Contact: Carol Taber, President, FamilySecurityMatters.org, 201-788-7780, cataber1@aol.com
 
NEW YORK, Jan. 13 /Standard Newswire/ -- As we enter this new era of hope and change, FamilySecurityMatters.org offers the 2009 Hope and Change Awards, celebrating the best from politicians and other public figures whose dedication to their version of hope and change in 2008 went above and beyond the call of duty - and sometimes taste.
 
Awards season has arrived and Americans are being treated to the likes of the People's Choice Awards, Golden Globes, Academy Awards, the Grammy Awards and many more, celebrating the best that 2008 had to offer the American public in the world of entertainment. In keeping with this fine tradition, the Hope and Change Awards will distinguish their recipients' best efforts. All that's missing is the red carpet and Joan Rivers - but who knows what next year will bring?
 
For the first time ever, FamilySecurityMatters.org will offer a number of award categories falling under the 'Hope and Change' umbrella, much as the Academy Awards do. The awards were created to recognize the recipients' tireless efforts to make our country a better place for Americans, and to provide inspirational role models for our youth. 
 
In announcing the winners, FamilySecurityMatters.org President, Carol Taber, said, "Because America has become a culture driven by unexceptional mass media and a pernicious popular culture - rather than by the brilliance of the founding principles enshrined in our Constitution - it is more important than ever that the personalities who dominate the media are recognized for their profound influence on the next generation of Americans, heaven spare them." 
 
FamilySecurityMatters.org Editor, Pam Meister, said, "2009 is supposed to herald a new era of 'hope and change' much ballyhooed by the media. Yet theoretically, every election cycle represents change and the American people simply receive more of the same. The Hope and Change Awards serve to highlight - in a tongue-in-cheek manner - the mediocrity that often accompanies public service and the national discourse. Until the American people actively begin demanding more from those who purport to serve them, we anticipate that the Hope and Change Awards will enjoy a long and prosperous existence."
 
There are a number of prestigious awards, including those listed below (click here to find out why each winner prevailed!):

1. GRUBBIEST FINGERS AWARD - Rep Joe Knollenberg (R-Mich)
    
2. SYCOPHANTIC FOREIGN ACTOR AWARD - Simon Baker, star of television's "The Mentalist."
    
3. LEAST AMOUNT OF MORAL AUTHORITY AWARD - Sen Chris Dodd (D-Conn)
    
4. BIGGEST BACKSTABBER AWARD - Sen John McCain (R-Ariz)
    
5. MIDDLE FINGER AWARD - Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D-Ill)
    
6. THE UH, RIGHT AWARD - Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Cal.)
    
7. "JUST LIKE YOU" AWARD - Oprah Winfrey, Talk Show Host, media magnate
    
8. "SHADES OF EVITA" AWARD - Caroline Kennedy, American Princess

The awards are bestowed by FamilySecurityMatters.org, a website that focuses on issues affecting the safety and security of America's families.