Whether or not you are a supporter of the President, I find it interesting to read this author's take that for a President currently in office to accept the award and prize money is unconstitutional.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/15/AR2009101502277.html?hpid=opinionsbox1
Really, the Nobel Peace Prize is like any award not based on numbers-- a subjective popularity contest. Can you honestly tell me that despite being nominated three times, Mahatma Gandhi didn't deserve to win the award? When I think of "Man of Peace", Gandhi always pops into my head. When you hear Mahtma, what do you think of? I think Water Maid. Can't help it. Does anybody else remember that ad campaign for rice besides me?
Tangent, sorry.
Well, at least Gandhi got a postage stamp & has his name on a bag of very popular rice. That rice thing is huge!
1 comment:
Back when I was a chemist we lab people discussed who should win the Nobel chemistry prize in the weeks prior to the award. Of course we always thought that it should be an organic chemist, because that's real chemistry. Some years we would agree with the award, and others we would not. Begrudgingly we could say, well, that person isn't an organic chemist, but did excellent work with physical chemistry. So while we had our preference and may not have agreed with the committee choice we also understood that it's a big world of chemistry out there and we all had a different perspective for the selection.
Same with the Peace prize. We in the US have a view of the world from one perspective. The 95% of the world's population that is not in the US may have a different view. Probably many other views. If Obama has done something that others in the world see as reducing the risk of nuclear war in the middle east, even in ten short months, that's worthy of the prize. Especially considering all that the US has done to fuel war in the middle east recently. And I think historically the Peace prize is awarded more as encouragement to continue an activity rather than as a reward for completing it. For the record, I understand why Obama won, I don't have another person I would award it to in his place, but I would have held off the award until all US troops are out of Iraq and Afghanistan. But I'm pleased that an American won and think that reflects well on the US in the world.
That is a crazy newspaper story! The argument that Obama accepting the Nobel prize is unconstitutional is frivolous. The Emoluments Clause of the Constitution clearly gives the Congress the power to allow US officials to accept awards from foreign governments. Congress enacted The Foreign Gifts and Decorations Act which prospectively allows federal officers to accept awards such as the Nobel, and accept the money on behalf of the United States. If he can't accept the money on behalf of himself, which the law clearly provides that he can't, then he can't take a tax deduction for donating it. But that does raise a good question, which is whether he can actually select a charity to send the money to or if the prize money just goes right to the treasury.
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