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Add to FavoritesHistorically the Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to those who motivate hope and inspire the faith it takes to achieve world peace, "some day," more than they do to those whose goals and dreams have actually been achieved. After all, world peace seems to be an impossible dream, right? Then again, it's also true that even we, "The People," of the United States have achieved what others believed to be impossible dreams. That's why I personally was not surprised when Barack Hussein Obama was awarded such a prize. In fact, Obama himself was an impossible dream when I consider the fact that when I was a child a black man had no right to vote, much less hope for the Civil rights act to be passed within my life time.
In spite of all that, Barack Hussein Obama actually motivated the majority of American's to vote for hope even though it would mean voting for a black man with an Arabic name. Of all the free human beings on earth, that fact was nothing short of amazing grace. Then again, stranger things have happened in and within the United States. That's why Martin Luther King received the Nobel Peace Prize long before his dream had any possibility of being achieved, so you see, perception is EVERYTHING.
Even so, since we still live in a free country and with free speech within a mix of diversity, if you happen to be an American who watches FOX news, you were most likely shocked if not enraged that the President of the United States, a black man with an Arabic name, was nominated in the first place, much less actually awarded with the Nobel Peace Prize. In fact, if you're an American who happens to look through a conservative view too, along with those who watches FOX news, I'm sure your first words of shocked disbelief were these:
"LIONS, TIGERS and BEARS, OH MY! Besides all that, OBAMA WON THE PEACE PRIZE."
Our democracy creates huge world issues, especially due to the fact that some Americans assumed that everyone agreed with their conservative views and FOX news too. That's why if you are one of those few, you probably sent out a message to all your friends asking them to sign a petition that says, "We the superior of the majority of Americans demand that our President give that peace prize back, and after that, we demand that he and his presidency be publically disgraced."
You might have asked, "What did HE do to deserve that?" In fact, you might have acted like a brat or a bad sport who gets mad and throws a fit when your enemy wins a prize of any kind, and in your effort to appear to be more superior than you really are, you more than likely condemned him and his prize, while at the same time, you disgraced the very thing that was meant to honor US, the American citizens living within the United States in the first place. Still, it's wise to keep in mind that apparently the rest of the world listens sometimes and/or refuses to watch FOX news. Like the Nobel Peace Prize committee, they are the souls who go to the source of the force which creates good news in order to find the truth.
Although I hate to be so sarcastic, and I'm not normally so cynical when it comes to the country I love, it simply bothers me to see how closed minded and divided we, the people of the United States can be. We disgrace the very things that made us, "one nation under God," in the first place. We condemn men who might be our God sent saving grace.
Still, the good news is that in spite of those who hold no hope and vote "no" to everything, the rest of the world and the Nobel Peace Prize committee disagrees with FOX news and those who choose to look through negative views. As loud as they scream and as visible as they may seem and in spite of the strife they create, what wins in the end is always hope and faith. In fact, it was hope and faith that led to the fact that a black man with an Arabic name became the President of the United States. Who knew?
It's also true that those who motivate hope and inspire faith are those who do the most to achieve the impossible dream of world peace. Besides, if you can motivate hope and faith within those of us who live in these divided United States, you can achieve ANYTHING. Beyond that fact, it's the hope and faith a black man with an Arabic name inspired the majority of Americans to achieve, who'd otherwise be too afraid to change, that inspired the Nobel Peace Prize committee to award Barack Hussein Obama with the peace prize. In other words, let's not dishonor or disgrace the very thing meant to honor the hope and faith that made our nation great in the first place.
Awarding the President of these divided United States the Nobel Peace Prize was the world's way to say, "Hey, we FINALLY found a reason to believe that some day the USA will motivate world peace." Even so, who knew that more than a few American's would actually choose to watch FOX news? The only thing I know to say is, "Shame on you, who choose to look through a negative view." Then again, if you want to know the truth, based on facts and not the misguided opinions of FOX news, here's a quote from the source of the force which awards those who motivate hope and inspire the faith it takes to actually achieve world peace.
* A quote from The Norwegian Nobel Committee announcement:
"The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided that the Nobel Peace Prize for 2009 is to be awarded to President Barack Obama for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples. The Committee has attached special importance to Obama's vision of and work for a world without nuclear weapons.
Obama has as President created a new climate in international politics. Multilateral diplomacy has regained a central position, with emphasis on the role that the United Nations and other international institutions can play. Dialogue and negotiations are preferred as instruments for resolving even the most difficult international conflicts. The vision of a world free from nuclear arms has powerfully stimulated disarmament and arms control negotiations. Thanks to Obama's initiative, the USA is now playing a more constructive role in meeting the great climatic challenges the world is confronting. Democracy and human rights are to be strengthened.
Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world's attention and given its people hope for a better future. His diplomacy is founded in the concept that those who are to lead the world must do so on the basis of values and attitudes that are shared by the majority of the world's population.
For 108 years, the Norwegian Nobel Committee has sought to stimulate precisely that international policy and those attitudes for which Obama is now the world's leading spokesman. The Committee endorses Obama's appeal that, "Now is the time for all of us to take our share of responsibility for a global response to global challenges Oslo, October 9, 2009
For the source of this information, here's the link:
http://nobelpeacepri ze.org/en_GB/home/an nounce-2009/
Learn more about this author, Vicki Phipps.
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No
Sadly another hallowed institution like the Nobel Prize has fallen by the wayside. Over the last twenty years everything around us has degenerated. The society, morality of the people, governments and of course human values - all have lost the high standards that were maintained.
One institution that had preserved and retained its standard was the Nobel Prize. But alas, it has finally managed to become a butt of jokes by awarding the peace prize to President Obama.
The Award committee has sought to justify its decision by saying that they are expecting great things from the American President. It is their hope that he will play a stellar role in defusing tensions between nations and bring greater and lasting peace on earth. If that was indeed the case, then what was the hurry? The current term of the President will last another four years and he could have been rewarded after his initiatives had borne fruit.
When the nominations were made in early 2009, there was hardly any visibility on what Obama's initiatives were going to be except for the 'noble' intentions that he professed during the campaign. It must be remembered that the office of the President faced criticism and opposition during the last eight years. Much of the problems that we face today has been aggravated by the actions of the previous office holder.
Naturally, the new directions professed by Obama caught the imagination of people from all over the world. People particularly from Europe saw the new President as a gospel who will herald peace over the earth. This probably explains why the Nobel Peace prize committee fell head over heels to give the award to Obama.
The decision was met with surprise which gave way to skepticism. More and more people are convinced that the decision was a political one. The objective was to send a political message on behalf of Europeans that Americans need to appreciate Europe's views rather than riding rough-shod over its dreams and aspirations. Recent political controversies over missile deployment, economic gloom, farm subsidies and other issues have created tremendous hard feelings amongst Europeans against American imperialism.
The award is seen more as a slap on President Bush's face than a reward for Obama. But in wading into the political quagmire, the Nobel committee has only let the hallowed institution to fall into disgrace.
At the end of the day, the Nobel committee has every right to decide who the winner should be. The members of the jury have no doubt debated on the contributions of all the nominations and at the end decided on the person whom they think fit. But if rules were to be followed as laid out in the will of Alfred Nobe,l then it should have been awarded to a person who has contributed in the past to the well being of man-kind and not on one who 'will' contribute.
In the process, the committee has staked its reputation should Obama be unsuccessful in his initiatives, then the members would only blacken their face in the long term bringing more ridicule onto themselves.
Learn more about this author, Ana - I'm Learning.
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