Free Republic

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - The golf season finally begins in earnest Thursday as the Masters tees off at a newer Augusta National Golf Course. All of the talk pre-Masters has been the decision to lengthen the course in spots. A total of 155 yards has been added to six different holes, most notably the par-three fourth. This beaut plays to 240 yards and four-time winner Tiger Woods, certainly not the shortest hitter in golf, admitted he needed a wood to get there last month. Change is always met with some resistance and the renovations at Augusta National have not...

One of my favorite reporters called late last week, saying he had learned that Coalition forces in Iraq had captured an Iranian vehicle entering Iraq with large quantities of shaped explosives, obviously headed for the terrorists. "So what?" was my reply. It happens most every day. But he was baffled. Why would the Iranians be supporting terrorist actions against Shiites? After all, didn't they want the Shiites to prevail in Iraq, so that there could be an Islamic republic there? His question — and he's a good reporter — shows once again how totally false stereotypes distort our ability to...

Doesn't look like Michelle Wie is going to the Masters. She's down 5 holes with 7 to play in the quarterfinals of the Amateur Public Links Championship. http://www.usapl.org/scoring/MatchCard_59.html

As conscientious followers of politics are doubtless aware, the better sort of American liberal is troubled by the unprecedented vituperation that has stolen into the public discourse. The Clintons refer to it as "The Politics of Personal Destruction" -- well said, Bill and Hillary. They, and concerned citizens like them, recognize that this inflammatory rhetoric comes, in the main, from the right -- or as they put it, "the extreme right." Dr. Howard Dean, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, likewise is alarmed by the abusiveness from the right or more generally from Republicans whom he has recently identified as...

It's about time we had a serious discussion about Martha Burk. Come on, you know who she is. She's the woman that, in 2002, inanely tried to compare Augusta National Golf Club and The Masters with racial segregation because it is a male-only sports club. If you really can't remember or just don't have all the details, here's a timeline of the Burk vs. Augusta dispute. For an in-depth review, read this issue of the Capital Research Center's Foundation Watch. For an entertaining read, try this article from Failure Magazine; Martha Burk and the controversy won 'Failure of the Year'...

Watching ABC, CBS, or NBC news, you would never know that Iranian civilians are now being killed while protesting against their country’s Islamist dictators. You probably wouldn’t know that Iran is considered to be the “world's ‘most active state sponsor of terrorism.’” You most surely haven’t heard that between 10,000 and 15,000 Iranians risk life and liberty to run web logs (“blogs”) opposing their government. Maybe you’ve heard that Iran’s rulers are secretly building nuclear weapons, but did you know that Britain, France, Germany, and Russia have sold nuclear technologies to Iran? Have you heard that Iran now has ballistic...

Television advertising is back at the Masters. Martha Burk and her campaign against the all-male membership at Augusta National might not be too far behind.   Ending two years of a commercial-free broadcast at golf's highest-rated event, Augusta National chairman Hootie Johnson said Friday three corporate sponsors — ExxonMobil, SBC Communications and IBM — will provide four minutes of commercials every hour in a telecast that has been extended 90 minutes. Johnson dropped the previous TV sponsors two years ago when Burk and her National Council of Women's Organizations began to pressure companies, claiming their sponsorship was a veiled endorsement...

Television advertising is back at the Masters. Martha Burk and her campaign against the all-male membership at Augusta National might not be too far behind. Ending two years of a commercial-free broadcast at golf's highest-rated event, Augusta National chairman Hootie Johnson said Friday three corporate sponsors -- ExxonMobil, SBC Communications and IBM -- will provide four minutes of commercials every hour in a telecast that has been extended 90 minutes. Johnson dropped the previous TV sponsors two years ago when Burk and her National Council of Women's Organizations began to pressure companies, claiming their sponsorship was a veiled endorsement for...

