Why Such "Surprise and Confusion" Over President Obama's Nobel Peace Prize Award?

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» left by Ben Morrish ^(7,945)
Ben Morrish (38 days 19 hours ago.)

Great article Sandra!

 

I have to admit I was surprised by Obama winning it, not because I don't value the seeds of peace he has already planted but because those seeds have, for the most part, not yet had time to come to fruition.

 

However, his eagerness to bring important issues, however difficult, into the international spotlight, and his success in opening up international dialogue where before there was only mistrust, has given us something we didn't have before - hope that leaders across the world will work together and face these problems head on, rather than playing the politician and seeking to evade them.

 

In less than a dozen short months he has changed the climate of international politics and co-operation for the better. The hope that we can resolve the issues that challenge us and work towards peace has not been so strong in a long time.

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» left by Sandra E. Graham ^(8,858)
Sandra E. Graham (38 days 18 hours ago.)

Thank you, Ben. Things take time; everyone should know that. And yes, he has done a lot in a short time.

 

Sandra

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» left by Camille Strate ^(1,332)
Camille Strate (38 days 5 hours ago.)

Well done, Sandra. I, for one, am thrilled that our President was awarded this awesome designation. Those who speak out against this seem to be quite short-sighted...on so many levels. No matter. The prize was awarded to someone I happen to believe has and will continue to make great strides toward peace on this planet. He is most certainly in MY prayers!

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» left by Sandra E. Graham ^(8,858)
Sandra E. Graham (37 days 20 hours ago.)

Thank you, Camille. My sentiments exactly.

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» left by Marty RicKard ^(2,688)
Marty RicKard (38 days 4 hours ago.)

Dear Sandra: I appreciate your thoughts. The problem with your logic is that this selection was made in February, long before President Obama began his campaign against nuclear arms, his fight to ease the conflict between Muslims and Christians and his calls for peace and cooperation. We must face facts: this once-great prize has become political flatulence which smells like the failing agenda of the Liberal jury. Carter, Gore and Obama prove that. I only hope Obama becomes worthy of it. And I hope the award at some point is restored to a reward for accomplishment. God bless you, Marty RicKard

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» left by Ex-Conservative (38 days 4 hours ago.)

President Obama was nominated in February, along with 204 others. The actual selection occurred much later.  (and by the way, the total 205 nominations was a record-breaking number.)

Sounds like you've been getting your news from talk radio or Faux News, Mr. RicKard.

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» left by Sandra E. Graham ^(8,858)
Sandra E. Graham (37 days 20 hours ago.)

This was my understanding as well. I knew that he had been nominated along with many others. Thank you for reading and commenting.

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» left by Ex-Conservative (38 days 4 hours ago.)

Great article, Ms. Graham. It's a welcome respite from the venomous and jealous speech from the extremist Right.

 

I think it is completely arrogant of such Americans to be so opinionated about this. This is not an American prize, it is a World-wide prize. Despite our incredible selfishness and narrow-mindedness, it's not always all about us!

 

Most of the rest of the World sees the mere election of Barack Obama as an incredible step in the direction of peace. Though I do understand that Conservatives think it is an outrage and un-patriotic to respect the opinions of the rest of the World.

The World in a sense is getting smaller, and it is more important than ever for we Americans to understand other cultures in other countries around the World.  What are we, just 5% of the Worlds population?  Most Americans believe we are more like 95%.

To the detractors of this prestigious award: Get a grip.  You are not only in the minority in America, you are in the tiny minority in the rest of the World.

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» left by Sandra E. Graham ^(8,858)
Sandra E. Graham (37 days 20 hours ago.)

Thank you so much for reading and commenting. And have a great day.

 

Sandra

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» left by Michael Ramzy ⁽⁶⁶⁷⁾
Michael Ramzy (37 days 22 hours ago.)

