Friday, October 09, 2009
Two reasons to be happy
1. One hopes that now, since Obama has joined this semi-illustrious list of Nobel Peace Prize winners, he has accumulated political capital to use in foreign and military policy. Perhaps he can now temper the rush to impoverish ourselves in a comically hubristic attempt to prevent, and thus make ourselves even more vulnerable to, natural climate variation that will happen anyway.
2. Given Obama's objective lack of actual accomplishments so far, the "science is settled" that the Nobel Peace Prize is a hopelessly politicized popularity contest. Don't even try to argue.
Seriously, I hope this gives him the street cred to do some good. "Only Nixon can go to China", etc. Many at home are expressing more of a "WTF" sentiment. Here's the best tweet so far:
Seems Alfred Nobel is to be awarded a posthumous Obama prize
PS, here's another:
YO OBAMA, I'M GONNA LET YOU FINISH, BUT I JUST WANNA SAY THAT MARTIN LUTHER KING JR WAS THE BEST NOBEL PRIZE WINNER OF ALL TIME.
PPS:
Asked why the prize had been awarded to Mr Obama less than a year after he took office, Nobel committee head Thorbjoern Jagland said: "It was because we would like to support what he is trying to achieve".
and sorry about that Olympic thing...
MORE (from TigerHawk): The big entertainment today is not going to be on the right, where the irritation is, well, predictable, but in ogling the joy on the left. Crooked Timber is off to a good start:
President Obama has changed how the world feels about America. He’s lifted the planet’s mood. This guy is global Prozac.
Planetwide joy. Anybody else feel that?
Refresh memeorandum all morning for the fun.
STILL MORE:
I'm not all for Americans winning international prizes, especially the Nobel Peace Prize. In fact, I'm vigorously against it. The transnational progressives who pass out these accolades believe America is the problem in the world, the main threat to peace, the impediment to "progress," etc. The award is a symbolic statement of opposition to American exceptionalism, American might, American capitalism, American self-determinism, and American pursuit of America's interests in the world. That is why Obama could win it based on only 10 days in office — merely by capturing the White House and the levers of power, he stands to do more for the Left's "knock America off its pedestal" program than any figure in history.
Word. Indeed, the Nobel committee said explicitly that its purpose was to advance Obama's agenda:
Thorbjorn Jagland, the chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, said the committee wanted to “enhance Obama’s diplomatic efforts so far rather than reward him for events in the future.”
So, basically, the Nobel Committee has transparently and intentionally put itself in the business of endorsing political campaigns. Bear that in mind.
Insty round-up here.
Heh.
34 Comments:
By 
davod, at
Fri Oct 09, 06:27:00 AM:
I heard they closed the nominations in February!
By TigerHawk, at
Fri Oct 09, 06:30:00 AM:
Your sunny optimism shames us all, Mindles. And here I was thinking that this was hilarious.
By JPMcT, at
Fri Oct 09, 07:13:00 AM:
Obama won WHAT?
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA...<<*sniff*>>....HAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!
That's absolutley precious!!!
We now OFICIALLY need a contest to rename the Prize...especially since the ghost of Alfred will certainly become restless if we don't get his name off the rogue's list:
I'll kick it off...
* LIBERAL OF THE YEAR AWARD
* THE BEST INTENTIONS AWARD
* THE MEDIA CONSOLATION PRIZE
* THE PISS OFF GEORGE BUSH PRIZE
Serioulsy, folks...if this weren't so patently absurd I'd be angry. The Nobel Committee has become a caricature of iconic leftism.
If anyone seriously important in the workings of this minor planet actually ever wins the thing...as doubtful as that may be...he/she will probably feel personally obligated to turn it down as a point of honor.
By 
bus, at
Fri Oct 09, 07:23:00 AM:
By , at
Fri Oct 09, 08:09:00 AM:
and when they saw what God had wrought, there was much weeping and gnashing of teeth by the wingnuts, and those that still had any left began pulling their hair out. Let the hysterics begin!
By , at
Fri Oct 09, 08:09:00 AM:
Word on the street says that when Obama was told he won the Nobel he replied, "That's nice, but you'd better get me the Oscar for Best Actor next year or you'll all out on your pasty white cans."
By , at
Fri Oct 09, 08:14:00 AM:
Mike,
Cute comments, in a sixth-grad sort of way, but Obama had better heed the words of another Nobel winner--Winston Churchill (Literature, 1953):
"You had the choice between honor and war. You chose dishonor and you shall have war."
By , at
Fri Oct 09, 08:15:00 AM:
Bono ... snubbed again!
Link, over
By , at
Fri Oct 09, 08:37:00 AM:
Seriously, Obama will bask in this for a week or a month, but in retrospect we'll regret it. I said "we" not "he" purposefully. It weakens Obama as a President as it sets expectations too high and limits his flexibility. Ironically, he'll be less effective as a peacemaker for it.
