Another Undeserved Accolade

My morning routine usually starts between 4:45 and 5:00. After my morning offering and prayers, shower, etc. I usually sit down for a few minutes with my coffee and peruse the news. This morning, what to my wandering eyes did appear, but the following headlines:

US President Barack Obama wins Nobel Peace Prize

(AP) – 2 hours ago

OSLO — The Norwegian Nobel Committee says U.S. President Barack Obama has won the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize for "his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples."

I thought maybe this was a joke or I was dreaming (read nightmare) and so I went directly to the news site – here: Associated Press Article No, this was unfortunately all too real. So I thought I would reflect a bit on this.

In his 1895 will,
Alfred Nobel stipulated that the peace prize should go "to the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between the nations and the abolition or reduction of standing armies and the formation and spreading of peace congresses."

So let me think about what Barack has done…he went to other countries and…shook hands? Has he made peace in the Middle East and we just haven’t heard about it? No, the press is much too fond of him to not report that. Has he negotiated peace and good will between North and South Korea? No, I don’t recall that. Is the war in Afghanistan over? Not that I recall. Wait! I’m missing something entirely here. I forgot to see when the deadline for submission of nominations closed.

The nominations must be submitted with a postmark of no later than 1 February or added by the committee at their first meeting which occurred on February 26, 2009. Now we know, according to the Nobel Prize committee’s records, that Barack’s name was submitted by mail and we also know that he was inaugurated president on January 20th as mandated by the 20th amendment to the Constitution. Therefore, he was in office for 12 days prior to his nomination. 12 Days! So what did he do in these 12 days to warrant such a prestigious nomination? He spent $787 billion on an economic stimulus plan, he lifted a 7½-year ban on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research and that was pretty much it. And before he was president he was a “community organizer”. Now that sounds international!

So now I’m left with what he has done since that makes him a “person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between the nations and the abolition or reduction of standing armies and the formation and spreading of peace congresses”. Unfortunately, I’m just drawing a blank. Can’t think of a thing. Maybe if I look at previous winners…Nelson Mandela, Doctors Without Borders, Mother Teresa, Amnesty International, UNICEF, Martin Luther King, Jr., International Committee of the Red Cross… nope, that didn’t help. Even Al Gore at least did SOMETHING.

So I am left to surmise that if you support and work toward killing off future generation through abortion, and tax those that actually survive into oblivion then you have made “extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples”. It makes perfect sense. After all, if there is no one left to fight then de facto you have peace. I can think of others in world history who have had this same thought process. I’m surprised they weren’t nominated.

I find it interesting that this announcement was made today on the feast of St. Denis, Martyr. It may do us well to recall the prayer made to God regarding this saint and his companions:

Grant, we beseech Thee, that following their example we may for love of Thee despise worldly success and may not fear worldly misfortune.