Congratulations is in order. Sure, some argue he hasn't done enough, and yet pretty much the same people say he's done too much. I think people are shocked because although he really hasn't achieved much of substance, he is making an effort. And with the Nobel, effort is everything. Let's not forget many of the people in the past who have won without much achievement yet were working on something groundbreaking (the past winners of the Physics prize, for example, and of course Mr. Gore - who won not because of his movie or book but because of his ongoing work with the environment).

Regardless, I congratulate Mr. Obama and the United States of America.

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» left by Sandra E. Graham ^(8,858)
Sandra E. Graham (37 days 20 hours ago.)

Thank you so much, Michael. I think the Nobel Peace Prize is still and probably always will be just that---a noble award for those who have worked toward a better future for everyone.

 

Sandra

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» left by Linda DeWitt from Ca. (37 days 19 hours ago.)

It will be interesting to see what the future brings. Hopefully it will be peace. Thank you for writing this article.

 

Linda D

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» left by Sandra E. Graham ^(8,858)
Sandra E. Graham (37 days 3 hours ago.)

Thank you, Linda. World peace is something I pray for everyday, but I realize, too, that God will do what He will do in Hiis own time.

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» left by Mar Frank ⁽⁷¹⁾ (37 days 18 hours ago.)

Great article Sandra. Not sure what all the fuzz was about. We should all be proud that our president won it.

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» left by Sandra E. Graham ^(8,858)
Sandra E. Graham (37 days 3 hours ago.)

That's right. Thanks for reading and commenting, Mar. And welcome to Searchwarp.

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» left by Edward Rhymes ^(4,058)
Edward Rhymes (37 days 5 hours ago.)

Well done, well done Sandra! I was one of those individuals who wondered was it "too soon," but you eloquently stated the case of why it could be seen and understood otherwise. I like it when an article can challenge my perspectives and you have done just that. I leave this page with a better understanding than I had before and thank you for that. Blessings to you sister.

 

~Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding (Proverbs 4:7).

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» left by Sandra E. Graham ^(8,858)
Sandra E. Graham (37 days 3 hours ago.)

Very well put, Edward. I couldn't have picked a better verse, myself, to say what we are all trying to say. Thank you so much for reading and commenting.

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» left by Anonymous (36 days 18 hours ago.)

As the saying goes, the higher up you are - the more 'arrows in the back' you will get. Only time will tell, but let's give the President credit for trying to set the stage for the world and bring peace and order.

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» left by Sandra E. Graham ^(8,858)
Sandra E. Graham (36 days ago.)

Thank you for reading and commenting. Have a good day.

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» left by Anonymous (36 days 8 hours ago.)

Great article. Well done.

 

Does this not show to people you have a fantastic president? Many of our Prime Ministers are noble. But thats only because they were Sir, Lord, Duke or Earl. How many world leaders have done that have won nobel prizes. I'd say your lucky.

 

And I say good on Obama.

 

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» left by Sandra E. Graham ^(8,858)
Sandra E. Graham (36 days ago.)

Thank you. I agree. We should be proud as Americans that we have--and more than one---Nobel prize winner. Thanks for commenting.

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» left by Anonymous (36 days 8 hours ago.)

Thanks Sandra, I couldn't agree with you more.

 

Although, I have heard a lot of Nobel Prize winners interviewed after the fact, and they all seem to have at least the surprise part in common. Guess you can never fully prepare yourself for such an unexpected honor.

 

Good job, Mr. President!

 

- G

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» left by Sandra E. Graham ^(8,858)
Sandra E. Graham (36 days ago.)

Thank you for reading and commenting. And yes, I think our President is doing a very good job with what he has to work with.

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» left by Gregory Lewis ^(1,586)
Gregory Lewis (36 days 8 hours ago.)

And, I might add to that, the Nobel is a peace prize, for people who endeavor for the cause of peace. Again, great article, Sandra.

 

-G

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» left by Sandra E. Graham ^(8,858)
Sandra E. Graham (36 days ago.)

Thank you, Gregory. and have a great week.

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» left by Ronyae ^(4,469)
Ronyae (36 days 2 hours ago.)

