War is Peace Prize
Robin | October 9, 2009After reading the New York Times article this morning, I quickly read the first few pages of comments to see if anyone else was as confused/outraged as I was. Here are my favorites:
As a liberal, I’m getting dismayed at the Nobel Committee. Henry Kissinger a war criminal, responsible for the deaths of umpteen number of cambodians and vietnamese got the nobel peace prize. While not quite on the same scale, Obama is hemming and hawing while Iraqis and Afghans die needlessly by US troop presence. Even more, his hesitance at holding accountable those who engaged in torture at Gitmo or other secret camps makes this award dubious and questionable.
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Looks like I accidentally opened The Onion instead of the New York Times this morning.
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It is indeed a shock that Obama, barely months into office, would win the award. Ironically it comes one day after it was officially acknowledged that he is considering sending more than 40,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan — bringing the U.S. total to more than 100,000.
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For the continuation of the war in Iraq, for the contemplated expansion of the war in Afghanistan, for the continued detention of the prisoners in Guantanamo, for the continued policy of extraordinary rendition, for the refusal to reinstate the deposed president of Honduras, for the threats against Iran for having nuclear reactors while secretly agreeing to remain silent about Israel’s long-established nuclear bomb program:
We award you, Barack Obama, with the Orwell Peace Prize.
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And today’s guests on Democracy Now! had this to say:
I think it’s quite insulting. I don’t know what kind of political game they’re playing, but I don’t think that the committee has ever been as political as this or as delusional as this, frankly. -Naomi Klein
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They tend to take rhetoric very seriously. And though they deny it, we know that in 1938 they couldn’t decide whether to give the prize to Hitler or to Gandhi. And finally, they gave it to the Nansen International Office of Refugees, which was a much better choice.
It would be worth their while thinking that perhaps they should have a self-denying ordinance. They shouldn’t give the prize to serving heads of state. People still in power, people making war. -Author Tariq Ali
Also, Cindy Sheehan raised some important points today in her essay.
Not only has Obama failed to follow through with any of his campaign promises, as the recent SNL skit points out, but he’s also done the exact opposite of what he said he would do on several crucial issues:
President Obama, Why Did You Pay Blackwater $70 Million in February?
Despite Obama’s Vow, Combat Brigades Will Stay in Iraq
Obama Administration Declares Proposed IP Treaty a ‘National Security’ Secret
