Obama’s Nobel Prize; Deserved
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A post by "KG Da Juiceman" To see more posts click here |
Earlier today President Obama accepted the Nobel Peace Prize. His speech included answering questions regarding the troop deployment to Afghanistan and relations with somewhat hostile countries. As usual his speech was spot on and nearly flawless. Unfortunately, Americans who should be proud that their president won the prize, are being ignorant and judgmental.
“He doesn’t deserve it. He’s no Mother Teresa or Ghandi” – Ignorant American
I’m so sick and tired of hearing that. The average person can name three maybe four Nobel Peace Prize winners. Teresa, Ghandi, King Jr. and Mandela. These individuals were indeed great and deserve every bit of recognition they get for their efforts. However, they are exceptions. They are the extraordinary few who have achieved peace and committed themselves to the service of others for almost a lifetime. How come no one reels off names of the other 93 winners.
Why didn’t anyone complain about Gore winning the prize in 2007. How did his “Inconvenient Truth” promote peace and understanding? Do you even know who Oscar Arias Sanchez or Geroges Pire are? My guess is that most people will answer “no.” Yet, as usual, everyone becomes an instant expert in the matter and feels they can attack Obama.
“The person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses” – Alfred Nobel
Those are the words out of the horses mouth as said in Alfred Nobels last will and testament. I personally believe that Obama personifies such an ideal. How about our improving relations with China and securing strong ties with India. Even more astonishing, we have now opened communications with NORTH KOREA… NORTH KOREA. We are being diplomatic with Iran and Pakistan is actually working with us to root out the Taliban. Obama is actually working to clean up the United States’ ties with the rest of the world. I’m proud to be an American and I know that we are an awesome nation. But, I still don’t want any other people in any other places in the world to hate us. I believe as we climb our soap boxes and put ourselves on our red, white, and blue pedestals that we as a nation tend to forget that the aim is to have the world as one united place. Not several hundred separate entities.
I’m not saying everyone should drop their party affiliations and come sing around a campfire. Just give a little credit where credit is due. If you don’t wanna give credit at least practice a lesson we all learned from Bambi:
“If you can’t say something nice, don’t say nothin’ at all. ”
— Thumper
…udothedishes
Juice
And uttering that Obama is the first WarTime president to win the award as evidence that he doesn’t deserve it is problematic. First off, I don’t care about the Nobel Prize but regardless of whether he voted for the war or not as a Senator, as president he inherited the wars. Now after evaluating our standing there he’s taken onus and is removing troops from one front and increasing them in another, but ultimately it’s for peace. I think war can lead to peace.
The speech was interesting and, in my opinion, was a strong display of intellectual muscle. The basic premise was very much the same as “Freedom isn’t free”, but he wisely conveyed that by talking about the inherent philosophical relationship between war and peace. I don’t know if he wrote that speech or not, but kudos to whoever the author of that speech was. It was def an apt speech for a wartime president accepting a peace prize.
I heard PLENTY of people complain about Gore’s win
The Nobel Peace Prize has turned into a left wing agenda based award for liberals around the globe. Obama captured the attention of the world last year therefore he deserves an induction into the clique. It’s embarrassing that people are winning what I guess is a prestigious award for their intentions and not their results. I would think that especially with Climategate coming out the fact that Gore won the award with “An Inconvenient Stretching of Science” just shows how much of a left wing award it is.
I do think that Obama has the ability and is set up to take actions that would most definitely qualify him for such a prestigious award in the next few years. But its way too early to give him anything this quickly. It seems like since all has been quiet on the Israeli/ Palestine front for the past three or four years the committee doesn’t really have anyone else to give the award too.
Your first and second thoughts seem to conflict. First you belittle the prize, then you call it a prestigious award. I believe you are on to something though. Maybe the award just is not as awe inspiring and special as it once was. If that is the current state of Nobel’s prize, then there certainly should not be any argument that Obama doesn’t deserve the award.
No peace w/o war. I haven’t always agreed with the way that Obama relates to other countries, like the ones you speak of, but I am very impressed by the military strategy/political strategy of the Afghan war. It’s interesting the troop increase with a 2011 timetable for making “steep gains” in the Afghan strategy. Of course, by 2012, there will be another presidential election! Anyway, I do think Obama has done things to re-establish us in the international community, but I also know that some of the people we are trying to “win over” would just as rather see America fail than to see it prosper. What gives?