"Thank you, Ms. Sandra! Thank you," she tries to type through glistened eyes. Though filled with emotions, thankful for the hope that once was the foundation of civilization, she presents her gratitude.

 

Your article is definitely one to grow on, Ms. Sandra. Thanks for sharing your views with us.

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» left by Sandra E. Graham ^(8,858)
Sandra E. Graham (36 days ago.)

And thank you, Ronyae. And may the peace in our World grow each day--as the plant in the meadow; some unseen and unsung but growing slowly ever upward.

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» left by Mogama ^(16,593)
Mogama (35 days 19 hours ago.)

Now, that was one passion-packed piece of literature, Susan. With my head lifted out of the sand of blindfolded partisan politics, I can admit that President Obama has already achieved much. For some of his devoted critics and opponents, though, no amount of achievement will ever suffice. Even if he were to achieve peace between Jews and Arabs before being awarded the Nobel, there would still be some contemptuously asking, "What has he done to deserve the Peace Prize?". ~mogama~

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» left by Sandra E. Graham ^(8,858)
Sandra E. Graham (33 days 21 hours ago.)

Very true, Mogama. You can't make most of the people happy all of the time or all of the people happy most of the time! Thanks for reading and commenting.

 

Sandra

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» left by Justin OBrien ⁽⁰⁾ (35 days 3 hours ago.)

I'm gonna say it's to soon, we'll see how he pans out, but idk...

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» left by Sandra E. Graham ^(8,858)
Sandra E. Graham (33 days 21 hours ago.)

Obama is putting in the effort--he may not have all the controls to make it pan out for the best. Thanks for reading and commenting, Justin.

 

Sandra

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» left by The Old Gray Mare ^(1,613)
The Old Gray Mare (34 days 13 hours ago.)

Well, I'm a fairly smart kid in school and I've been applauded by my teachers. I've made decent marks and think I will graduate in the upper half of my fellow students. I have great plans to succeed and want to accomplish a lot. People mostly wish me well. Should I be valedictorian on my aspirations? Better yet, should I be awarded the biggest scholarship the school receives that year for an outstanding student? Since when do we give awards before they are justified - what's the message here?

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» left by Sandra E. Graham ^(8,858)
Sandra E. Graham (33 days 21 hours ago.)

The message with the Nobel Peace prize, I think, is that there is one person who goes the extra mile to achieve goals that will benefit most if not the entire world. And yes, if your teachers and representatives think you have earned that scholarhship, you most certainly should receive it.

 

Thanks for reading and commenting, OGM. And Welcome to Searchwarp.

 

Sandra

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» left by Stephen Fischer ⁽¹³⁶⁾ (33 days 22 hours ago.)

Well, I for one, am not surprised. I stopped taking the Nobel Committee seriously a long time ago.

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» left by Sandra E. Graham ^(8,858)
Sandra E. Graham (33 days 20 hours ago.)

Thanks for reading and commenting, Stephen. Sorry you have lost faith in a great award.

 

Welcome to Searchwarp.

 

Sandra

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» left by kenny from fall river (32 days 23 hours ago.)

  This topic was asked recently here on SearchWarp, and here, for the most part, was my answer:

 

"He didn't deserve it. I love the guy, but this was not right. Now we give out awards (The Nobel no less) for talking about what our intentions and dreams are, rather than what we have done to carry them out.

 

Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and Michael Jordan were all great players, but none of them ever received the MVP award before the season began. You gain that award through hard work, dedication, and selflessness. Imagine giving one of these men the MVP in preseason because one of them said, "This year my goal is to average 50 points, 20 rebounds, and 15 assist a game."

 

How would any parent like it if their child was overlooked or denied an award their child deserved? What if their kid worked hard on an important project, but got beat out by another kid who had relayed some great ideas for the project, but hadn't yet done anything to deserve the award?

 

I looked up the definition of what the Nobel Peace Prize stands for, and here is what Webster's New Riverside Dictionary says, "An award made annually by the Nobel Foundation for distinguished "achievements" AND the "promotions" of peace."

