Charles Johnson at Little Green Footballs runs an annual Idiotarian of the Year Award (The Robert Fisk Award - the Fiskie). This year, he's expanded the awards show lineup to include an Anti-idiotarian Award.
Here are my suggestions, in no particular order:
Claudia Rossett: For trolling in the fever swamps of the UN to uncover the UNSCAM (oil for food scandal), which siphoned off billions of oil monies - to Saddam's cronies.
Michael Yon: for his photo essays showing how and why the US military does what it does.
Ed Morrisey (Captain Ed): for refusing to be cowed by the Canadian government and uncovered a huge scandal that laid the Canadian government low.
The Iraqi [and Afghan] voters: Who once again showed that they had more common sense, intelligence and understanding of the events that were shaping their respective nations than the so called intelligensia in the big media outlets (the doom and gloomers).
Rafik Harari (posthumous) and the Lebanese people: In his death, Harari succeeded in shedding more light on the nefarious and pervasive Syrian control over Lebanon, which stifled the Lebanese people and presents a constant threat to all Lebanese people. His assassination awoke a dormant nationalism and need for freedom that was subjugated by the Syrian thugs who use assassination and violence to control Lebanon from Damascus. Even the UN had to recognize that Syria was up to no good with the highest levels of Syria's totalitarian government involved.
Rep. Curt Weldon and the Able Danger Bloggers: While the NYT and WaPo seem to be completely focused on classified information leaked to them from sources that have an agenda other than seeking to maintain operation security on classified projects that are central to national security, a group of bloggers have been keeping the story of Able Danger alive. Able Danger came to light when Rep. Curt Weldon took to the floor earlier this year to discuss this data mining project. Since then, explosive allegations that the 9/11 Commission failed to properly investigate the Able Danger findings that apparently included uncovering members of one of the 9/11 hijacking cells (including the name of Mohammed Atta) but no action was taken because of a combination of factors. None of this information found its way into the 9/11 Commission report on the terrorist attacks, but hearings will be held in 2006 to examine what happened and what was gathered. Bloggers on that beat: QT Monster, Able Danger Blog, Captain Ed (again), AJ Strata, and MacsMind.
John Bolton: Over the opposition of Democrats in Congress, John Bolton was appointed as Ambassador to the UN and provided a dose of clear thinking morality that called out evil for what it is and pushed forward an agenda of reform that got people's attention. But he vigorously advanced US interests at the UN, which is his job - and did so without making any apologies.
Feel free to add your own to this list in the comments here and over at LGF.
UPDATE:
Posted to Basil's Blog
Technorati: list, award, anti-idiotarian, idiotarian, fiskie.
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