I guess I should have made my thoughts more clear. I do think the award is very prestigious. Look at the people who have won it in the past MLK, Teddy Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Kissinger, in addition to folks you already mentioned. But lately it seems like whoever is in favor with the liberals in Europe wins the award. I think it damages its credibility. It is still a great honor to be mentioned with some of the greatest people the world has ever known. I just think that the committee could have done the President and the past awardees justice by at least allowing him a few years in office before they gave him an award he most likely would have won anyway.
If anyone should be mad about the award, it should be Obama. If I were him i’d be like C’Mon Son…Why the ehf you trying to put me on the spot. C’Mon Son. That ish is weak son. I’m trying to be all sly and save this nation and you’re gunna blow up my spot? C’Mon Son. Get tha Ehf. outta here with that ish son. C’mon son.
Am i right or what Samir?
c’mon son, you know the right doesnt like the nobel committee so how u gonna add fuel to the fire son given the crazy political climate in America son…how you gonna put ya boy out there on an island like that son…besides we all know that if the peace prize was descredited at all, it was discredited a long time ago son…when Kissinger was awarded the prize, he was awarded for hammering out a ceasefire during Vietnam and orchestrating the US withdrawal, sounds good right son? Bust this shit out tho, the withdrawal ironically led to the fall of Saigon not 2 years after him receiving the award, not only giving prominence to Ho Chi Minh, but inspiring genocidal commie terrorist organizations like the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia…how you just gonna let the Viet Cong take over S. Vietnam after 350,000 American military casualties son? That’s what they given the prize out to now son? Not finishing the job son? You think I’m gonna let Afghanistan turn into Vietnam and give prominence to bin Laden son? With Al Qaeda and ‘em poppin off on Al Jazeera n sh**? Get the f*** outta here with that, son.
Well said son
Wow. Are you actually trying to compare the accomplishments of Obama to Henry Kissenger? What has Obama done besides speak? Kissenger won the prize because of his achievements as Secretary of State. In fact he is one of the most well respected foreign policy experts in the world. Sure the main reason he won was his help in negotiating the end of the Vietnam War. The events you are talking about happened after he was already awarded. That wasn’t the only reason he was considered though. How bout his role in easing of tensions of the Cold War. Some thing that deserves credit considering how close we were to Total War under JFK. Not to mention being apart of the first American relations with China. Now the real embarrassment of the award is Jimmy Carter. If it wasn’t for his botched handling of Iran we wouldn’t have this problem of Radical Islam that we currently have. If somebody from the past doesn’t deserve the award its him.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran–Contra_affair
Q.E.D.
I am referring to this
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran_hostage_crisis
I disagree that peace can be achieved through war. The danger here is not that Obama won a prize but the subconscious connections that are made when hearing “peace” associated in any way with a culture and country that is enveloped in war. Remember the build up to Iraq, all the talk about freedom and peace as justification for invasion? “We are going to free Iraq by invading them because America is a peaceful nation”. Listen to GW’s speeches from 2001-present, how he speaks about war, occupation, violence. Now listen to how Obama’s handlers write his speeches on the ongoing wars. Almost identical in that peace seems to be the end justification for our actions or lack of actions. Obama winning the “peace prize”, and to be clear it is irrelevant whether or not he inherited the wars, is also dangerous because the prize is another step toward pacifying the movement toward real change happening on the left and right since the invasion of Afghanistan. The man himself may be peaceful but what he, us, America represents to some people, mainly the people who we currently OCCUPY, is anything but. The Real movement for change has lost its momentum because some Americans are satisfied with war packaged with Obama. It’s still war and people are still getting their lives completely FUCKED by our countries actions. Excuse my lack of eloquent vocabulary.
My friend who fought in Iraq under Bush was sent to Afghanistan under Obama last winter and now has to stay an extra year b/c of the surge. Peace Prize people. Peace. What does it really mean? It may be hard to define because by and large we were not educated on peace in school. History classes were centered around the wars we have fought as a nation. We are forced to memorize dates of wars, names of generals and battles. But outside of Gandhi and King’s actions, when did they teach us about living a peace oriented life? I don’t remember honestly and wouldn’t have received this education had I not sought it in college. Even if we use my two examples as a base point for peace Obama’s ethos still fails. King wanted out of Vietnam and Gandhi would have turned a check when attacked. Am I wrong?
In closing Obama does not deserve the peace prize, the only prize he deserves is some kind of trophy because he is putting on a really great show..