Obama
While I think it’s cool that Obama has won the Nobel Peace Prize, I wonder…for what?
His presidency just started. So far he hasn’t achieved much of what he has promised–troops are still in Iraq, we still have Guantanamo, we’re still in the worst economic state since the 1930′s, etc. In terms of race relations, he has not stepped up the plate when he could have. He has revealed racism by being who he is, but that’s more a function of who he is rather than what he’s done. I’m not saying that I expected anything within eight months–I’m still overall positive and hopeful–but I think the award comes way too early.
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I also wanted more rice than what could fit inside the wrap....
The dealine for nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize was Feb 1, 2009—12 days after President Obama took office.
In his acceptance speech President Obama said:
“…I know that throughout history the Nobel Peace Prize has not just been used to honor specific achievement; it’s also been used as a means to give momentum to a set of causes.”
So evidently, the Nobel Committee awarded the Nobel Peace Prize to Barak Obama before he even had wo weeks under his belt, simply based on the idea of giving momentum to a “set of causes.” This, of course is ridiculous. If the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded based simply on the causes that it’s members wish to promote, then it might as well just declare itself to be a political party.
I don’t care why he got it. It’s been PRICELESS to see the right wingnuts kvetch and piss and moan after having celebrated the US losing the 2016 Olympics, and claiming it was because the international community hates the US and doesn’t love Obama.
And now that same international community has given Obama it’s highest honor simply because they could. So it’s clear the US got passed over for the Olympics because of Bush, and not Obama.
And you oughta hear these conserva-turds. Now that it’s clear the denial of the Olympics was a slap in the face of Bush and the Noble prize was a sloppy blowjob for Obama. On the radio all day they’ve been whining, “They just love Obama because he hates the US. And will the Bush-hating never stop?”
Nope!
Hope they give it to Obama next year. That would REALLY make these morons go ballistic.
Neutral, I agree with you about the Olympic kvetching. Trying to make that about Obama is a ridiculous reach that only a 100% partisan would believe.
But, the Nobel Comittee is a committee of 5 persons, elected by the Nobel Institute. All 5 members are Norwegian.
http://nobelpeaceprize.org/en_GB/nomination_committee/members/
I don’t think that you can consider them to be the “same international community” as the International Olymic Committee, which is notably more diverse and has members hailing from many nations worlwide.
I agree that right-wing radio is completely predictable in it’s partisan attacks, but then, everbody knows that. Their basic job is to make money for themselves and their radio stations. However, the Nobel Committee, should be held to a higher standard than Rush Limbaugh, and that’s the issue.
If the Nobel Peace Prize is just a way to make right-wing morons go ballistic, then it should get it’s own talkshow on MSNBC — that’s why we care how Obama got it, it goes to credibility.
Took the words out of my mouth, with one amendment. According to the wiki:
“The Norwegian Parliament appoints the Norwegian Nobel Committee, which selects the laureate for the Peace Prize.”
Government approved prizes for government supporters. Past winners have had to have some element of big government in their policies or theories. So if anyone deserves it, it’s Obama.
Barack Obama winning the Nobel “Peace” Prize is like something out of George Orwell.
Obama is the commander-in-chief of the American Empire, with a war machine spends more on its “national defense” than most of the world *combined* and has over 700 US military bases deployed in a 100 plus nations around the planet.
As a result, the American war budget sucks up at least half of US federal spending in general. You could say that the US military-industrial complex is the ultimate “big government” program.
And I am sure that the relatives of the Afghani, Pakistani, Iraqi, or Somali citizens who have been murdered by the latest American military strikes in their countries see the hypocrisy of this award.
In fact, Obama had barely finished his Nobel prize acknowledgement speech when he met with his war council about how much to escalate the USA/NATO war against Afghanistan and Pakistan.
But this is the American way.
War is Peace.
Bizarro Peace Prize Awarded to Obama
http://news.antiwar.com/2009/10/09/bizarro-peace-prize-awarded-to-obama/
Warmonger Wins Peace Prize
http://www.counterpunch.org/roberts10092009.html
Obama Awarded the Nobel Prize for Making War Against Muslims
http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=34870
I’m on another listserve, and someone mentioned the idea of “aspirational” vs. “achievement” Nobel prizes.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/09/AR2009100902278.html
I guess Obama would fall under “aspirational,” but if they’re giving the award for aspirations, it most definitely has to be political. I think this is a mistake, and history shows that this can be a really big mistake–Yasser Arafat got the award, and look how he turned out.
“Aspirational?” So they give out awards based on what people say that they aspire to do? When do Universities start giving out “Aspirational degrees?” I’d like a PHD in bulshit.
This would also save lots of time. You could get your PhD without having to show up for that pesky thesis defense. Actually, without having to write that pesky thesis in the first place.