especially meritorious contribution to (1) the security or national interests of the United States, or (2) world peace, or (3) cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.

In other words, pretty much anybody whos accomplished anything the president of the US likes.

Thats the second interesting part of the Medal of Freedom equation: it is something the president alone decides.

As such, recipients tend to reflect the personal and political interests of the President. The accomplishments of past recipients have been in wide-ranging fields, including public service, journalism, business, sports, and entertainment, wrote Barbara Salazar Torreon of the Congressional Research Service (CRS) in a 2004 report on the subject.

Read more here:
Obama honors Presidential Medal of Freedom winners: Who's eligible? (+video)

WASHINGTON (AP) Sketching impressive contributions to society in intensely personal terms, President Barack Obama presented the Medal of Freedom to more than a dozen political and cultural greats Tuesday, including rocker Bob Dylan, astronaut John Glenn and novelist Toni Morrison.

In awarding the nation's highest civilian honor to 13 recipients, living and dead, the president took note of the overflow crowd in the East Room and said it was "a testament to how cool this group is. Everybody wanted to check 'em out."

Obama then spoke of his personal connection to a number of this year's recipients, calling them "my heroes individually."

"I know how they impacted my life," the president said. He recalled reading Morrison's "Song of Solomon" in his youth and "not just trying to figure out how to write, but also how to be and how to think."

In college days, Obama said, he listened to Dylan and recalled "my world opening up, because he captured something about this country that was so vital." Dylan's appearance drew the biggest whoops from the crowd, and he dressed for the event sunglasses, bow tie and black suit embellished with shiny buckles and buttons.

Obama also recalled reading about union pathbreaker Dolores Huerta when he was starting out as a community organizer.

"Everybody on this stage has marked my life in profound ways," he said.

Obama added that Pat Summitt, who led the University of Tennessee women's basketball team to more NCAA Final Four appearances than any other team, had helped pave the way for his two daughters, "who are tall and gifted."

"They're standing up straight and diving after loose balls and feeling confident and strong," he said. "I understand that the impact that these people have had extends beyond me. It will continue for generations to come."

The Medal of Freedom is presented to people who have made meritorious contributions to the national interests of the United States, to world peace or to other significant endeavors.

Originally posted here:
Bob Dylan getting Medal of Freedom today