Link, over
By , at
Fri Oct 09, 08:41:00 AM:
I get a kick out of those who site appeasement as the cause of war. Those who think Hitler could have been stopped had we only stood up to him at Munich are way off. Hitler was a mad man and was going to plunge Europe into war no matter what was done to stop him.
By TigerHawk, at
Fri Oct 09, 09:03:00 AM:
Those who think Hitler could have been stopped had we only stood up to him at Munich are way off. Hitler was a mad man and was going to plunge Europe into war no matter what was done to stop him.
Ridiculous. If France and Britain had gone to war over Germany's reoccupation of the Rhineland, which was a gross violation of the Treaty of Versailles, Germany would have lost decisively, Hitler would have been thrown from office, and the wider war in Europe never would have happened. Unfortunately, neither France nor Britain were in the mood for another fight.
By , at
Fri Oct 09, 09:04:00 AM:
Obama should see what he can do about getting on the Heisman list.
By , at
Fri Oct 09, 09:14:00 AM:
When I saw the headline, I thought I was reading something from The Onion or perhaps an April Fool's joke. Unbelievable....
By , at
Fri Oct 09, 09:44:00 AM:
Uh, this award s/b the NO BALLS, NO PEACE PRIZE....it makes more sense that way.
By , at
Fri Oct 09, 09:48:00 AM:
We can have "peace" any time we're ready to surrender.
Kiss the ring of the Mullahs, toss Israel under the bus, pull down the missile defenses of our Allies against our comrades the Russias, turn America from a land of opportunity, etc.
By Christopher Chambers, at
Fri Oct 09, 10:12:00 AM:
Hmmm.., I would have never expected this response on TigerHawk. hahahaha
I guess if it was the "Nobel War Prize, or the Nobel Ignorance Prize" hey it would be cool & acceptable? I love that other comment about not being in favor of Americans accepting international prizes. LOL.
The wingnut screed, a howl at the moon stuff aside, do you have anything constructive and meaningful to say to the Nobel committee, and maybe to Nobel if we could bring him back to life? Again, if your purpose to change the selection criteria, then support your positions to that end. If it's just anpother personal attack, more maniac mode as even conservative David Brooks has decried, than why bother to comment here? LOL
Let's play a pretend game, Had you been alive and part of the process, and held the rudiments of what you believe today back in the mid 60s, you'd have sounded like the average white person who grumbled and groused and even threatened some for real Klannish "Don't Tread on Me" actions when Martin Luther King Jr won the Prize. Indeed, seeing the usual stuff on this blog, I wonder what he indeed "accomplished." This isn't really about him "deserving" it, then, now is it? You sound like Kanye West, blurting on Taylor Swift.
There's a paradigm of ugliness, cynicism, selfishness, paranoia, dogma to which everyone from you all to the mullahs, the Chinese and other dark forces subscribe, and then there's everything else. Obama's at least TRYING to nudge the world to the everything else. And that's what Alfred Nobel wanted. He knew it was hard, if not impossible. After all, he couldn't have made his fortune on the opposite of paranoia. So he endowed this award.
So calm the fuck down, shut the fuck up. Pop open a nice cheap domestic beer. We all know you're in flipping out mode. We all know what your issue is. You've groused and whined. Go back to rifles at town hall meetings, something fun like that. You don't care about what the rest of the world thinks anyway.
By Andrew Hofer, at
Fri Oct 09, 10:28:00 AM:
shorter CC:
Stop the ad hominem, you racists! STFU and listen!
Comedy gold.
Prizes are for achievements. But if you are on the short bus everyone gets one.
By , at
Fri Oct 09, 11:38:00 AM:
Had you been alive and part of the process, and held the rudiments of what you believe today back in the mid 60s, you'd have sounded like the average white person who grumbled and groused and even threatened some for real Klannish "Don't Tread on Me" actions when Martin Luther King Jr won the Prize.
CC: The "average white person" back in the 1960s supported the Civil Rights and Voting Rights bills. Outside the South, overwhelmingly so.
But since when have the facts been an issue in your postings?
Using the criteria by which Obama won the Peace Prize, King would have won the Peace Prize in 1952.
By , at
Fri Oct 09, 12:22:00 PM:
One wonders if Obama will become a multi-year winner of the peace prize? Erik Ericson at Red State wonders if somewhere, Bill Clinton's head is exploding? One looks for silver linings where one can find them.
By Counter Trey, at
Fri Oct 09, 01:02:00 PM:
The ridicule is so great from so many, this could be the beginning of the end. Sort of his "jumping the shark" moment.
By Georg Felis, at
Fri Oct 09, 02:12:00 PM:
Couple of questions that I was just wondering
Is this the first time the NPP has been awarded to a head of state engaged in two military operations in foreign countries while maintaining a detention facility in a military base which has gained unprecedented criticism?
Who nominated him?
If as he said (paraphrased) the NPP must be shared with everyone who strives for justice and dignity, when do I get my share? Do I get a fraction of the cash prize?