 

Did anyone notice the word "promotions" came AFTER the word "achievements"? 

Yes, Obama has "promoted" peace, but who hasn't. There are 6 year old's who will stand before an auditorium of people and reply when asked, "What would you do if you were President?" And 75% of the time the child's answer will be, "I would "work" hard to make the world a more peaceful place."

 

The key to Webster's definition is the word, "achievement." Need I say any more?  Have we adults become such idiots, that when we define things we no longer have to live by those definitions?

Now I'm wondering if our children are blowing up schools, and we're locking up the school gates because they observe the ridiculousness of adults and think, "Why listen to adults when they give us something in writing to live by and believe in, but just when we begin to trust in them, they'll suddenly change gears and do whatever they want anyway."

Why are we adults defining things anymore if we are not going to live up to them?  The Nobel Foundation taught me that the word "achievement" is now of lesser importance than the word "promotion."  I guess now I will have to explain this "new exchange" to my grandson.

 

I am sure there was someone worthy and waiting to receive this great award through their hard work and dedication, but it wasn't Obama. Would it have killed the Nobel Foundation to wait a couple of years to see if Obama does achieve his goals? What was the hurry to give the award now? Isn't the Nobel given out annually or every two years?

 

Surely there are some underlying motives behind this decision they are not telling the public."

 

Kenny

 

__________________________________________________-

 

*** So as you can see, we are in disagreement here Sandra. I'd like to give my opinions on some things you covered about this topic, and the many which have absolutely nothing to do with it.

 

 

"President Obama's campaign against nuclear arms; his fight to ease the conflict between Muslims and Christians of all nations; and his calls for peace and cooperation in a world that seems intent on destroying itself shows him to be dedicated to his firm beliefs that it can and will be done!"

 

*** Yeah well, how many times have we heard the mantras of past Presidents like Bush, "We will find and capture O'bama Bin Laden, yet it still hasn't come to fruition. Why didn't Bush get an award for saying that, and if he had, right now he and the Nobel Foundation would be looking pretty foolish - no?  Isn't fighting terrorism a major move toward peace for the rest of us?

 

" He doesn't take all the credit for the direction, in which our great nation is gradually taking; but rather, shares it with the American people as a whole."

 

*** Why just share it with the American people? Since when is the ideal of peace exclusive to Americans only? Shouldn't he have said something like, "I hereby place this award upon my shoulders for the whole world to see because I want the world to know that I know we all share this dream together, and it is ours together."

 

*** I think "Ex-conservative" said it best in his/her post: "I think it is completely arrogant of such Americans to be so opinionated about this. This is not an American prize, it is a World-wide prize. Despite our incredible selfishness and narrow-mindedness, it's not always all about us!"

 

"Many have said this move to give the President a most coveted award is ‘too much, too soon,' and that talk is cheap.

 

*** Talk is cheap!  It's all about backing up one's words that matters.

 

"But I say that all great plans begin with words, ideas, innovation and motivation. President Obama is giving us all that and more."

 

*** Yes, but they are not a reason for a prestigious award - until those words and ideas are made effective through action.

 

"Whether or not we agree with all his views and ideas, we have to admit that he is and has made great strides in improving the views that the rest of the world have of the United States."

 

*** "Improving views" is no basis for winning awards. However, action IS, and his actions need to stand the test of time before we can award the man.

 

"He fulfilled his promise to give a speech at a major Islamic forum in his first 100 days in office."

 

***Fulfilling a promise to speak is part of his job.   It's like saying, "Today Tom the truck driver fulfilled his promise to load the truck" - when it's part of Tom's paid duty to do so.

 

" Emphasizing that the United States is not at war with Islam."…..that we will, and should, stand together to defeat the prophets of hate and violence."

 

*** Nothing new in that statement. We've been fighting "terrorism" for some time now.

 

"He has worked toward cleaning up the corrupt reputation of our previous governmental officials by requiring new hires to sign a form affirming that they were not hired due to political affiliation or contributions. President Obama has also banned lobbyist gifts to executive employees. He has curtailed the money-grubbing and abusive credit card rate hikes."