<p>ATLANTA (AP) -- An attempt to govern protests at the Masters golf tournament last year violated First Amendment rights to free speech, a federal court in Atlanta ruled Thursday.</p> <p>The U.S. Court of Appeals decided the city of Augusta illegally tried to hamper a protest planned by the National Council of Womens' Organizations, led by Martha Burk.</p>

ESPN.com: Masters 2004 Tuesday, April 13, 2004 Mickelson returns home proudly with jacket -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Associated Press SAN DIEGO -- Back in his hometown, Phil Mickelson walked into an exclusive country club looking a lot like he did at dusk two days earlier at Augusta National. "I said Sunday night that it was going to be hard to wipe away the smile and take away the jacket," said a beaming Mickelson, clad in green again Tuesday at La Jolla Country Club. "They tried to pry it away when I left, but I'd have none of it. So here it is," added...

The gorilla off Mickelson's back, a Bernhard Langer win forcing him perhaps to play as captain of the Ryder Cup team or perhaps a Tiger record tying charge?Who will it be today??

1 Chris DiMarco -6 1 Phil Mickelson -6 3 Paul Casey -4 4 Bernhard Langer -3 4 Ernie Els 1:40 -3

1 Justin Rose -6 2 Jose Maria Olazabal-4 2 Alex Cejka -4 4 K.J. Choi -3 4 Phil Mickelson -3 6 Charles Howell III -2 6 Ernie Els -2 6 Davis Love III -2 6 Chris DiMarco -2 6 Fred Couples -2 14 Tiger Woods E

A year ago, the focus of attention at the Masters was Martha Burk's crusade against the Augusta National golf club's men-only policy. This year, America's attention will be back where it belongs, with all eyes focused on the leader board. Controversy is more likely to swirl around an ill-chosen club on the holes known as "Amen Corner" than on any policy issue. It's tempting to forget the fight and return to appreciating the quiet dignity of the game. But Burk's crusade deserves closer scrutiny. She is reportedly now focusing her energies on a book about how Augusta National's "discrimination" exemplifies...

CARLSBAD, Calif. - Martha Burk regrets that she did not allow herself to get arrested by picketing outside the gates of Augusta National last year, but said Saturday there is no point returning to protest the club's all-male membership in April. "Our plans are basically pretty set - we're not going to do it," said Burk, head of the National Council of Women's Organziations. "There's no point repeating last year if we're going to be stuck in a hole." Burk had threatened a demonstration on Saturday of the 2003 Masters, but a local ordinance denied her access to the intersection...

CARLSBAD, Calif. (AP) - Martha Burk regrets that she did not allow herself to get arrested by picketing outside the gates of Augusta National last year, but said Saturday there is no point returning to protest the club's all-male membership in April. "Our plans are basically pretty set - we're not going to do it," said Burk, head of the National Council of Women's Organziations. "There's no point repeating last year if we're going to be stuck in a hole." Burk had threatened a demonstration on Saturday of the 2003 Masters, but a local ordinance denied her access to the...

ESPN.com: Golf Friday, November 7, 2003 Burk: Law violates free speech rights Associated Press ATLANTA -- Martha Burk's lawyer told a panel of federal judges Friday that an Augusta law used to govern protests at The Masters violates free speech rights. The city ordinance allows authorities to randomly decide which public speech they will permit, lawyer Sarah Shalf told three members of the U.S. Court of Appeals. Burk, chair of the National Council of Women's Organizations, was in court and said a favorable ruling could make it "somewhat more likely" her group would protest at next year's tournament. Burk's group...

Masters to go commercial-free again in 2004 by DOUG FERGUSON, Associated Press JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) -- Augusta National chairman Hootie Johnson thought the commercial-free broadcast of the Masters in the United States turned out so well he plans to do it again. Johnson, who dropped his television sponsors last year to keep them out of the controversy over the club's all-male membership, said Tuesday the 2004 Masters again would have no sponsors or commercial interruptions. ``There were many aspects of last year's broadcast that were favorable,'' Johnson said in a statement. ``The response from our TV viewers about the ability...

<p>Jeff Sluman tees it up low, muttering that he's not really warmed up, then uncorks a soaring arc that seems to accelerate into overdrive, then drops gently onto the green up ahead.</p> <p>And why wouldn't he? He was 15th on the PGA Tour's money list in 2002, thanks in large part to the fact that he's deadly with short irons: He led the Tour in Par-Three Performance (with an average score of 2.94 per hole). Ranked No. 42 on the money list so far this year, he's one of the elite pros whom millions of lesser golfers regard with wonderment and awe.</p>