“President Barack Obama won the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for “his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples,” the Norwegian Nobel Committee said, citing his outreach to the Muslim world and attempts to curb nuclear proliferation.
The stunning choice made Obama the third sitting U.S. president to win the Nobel Peace Prize and shocked Nobel observers because Obama took office less than two weeks before the Feb. 1 nomination deadline. Obama’s name had been mentioned in speculation before the award but many Nobel watchers believed it was too early to award the president.”
My Comment:
Considering that Henry Kissinger has a Nobel prize, this is quite in tradition for the misnamed Nobel prize – a highly political award. Maybe some of the Swedish banks that got into trouble in Latvia are greatful for the Obama team’s globalization of QE (Quantitative Easing), after their lending spree in Latvia.
And nuclear disarmament? After two weeks in office?
Even the report displays skepticism:
“Rather than recognizing concrete achievement, the 2009 prize appeared intended to support initiatives that have yet to bear fruit: reducing the world stock of nuclear arms, easing American conflicts with Muslim nations and strengthening the U.S. role in combating climate change.”
In short, it’s an astute, if blatant, piece of public relations.
Some questions for the Nobel Laureate:
Question: Is the US Govt. going to lay down most of its nuclear weapons? Or is it going to make nominal reductions, while using that to prevent any other country gaining even a single weapon?
Question: Is the US Govt. going to reduce surveillance, quit bombing in South Asia, and threatening Iran?
Question: Is the US Govt. going to modulate its own life-style of excessive consumption (subsidized by US tax-payers and artificially cheap interest rates that effectively rob savers all over the globe) or is it going to be lecturing other countries on how to live frugally after a half century of reckless living?
(more later)
In other news, Nero wins chariot race despite dropping out before the finish.
What’s the US gonna do? After reading Gore Vidal’s latest interview, I see also that the US continent is a giant aircraft carrier, so whatever is good for the ship is what they will do. The awards make more sense that way, Obama has done well for a ship, not for people and places. He has secured peace for a ship. Now that I see the US as an aircraft carrier, all those other issues make more sense too, sneak and peak or no knock raids, eminent domain, confiscation before trial, DUI checkpoints and blood draws – all just functions on a ship of state where the true owners of all are the captains, admirals, generals and those who pay them off. The only problem is, there’s a hole in the boat and more and more people are noticing, an indication is a huge increase in book sales such as End The Fed and Ferfal’s Surviving Argentina. Ferfal wondered why his book was suddenly doing better, it could be word of mouth and it’s probably because more people are noticing the hole.
The good thing about this is that I haven’t yet spoken with one person (Obama fanatics included) who thinks the Nobel decision is at all fitting. As the last poster seemed to hint: people are thinking…
Well, it also completely destroys the credibility of the Nobel – never stellar to begin with.
This is the equivalent of giving a favorite student an award, before he begins a course, in the hopes of encouraging him. What about the rest? What about performance? What about standards?
It’s the corporatization of the intellectual classes.
Questions for the Nobel Laureate:
Answers:
“Let me be clear.”
That’ll be No, NO, and NO WAY.
We have reached new and improved levels of absurdity. Now they can forget the White House Beer Summit. Nobel Peace Prize means KEGGER!
Dear Lila,
I will step up to the plate and take your test. I do prefer multiple choice or true/false type test.
1- Question: Is the US Govt. going to lay down most of its nuclear weapons?
Answer: No
1a- Or is it going to make nominal reductions, while using that to prevent any other country gaining even a single weapon?
Answer: Yes – this is not contradictory, it is a mysterious truth and position that can be held in today’s political arena.
2- Question: Is the US Govt. going to reduce surveillance,
Answer: No, It is big business and profitable and necessary to contain the increasing courage of the masses. “Pick the citizen, I will find the crime.” somebody surely said this.
2a – quit bombing in South Asia, and
Answer: No, Pride and the Military Industrial Complex must continue to promote fear and a weird kind of patriotism to unite the US.
2b -threatening Iran?
Answer: No. Iran is a modern, educated society with a long history. We must not allow any other country to have any degree of “prosperity and pursuit of happiness.” Also, our best friend Israel wants to finish of the last modern state in the Middle East. Since Lebanon and Iraq are done. Will Iraq be rebuilt in 100 years or 1000?
3- Question: Is the US Govt. going to modulate its own life-style of excessive consumption (subsidized by US tax-payers and artificially cheap interest rates that effectively rob savers all over the globe)…
Answer: No – that would require the government promote something useful for the citizens. US policy is to promote political correctness, multiculturalism, porn, affirmative action, incompetence and a welfare state.
3a- or is it going to be lecturing other countries on how to live frugally after a half century of reckless living?
Answer: For whatever reason (perhaps the Christian Great Commission), the US has a strong urge and tendency to meddle in the affairs not only of her own people but the rest of the world. The US really does not believe that the rest of the world has any good qualities, ideas, or anything. And as most big bullies, she will continue on this course into the foreseeable future since her military might is so great AND the world really does depend greatly on the US for economics, finance and technology.
Did I pass the test?
Sherwood Smith
I Won A Nobel Peace Prize:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8PPoK4bwyQ
Keith –
Is the Nobel any different from most of the awards being handed out today, ever since the universities started suckling at the bosom of the state (I was actually going to express myself less genteelly, but showing admirable restraint, reworded that).
Andrew –
On what meat doth this our Caesar feed that he hath grown so great….
And on what kool-aid doth this our population sip that it has grown so blind….
Sean – the lack of connection to reality is as monumental as Nero’s. But just for that reason, might be as self destructive
Clark – that’s a great metaphor and way of looking at it. But a ship is tethered in water.
This is more like a space-ship, floating uneasily close to the black hole of endless financial debt
The black hole is bigger than any hole in the side of a mere boat..
Sherwood, top of the class.
Magna Cum Laude – I’ll be taking up some of your points in another post
Dennis – thanks for the link!
Eduardo Galeano
Why does the world reward its ransackers?
http://www.counterpunch.org/galeano08132009.html
I, personally, do not take that damn award seriously any more. Both for literature and peace. It has become tool of the world’s ruling political elite, in more than one occasion, to show contempt for certain regime/nation (like in case Rushdie/Iran case).
Always, hilarious Dmitri Orlov has own angle of view. It is worth to read it.
http://cluborlov.blogspot.com/2009/10/obama-wins-gorbachevs-peace-prize.html