Obama wins Nobel Peace Prize

[Handprints]

Consider this a not very subtle hint from non-America. And congratulations to the Obamas and their supporters.

 

[ishtat]

Why??

Still the Norwegians gave it to Yasser Arafat once.

 

[dr_mabeuse]

I heard the news this morning and immediately broke out in a huge grin.

It feels good to have the nation admired for something again.

 

[Liar]

Yeah I just read that. And went "...really?"

I mean I like the guy, and provided he does his job well, he might deserve it in another 3 years. But what has he had time to actually do, so far? Make some speeches?

I've got to read the motivation. The Peace Price has always been openly political. But if he gets it merely for being preceded at the job by Bush, then that's just silly.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

LIAR is right.

Obama's been President less than 9 months. We're still at war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Nothing has materially changed.

 

[trysail]

It's so farcical that it defies belief.

God knows, it's an insult to Médecins Sans Frontières, Jody Williams, Muhammad Yunus, John Hume, David Trimble, Desmond Tutu, F.W. de Klerk, Anwar al-Sadat, Menachem Begin, Óscar Arias Sánchez, Norman Borlaug, Albert Schweitzer and a whole host of others.


2009 - Barack Obama
2008 - Martti Ahtisaari
2007 - Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Al Gore
2006 - Muhammad Yunus, Grameen Bank
2005 - International Atomic Energy Agency, Mohamed ElBaradei
2004 - Wangari Maathai
2003 - Shirin Ebadi
2002 - Jimmy Carter
2001 - United Nations, Kofi Annan
2000 - Kim Dae-jung
1999 - Médecins Sans Frontières
1998 - John Hume, David Trimble
1997 - International Campaign to Ban Landmines, Jody Williams
1996 - Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo, José Ramos-Horta
1995 - Joseph Rotblat, Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs
1994 - Yasser Arafat, Shimon Peres, Yitzhak Rabin
1993 - Nelson Mandela, F.W. de Klerk
1992 - Rigoberta Menchú Tum
1991 - Aung San Suu Kyi
1990 - Mikhail Gorbachev
1989 - The 14th Dalai Lama
1988 - United Nations Peacekeeping Forces
1987 - Oscar Arias Sánchez
1986 - Elie Wiesel
1985 - International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War
1984 - Desmond Tutu
1983 - Lech Walesa
1982 - Alva Myrdal, Alfonso García Robles
1981 - Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
1980 - Adolfo Pérez Esquivel
1979 - Mother Teresa
1978 - Anwar al-Sadat, Menachem Begin
1977 - Amnesty International
1976 - Betty Williams, Mairead Corrigan
1975 - Andrei Sakharov
1974 - Seán MacBride, Eisaku Sato
1973 - Henry Kissinger, Le Duc Tho
1972 - The prize money for 1972 was allocated to the Main Fund
1971 - Willy Brandt
1970 - Norman Borlaug
1969 - International Labour Organization
1968 - René Cassin
1967 - The prize money was with 1/3 allocated to the Main Fund and with 2/3 to the Special Fund of this prize section
1966 - The prize money was allocated to the Special Fund of this prize section
1965 - United Nations Children's Fund
1964 - Martin Luther King Jr.
1963 - International Committee of the Red Cross, League of Red Cross Societies
1962 - Linus Pauling
1961 - Dag Hammarskjöld
1960 - Albert Lutuli
1959 - Philip Noel-Baker
1958 - Georges Pire
1957 - Lester Bowles Pearson
1956 - The prize money was with 1/3 allocated to the Main Fund and with 2/3 to the Special Fund of this prize section
1955 - The prize money was allocated to the Special Fund of this prize section
1954 - Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
1953 - George C. Marshall
1952 - Albert Schweitzer
1951 - Léon Jouhaux
1950 - Ralph Bunche
1949 - Lord Boyd Orr
1948 - The prize money was with 1/3 allocated to the Main Fund and with 2/3 to the Special Fund of this prize section
1947 - Friends Service Council, American Friends Service Committee
1946 - Emily Greene Balch, John R. Mott
1945 - Cordell Hull
1944 - International Committee of the Red Cross
1943 - The prize money was with 1/3 allocated to the Main Fund and with 2/3 to the Special Fund of this prize section
1942 - The prize money was with 1/3 allocated to the Main Fund and with 2/3 to the Special Fund of this prize section
1941 - The prize money was with 1/3 allocated to the Main Fund and with 2/3 to the Special Fund of this prize section
1940 - The prize money was with 1/3 allocated to the Main Fund and with 2/3 to the Special Fund of this prize section
1939 - The prize money was with 1/3 allocated to the Main Fund and with 2/3 to the Special Fund of this prize section
1938 - Nansen International Office for Refugees
1937 - Robert Cecil
1936 - Carlos Saavedra Lamas
1935 - Carl von Ossietzky
1934 - Arthur Henderson
1933 - Sir Norman Angell
1932 - The prize money was allocated to the Special Fund of this prize section
1931 - Jane Addams, Nicholas Murray Butler
1930 - Nathan Söderblom
1929 - Frank B. Kellogg
1928 - The prize money was allocated to the Special Fund of this prize section
1927 - Ferdinand Buisson, Ludwig Quidde
1926 - Aristide Briand, Gustav Stresemann
1925 - Sir Austen Chamberlain, Charles G. Dawes
1924 - The prize money was allocated to the Special Fund of this prize section
1923 - The prize money was allocated to the Special Fund of this prize section
1922 - Fridtjof Nansen
1921 - Hjalmar Branting, Christian Lange
1920 - Léon Bourgeois
1919 - Woodrow Wilson
1918 - The prize money was allocated to the Special Fund of this prize section
1917 - International Committee of the Red Cross
1916 - The prize money was allocated to the Special Fund of this prize section
1915 - The prize money was allocated to the Special Fund of this prize section
1914 - The prize money was allocated to the Special Fund of this prize section
1913 - Henri La Fontaine
1912 - Elihu Root
1911 - Tobias Asser, Alfred Fried
1910 - Permanent International Peace Bureau
1909 - Auguste Beernaert, Paul Henri d'Estournelles de Constant
1908 - Klas Pontus Arnoldson, Fredrik Bajer
1907 - Ernesto Teodoro Moneta, Louis Renault
1906 - Theodore Roosevelt
1905 - Bertha von Suttner
1904 - Institute of International Law
1903 - Randal Cremer
1902 - Élie Ducommun, Albert Gobat
1901 - Henry Dunant, Frédéric Passy

