Obama wins the Nobel Peace prize???? What in the world is going on??? I am astounded at this announcement. My shock has nothing to do with the fact that I oppose him on many different levels, I actually like the guy (what we can see) as an individual, as a dad, and even his marriage has sparked my interest. Most of his political policies make me weak behind the knees though.
When did the Nobel committee start giving out the award to people with lofty intentions? My good intentions extend far beyond what Obama has purposed. I want every child in the world to have a home and family. I want there to be a line waiting to adopt every baby that is considered for abortion, for every child that is going to lose their parents to aids. I don't just want to set up orphanages in every poor section of Africa and Asia, but I want to plant schools as well, and not just for children. Every illiterate person in a household should have the opportunity to learn.
But my most lofty goal is that, not only is there unity in the middle east and between the Muslims nations, but my goal is for every Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Atheist, Satanist, to have an encounter with the living God.
What have I actually done to fulfill my intentions? Well, I started an adoption grant program in my church. I am adopting. The children, their father and I pray for the lost frequently. We ask the lord to supernaturally reveal himself to the Muslims during Ramadan. Where is my nomination, and the nomination of those who have actually DONE something. (I rant and jest in the above tirade,) What can Obama, or the Nobel Peace committee laud as an accomplishment for him yet. NOTHING!! Obama, right now, is just an international rock star. Maybe he is just a one hit wonder, maybe he will fall from grace, maybe he won't be able to do anything that he hopes to do. Was he awarded the most prestigious prize our world can offer because he makes them feel dizzy when he smiles at them?, or because of his commanding presence in front of teleprompters and cameras?
I don't blame him for this award, I blame the international community for getting stars in their eyes over his presence in the world. They of all people should be weighing, watching, evaluating his endeavors with a leery eye. They should be above public displays of affection. They should be above politically motivated brown nosing. Good grief! Give the man some space and time to prove himself. Character over charisma, please. When did we exchange merit for popularity? What am I going to tell my children now? Words speak louder than actions, so just speak louder dear children and you shall receive your reward.
4 comments:
My hubby actually called me to tell me the news but he started with:
"The end times are here."
Indeed, my sentiments EXACTLY with your post. Sheesh, even Oprah (my fav candidate to be the anti-Christ) has done more than Obama.
I totally agree!!! Things are just insane!
First let me say, I really wanted an underdog, like Greg Mortensen (who was also nominated) to win the Nobel Peace Prize. However, considering the Nobel Peace Prize Committee's philosophy for the last decade or so, it's really not that much of an outrage for Obama to win.
The Nobel Peace Prize Committee has been pretty up front in recent years that the award is not so much about a particular person's concrete accomplishments, but a way to "give momentum" to a set of causes said person is making strides to achieve. They did the same thing with Arafat (peace in middle east), Al Gore (climate change), Mikhail Gorbachev (opening relations in the Soviet Union, etc. They've made this award a way to bolster causes they believe to be vital to the international community. Now we can debate how good of a philosophy this is, but it's certainly not out of the ordinary for the Nobel Peace Prize committee to make such a choice.
On the other hand, there seems to be a lot of people shouting about how Obama has done NOTHING at all to deserve this, which isn't exactly true. While it is true he was nominated just 11 days into his presidency, they considered his 11 year career in elected offices, in which he has used his voice and political capital to defend “diplomacy, de-escalation initiatives to reduce nuclear arms, easing tensions with the Muslim world and stressing diplomacy and cooperation rather than unilateralism” as well as a figure in improving domestic and world health and education conditions (the areas he's being awarded in. Here are some examples:
Obama served on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, in which he made dozens of trips to eastern Europe, Africa and the Middle East, including Russia, Ukraine, Jordon, Israel, Palestine, Kuwait, Iraq, and Azerbaijan, working toward reducing biological weapons, conventional weapons, and weapons of mass destruction. He served as a voice of reconciliation between ethnic rivalries and corruption in Kenya. He also was a forceful figure in the fight against AIDS in Africa by heading up initiatives for HIV testing in countries hit the hardest, trying to reduce the stigma of the test by publicly taking an HIV test himself in several African nations.Obama also introduced the "Iraq War De-Escalation Act", a bill to cap troop levels in Iraq, begin phased redeployment, and remove all combat brigades from Iraq before. He sponsored 2008 Defense Authorization Act. He joined Chuck Hagel (R-NE) in introducing legislation to reduce risks of nuclear terrorism. A provision from the Obama-Hagel bill was ... Read Morepassed by Congress in December 2007 as an amendment to the State-Foreign Operations appropriations bill. He also introduced (or was a part of) the HOPE Act, which increased Pell Grants to $5100, **The Coburn-Obama Government Transparency Act of 2006, The Lugar-Obama Nuclear Non-proliferation and Conventional Weapons Threat Reduction Act, The 2007 Government Ethics Bill, The “Democratic Republic of the Congo Relief, Security, and Democracy Promotion Act, S116 - Summer Learning demonstration project, Obama's Global Poverty Act of 2007. He has written a total of 890 Bills and Co-sponsored another 1096 since he started serving in the U.S. Senate—many promoting the exact issues for which he is now being honored through the Peace Prize.
All that to say, probably not the most accomplished person, but definitely a force for the causes the Nobel Peace Prize Committee deems vital to international welfare. So, I'm not thrilled about it, but not outraged either.
Wow, did you copy this straight off the web? While I understand your point, I think it still speaks of the lack of merit in this award. Loads of politicians have done similar things. Angelina Jolie has done numerous humanitarian aid efforts, as well as the former Princess of Wales (Diana). Gore was at least the Vice President for 8 years and had a longer tract record in the public eye, where as Obama until 5 years ago was invisible. If he had received this award after his first term or somewhere near there, whether I liked him, agreed with him, or thought he deserved it, I would not begrudge him the honor. This feels premature and stale. It also reeks of fanfare and exploitation of a pop icon, rather than the prestigious award that it once was.
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