Since Federal Employees have a $50 dollar limit on gifts received, what is he going to do with the rest of the million+ dollars?
Or is the million dollar prize a violation of Article I, Section 9 “No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince or foreign State.”, and if so, will he give it up to the Treasury?
If we start a drinking game triggered by every mention of Humble, Modest, Share and Honored Obama says when talking about his NPP over the next week, will the resulting alcohol poisoning be covered by Obamacare?
And the most important question:
How long until Iowahawk posts a parody?
By Georg Felis, at
Fri Oct 09, 02:18:00 PM:
Well, that answers one of my questions.
By constant gina, at
Fri Oct 09, 02:34:00 PM:
Congratulations to President Obama!
By Neil Sinhababu, at
Fri Oct 09, 02:45:00 PM:
So, basically, the Nobel Committee has transparently and intentionally put itself in the business of endorsing political campaigns.
Well, it always did, but usually in countries that weren't America. You probably think this says something about the Nobel folks. I think it says something about the Republican Party.
By , at
Fri Oct 09, 04:46:00 PM:
Wow. Some future Shakespeare or Sophocles is gonna write one heckuva tragedy about this guy.
-Brand
By Brian Schmidt, at
Fri Oct 09, 05:43:00 PM:
Hi Mindles, quite the non sequitur of a post you've got there.
So, "natural climate variations"? Care to put your money where your mouth is? 2:1 odds says temps will increase in 10 years, which should be tempting to anyone expecting random changes.
Or, even odds bet that temps in the next decade will increase at twice the 20th Century decadal rate.
I nominate Tigerhawk to hold the money. Should be a real money bet though, not token amounts.
By JPMcT, at
Fri Oct 09, 06:55:00 PM:
It's nice to know that Brian Schmidt is still pulling for Global Warming even though we are headed into a banner ski season and the Hockey Stick/One Tree database has finally been "outed".
Gee, Brian, were YOU on the list for the prize!
Along those lines, I have been notified this morning that I have been named HeavyWeight Champion of the World...even though I don't know how to put on a boxing glove. I plan to accept the prize in the spirit of pugnacity for all!
Seriously...Don't you REALLY think that Obama would have earned the admiration of the American people if he had TURNED DOWN the prize?
Personally, I would have thought a refusal to accept and undeserved adulation would be a matter of true honor, class and manliness.
Honor, class and manliness...
Barack Obama....
OK, I guess that's a bit too much to expect.
By Brian Schmidt, at
Fri Oct 09, 07:21:00 PM:
JP, if you share Mindles' opinion on climate as you seem to, then maybe you'd be interested in my bet offers.
By , at
Fri Oct 09, 08:00:00 PM:
You'd think that the burden of proof would be on those who want to destroy the economy
By JPMcT, at
Fri Oct 09, 09:40:00 PM:
"JP, if you share Mindles' opinion on climate as you seem to, then maybe you'd be interested in my bet offers"
I'm all for a gentleman's wager on the issue...but the problem is that the DATA is so corrupt that it is imposssible to determine who wins the bet...unless we all die in some catastropic "Day AFter Tomorrow" event. In that case...who cares.
From my perspective, Cap & Trade is a criminal act of extortion.
If you can persuade otherwise...show me the data!
REAL data.
By Andrew Hofer, at
Fri Oct 09, 10:46:00 PM:
Tempting, but do you insist on your start point in this rather cool year? Sounds like you might believe in strong sun-related forcings as well.
In financial terms, I'd probably be long vol. over the long term rather than buying some kind of European option. Or I'd be tempted by a simple bet on the cumulative error of the IPCC predicted path and effects.
By Andrew Hofer, at
Fri Oct 09, 10:52:00 PM:
Seems like prediction markets disagree with both of us:
http://www.forecastingprinciples.com/marketsforforecasting/
By Brian, at
Sat Oct 10, 03:59:00 PM:
Mindles - I prefer 5-year averaging to reduce the effect of single-year variability. I have a bet for $9,000 with David Evans if you want to do a similar one:
http://backseatdriving.blogspot.com/2007/04/new-global-warming-bet-for-7-10.html
The market prediction you cited wasn't for a global climate prediction or bet, it was for a selected set of climate stations that allowed annual adjustments for the anti-modellers while refusing to allow adjustment for climate models. That's my understanding, anyway, it's a bit confusing to me. For more info, go here:
http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2007/07/green-and-armstrongs-scientific-forecast/
These guys you cite seem to trust the data, by the way. I'm open for using either Hadley or GISS.
By Michael Shawn Keller, at
Sun Oct 11, 12:10:00 AM:
Color is skin deap. We are all connected through love and should be happy for all achievements of everyone, including a man who is the President. Congrats to Obama and his family. Remember that what we wish on others will come back to ourselves tenfold, so wish for the best!
Mike Keller
www.lifeinaweek.com