 

[trysail]

I nominate Al Gore for a second Peace Prize for his contribution to the world's understanding of the astonishing power of junk science and the extent of human gullibility.

 

[Belegon]

I'm more than a little shocked, and I do feel that, much as I admire the man, it is a bit premature.

That said, I completely understand their intent. The most influential force in the world for peace or it's lack is clearly the United States. The policy of bullying that has existed over the last eight years profoundly affected the emotional and political climate of world relations.

In his first few weeks in office, Barack Obama did more to calm that climate and extended his hand more often in welcome and respect than most of the world had any right to expect.

Some of you still love the policies of Bush, who most often extended his hand when it was curled into a fist. And when it wasn't a fist, it was inappropriately touching fellow world leaders. You don't give a freaking neck massage to the representative of Germany at a world summit, you imbecile.


Again, do I feel this is premature. YES. I do.

But it also shows how much of an impact a change in direction can have. I was and remain amazed at how many people here, in a WRITER'S forum, consistently discounted the power of Obama's words and message. Of all the people that should understand the power of simple words, we should be at the forefront.

Obviously, the Nobel committee felt his words had an impact.

I also feel that this may be a message to Obama himself. "You said the right things at a time we really needed to hear them. Now, we are watching. Follow through."

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

We dont know what, if any, results will come from Obama's attitude. He may be the next Neville Chamberlain or Quisling. He may need to blow Iran to Hell next week.

BTW The Swedes nominated Hitler and Stalin for the Peace Prize, too.

 

[impressive]

I love this on so many levels.

 

[voluptuary_manque]

Definitely premature. I voted for him and I like him. He's been elected in one Hell of a time in US history but a Nobel Peace? Please. This is nothing but a Swedish "intellectual elite" conceit along the lines of lately giving the Lit Nobel to some obscure third world writer that only the committee has ever heard of.

