One final observation about the Nobel Peace Prize...

I know this whole Nobel Prize issue has been beaten to death. I hope you will indulge one final point before we move forward to address real issues of the day…

My first impression at his receipt of the Nobel Prize was one of anger and resentment. However, after further reflection, my anger was replaced with complacency. One merely has to look to some of the previous recipients to realize that The Nobel Peace Prize is nothing more than a symbol that has lost any symbolic meaning it may have once had. A quick look to its history and previous recipients clearly shows that there is no consistency or efficacy in its bestowment.

Nobel was an innovator, the inventor of dynamite. He was considered in his time a brilliant man. The initial purpose of the award was to award innovation and to preserve that part of his legacy. However, Nobel had in his lifetime been harshly criticized because his fortune and notoriety had come from the development of explosives and subsequently weapons technology.
It was for this reason that he established a separate prize for proliferation of peace.

It is an interesting note that the section of the Nobel Committee that awards the Peace Prize is not only wholly and completely separate from the other committees; it is actually in another country. The majority of the Nobel Prize Organization is located in Sweden, Nobel’s home country. The Peace Committee is actually located in Norway, it is assumed this is because of Nobel’s admiration for Norway’s neutrality and of certain political writers that resided there. Now that a predicate is established we begin to understand that this award is wholly different from the other categories, which are designed to award innovation and the development of science and industry. The Nobel Peace Prize has no real criteria and or prerequisites, you are not required to develop anything or accomplish anything….

The Committee representatives have said in many interviews since the award was given that they often give the award as encouragement… For example, the award was given to Arafat and Rabin simply because they participated in Oslo Accords. We can see what affect that “encouragement” had on the region… Or more recently, the award was given to Al Gore for his production of the “Inconvenient Truth” a film on climate change. What real affect does that have on peace?

In conclusion, why should Conservatives be angry about an award that does not mean anything?

Is there a double standard among liberals and Democrats?

News that Barack Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize today bothered me. He has yet to do anything that promotes peace. I'm not even going to go into detail about that, because it is a fact. But some of the quotes I have heard from Democrats themselves caught me off guard. For instance, this from Stephen Wayne, professor of American Government at Georgetown University:

'"What had he done by February? He had been the first African-American elected president and provided sawing rhetoric," Wayne said. "In one sense, Obama has always been more popular in Europe than in the United States. That popularity is based in part on the contrast he provides to former President George W. Bush, who was not popular in Europe. I am very favorable toward President Obama, but this prize is just a surprise to me."' (Thanks Fox News)

Read that last sentence. It surprised even the liberals! So, in my shock, I did what all college students do: I took my concerns to Facebook courtesy of my status bar. Imagine my surprise (not really) when I started getting heavy negative feedback. Some told me I needed to get a job (which is true - don't see how that matters in this debate) that Obama was OUR president and somehow because he was elected I am obligated to support him. Now, I wonder if that person supported George W. Bush while he was in office? But there is an even more important issue raised in this comment: Is Barack Obama being followed blindly by many liberals? YES!

Why does it matter? Because when people follow a leader blindly without questioning him or her, that society stands to suffer deeply. For example, Nazi Germany (OH MY GOD! HE JUST MADE A REFERENCE TO HITLER AND OBAMA IN THE SAME SENTENCE!!! I did, but I am not calling Obama Hitler. Hitler had truly sinister desires, I do not believe that Obama harbours any of those.) followed a leader blindly, and we all know how long it took the country to rebound.

What I am saying is this: we need to wake up before the country we know and love is no longer ours, it is the government's. We cannot let this man institute policies that lead us towards nationalization of the markets. Our government was not created to tell us what is and is not good for us. Our government was created to protect us from enemies, both foreign and domestic. When we feel that our leaders are not doing this, it is our duty as citizens to stand up and question them.

God Bless.

J.

A Beginning....

Over the past few months, maybe even a year, I've felt that our country has moved in the wrong direction. Government bailouts of auto companies (did you know that Barack Obama used your tax dollars to purchase more than 50 percent of General Motors? That's right, the government owns the majority share of GM) and banks (a new report suggests many of the banks that received money were financially viable without federal intervention) is leading us dangerously close towards "Big Brother" becoming "Big Father."

So, it is my duty as an American to speak out. The men and women that fill the halls of Congress no longer listen to our voices. Maybe, if we stand and scream together, they will hear us.

This site is a place for your voice to your concerns. I will try to post everyday, covering what angers me and what concerns and angers you. Comment or e-mail your thoughts and I will try my best to address them. Thank you for your voice!

God Bless.

J.

PS - It's my damn blog and I can say "God Bless" if I want to. If that ofends you, then by all means, get the hell out!