[flaglady47]

“The troops didn’t know, and neither did we. But the scheduler and the Academy directors KNEW which documentaries were nominated and which ones won. They KNEW it, and that was precisely why they chose that category to have the troop introduce. It was absolutely intentional.”

Not true. The ballots are guarded and no one knows, including the Academy officials, until the envelopes are opened, who has won what. Price Waterhouse guards those ballots. It sounds like you want this to fit into your preconceived viewpoint regardless of what the truth of the matter is. And our armed forces didn’t have to allow those troops to announce the results of that particular category, as they knew what the nominations were, just like everyone else did. What none of them knew is which film would win.

[enough_idiocy]

It doesn’t matter who won, it matters who was nominated. You have no basis for stating that the Military knew who was nominated, who they would be announcing, and that even if they knew the names of the nominated films they knew what those films were about.

[LilAngel]

I’m not surprised at Hollywood’s abuse of our troops. I’ve come to expect it. I’m not even surprised at the FReepers who take Hollywood’s side. I’ve come to expect that from certain cuckoos.

[TexasGreg]

Not true. The ballots are guarded and no one knows, including the Academy officials, until the envelopes are opened, who has won what.

Somebody knew ... the results had to be tabulated and printed and the envelopes stuffed. However ... even if they didn't know the results, the Academy schedulers absolutely knew what the nominations were in the category that FOLLOWED the soldiers' presentation, and they specifically selected that category so as to reflect poorly on the US armed forces.

True, the DoD didn't have to allow our troops to do this. My guess would be that the US military didn't know the nature of the nominations in the category that followed the one that the troops were asked to announce. That the category which followed was caustic to the US armed forces is the point that is most damning (to the Academy). Why didn't the Academy have our troops do a technical category or some other field that wouldn't, in any way, be connected to (leading or following or in the same category as) one with films that are caustic to the US armed forces?? That is my principle question. What the Academy did was deliberately designed to embarrass the troops.

It sounds like you want this to fit into your preconceived viewpoint regardless of what the truth of the matter is.

I do not believe it is a stretch to say that the Academy has a disappointing lack of respect for the integrity of the US armed forces. This is why they scheduled our troops to present RIGHT BEFORE a collection of films that are caustic to the US military. Would you still be in denial if it happened to be those specific films that our troops were asked to present? The military would have said "no" if such had been tried. So, the Academy selected a nominations set that looked innocuous enough, but which immediately preceded a group that would reflect poorly upon our armed forces. That was done ON PURPOSE, and to say otherwise is to underestimate the self-severing political agenda of the members of the Academy who program the show.