 

[Belegon]

This is nothing but a Swedish "intellectual elite" conceit along the lines of lately giving the Lit Nobel to some obscure third world writer that only the committee has ever heard of.

Sorry Bear, but I need to slap you down for something here.

WHAT would be wrong with giving a prize to a writer that was obscure and from the third world? Popularity does not define excellence. I would find far more value in such a recipient than I would in giving it to Dan Brown, who is unarguably popular and someone we all have "heard of."

And by using the term "intellectual elite" is such a manner, you are following victim to the subtle trend to define both words as negative. And that is something we need to stop.

I'm very surprised to find that you, who celebrates craftsmanship in all fields, would encourage that fallacy.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

The problem with 3rd world dilettante's getting a LIT Prize is: The pool of dilettantes who qualify for consideration is small, to say the most, and uh...obscure.

 

[Liar]

Definitely premature. I voted for him and I like him. He's been elected in one Hell of a time in US history but a Nobel Peace? Please. This is nothing but a Swedish "intellectual elite" conceit along the lines of lately giving the Lit Nobel to some obscure third world writer that only the committee has ever heard of.

Just one tiny thing. The Peace Price is Norweigan.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

My local paper, the SPTIMES leads with OBAMA WINS NOBEL PEACE (sur)PRIZE.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091009/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_obama_nobel_analysis_1
THE AP WANTS TO KNOW, FOR WHAT? He was in office 2 weeks when he was nominated.

The award may be an effort to embarrass Obama with an undeserved accolade.

 

[cloudy]

Sorry Bear, but I need to slap you down for something here.

WHAT would be wrong with giving a prize to a writer that was obscure and from the third world? Popularity does not define excellence. I would find far more value in such a recipient than I would in giving it to Dan Brown, who is unarguably popular and someone we all have "heard of."

And by using the term "intellectual elite" is such a manner, you are following victim to the subtle trend to define both words as negative. And that is something we need to stop.

I'm very surprised to find that you, who celebrates craftsmanship in all fields, would encourage that fallacy.

Amen.

I'm proud to be one of the intellectual elite, and if someone doesn't like it, fuck 'em.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

http://www.reuters.com/article/GCA-...3AM20091009?virtualBrandChannel=11621&sp=true
AFFIRMATIVE ACTION? THE WORLD WANTS TO KNOW.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Amen.

I'm proud to be one of the intellectual elite, and if someone doesn't like it, fuck 'em.

A big frog in a small pond, huh?

 

[cloudy]

A big frog in a small pond, huh?

G'morning, Jim-Bob. How's it hangin'?

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

G'morning, Jim-Bob. How's it hangin'?

I have to use a cane now, but canes make good bludgeons.

 

[JamesSD]

I'm more than a little shocked, and I do feel that, much as I admire the man, it is a bit premature.

This is my exact feeling. Honestly, I read the headline and thought it was an Onion article. I realize unlike a lot of the other prizes Peace tries to be more current rather than recognizing work done 10-20 years prior, but yeah, kinda early.

 

[Austin8]

Man where did this come from? Perhaps his speech writer Jon Favreau should have gotten the award, all barry's done so far is talk... I didn't vote for him by the way, and don't admire him in anyway...
So now what? Higher expectations? Goood speeches...

 

[Jenny_Jackson]

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article6867711.ece

Comment: absurd decision on Obama makes a mockery of the Nobel peace prize

Just from the story line you can tell the London Times thinks this is stupid. You have to read the article yourself, but keep in mind - The Times believes Obama was sent from God to save our country and is therefore a higher form of life. How times have changed.

 

[Selena_Kitt]

I'm more than a little shocked, and I do feel that, much as I admire the man, it is a bit premature.

Yes.

But wow, what a classy acceptance.

Of course, he's good at giving speeches. *sigh*

 

[dr_mabeuse]

Man where did this come from? Perhaps his speech writer Jon Favreau should have gotten the award, all barry's done so far is talk... I didn't vote for him by the way, and don't admire him in anyway...
So now what? Higher expectations? Goood speeches...

How else does one make peace except by talking?