 

*** And none of these things have anything to do with the Nobel.  It appears as though Sandra you're trying too hard to make a case for Obama's award, and you are reaching for anything to justify it.

 

"At the beginning of President Obama's term, Americans as a whole felt that our economy was likened to a snowball on a downward spiral to complete economic collapse. Today I don't think so many still feels this to be the situation. Sure, there are still people out there looking for jobs; and there are jobs to be had. It may not be the job one would prefer, might not pay what one was accustomed to earning; but it is a job that would certainly fill a gap until the economy comes closer to a full recovery. President Obama has extended unemployment insurance benefits and temporarily suspended taxes on those benefits."

 

*** Again, none of this has anything to do with the Nobel "Peace" prize. If you take away all your smokescreen examples; "extended unemployment insurance benefits and temporarily suspended taxes on those benefits, cleaning up the corrupt reputation of our previous, banning lobbyist, etc.," your Nobel argument is baseless.

 

"To make a long story short, President Obama has had his victories and made his blunders in all phases of his short career and if you have kept up with the news, I'm sure you know what they are, so I won't list them out individually here and bore you with what you already know. Healthcare, Social Security Reform, Education, Economic Recovery, Environment, and foreign relations are among the more important issues facing our new, young leader."

 

*** Again, nothing here has anything to do with PEACE.

 

"Let us pray for him and for our country and have faith that we will, one day soon, come back stronger and better than before."

 

*** Suddenly this article turned into a chant of American pride, and all this time I thought we were on the topic of Obama's "Nobel Peace" award. Hey, what do I know?  I say go back Sandra and delete everything irrelevant to the award, and I bet your article and "Obama promotion" will look pretty skimpy.

 

» left by Sandra E. Graham (32 days 18 hours ago.)

WHat can I say, Kenny. I guess you've said it all. Have a good day.

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» left by Lawrence Jones ⁽²¹³⁾
Lawrence Jones (32 days 20 hours ago.)

Sandra,

 

All do respect to your person and your writing, job well done. I totally agree with everything you said. However, the reason people is shocked because he is an African-American. He has achieved what no white man has in such a short period of time.

 

I am on the outside looking in. I see President Obama challenged daily. All of it is  based on the color of his skin. You may agree or disagree, yet it remains that he has committed himself to excellence inspite of  who says what. 

 

He deserves everything he has achieved.  Because , it is amazes me when a white person does ordinary things and they are called genius. Yet when a black man or woman does or achieve the extraordinary it is  a flock.   

 

I will keep reading and you keep writing.

 

Sincerely,

Lawrence

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» left by kenny from fall river (32 days 20 hours ago.)

Hi Lawrence, Yes, I do agree the playing field is crooked, but we need to correct it, and level it out, and not compound unfairness with more unfairness.

 

I'm a white male who has no problem with the skin color of any achiever, but let's please let them achieve their agenda first before rewarding them.

 

Kenny

» left by Sandra Graham (32 days 18 hours ago.)

Thank you, Lawrence, and I'm regrettably think you may be right. Thanks for reading and commenting.

 

Sandra

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» left by Joyce Dunn ⁽¹⁶⁶⁾
Joyce Dunn (29 days 2 hours ago.)

Thanks for a very well written article. I couldn't agree with you more.

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» left by Sandra E. Graham ^(8,858)
Sandra E. Graham (29 days ago.)

Thank you, Joyce, for reading and commenting.

 

Welcome to SearchWarp. Looking forward to reading some of your contributions.

 

Sandra

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» left by Gregory Mulford ⁽⁰⁾ (8 days 17 hours ago.)

Hi Sandra. Yours is the first article that I have read on this site. I have to say that I respect your writing skills and your opinion (even if I don't share it exactly). You stated your position with passion and honesty which anyone can respect. Keep up the good work.

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