More people
have been nominated than ever before for the most prestigious prize on the planet. I'll take that to mean that more people are having to work harder to obtain peace than ever before, thanks to King George and his Happy Adventures Abroad.
Record Nominations Received for Nobel
By DOUG MELLGREN
Associated Press Writer
OSLO, Norway (AP) -- A record 199 individuals and groups were nominated for this year's Nobel Peace Prize, and the secret list of nominees was believed to range from former Secretary of State Colin Powell to U2 singer Bono.
That's a range?!
This year, known nominations include:
Powell for his efforts to end Sudan's 21-year civil war, a campaign to share the award between 1,000 women who work for peace; Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez; exiled Bangledeshi writer Taslima Nasrin; former Illinois governor and anti-death penalty campaigner George Ryan; the group Tiananmen Mothers, which represents families of those killed in the 1989 massacre in Beijing; SOS-Children's Village, a charity that provides homes to abandoned and abused children worldwide; and long-jailed Israeli nuclear technician Mordechai Vanunu.
Those believed to be nominated include:
The International Atomic Energy Agency, International Red Cross, Save the Children, Pope John Paul II and former Czech President Vaclav Havel.
Although at least one U.S. Congressman with nomination rights has said President Bush deserved the prize for the Sudan peace effort, it was not clear whether the American leader had been nominated.
Ok: Before Sudan, Powell tried to scare the world into going to war. Chavez is all talk. George Ryan should be in jail. Popes receive awards?
I'm for Havel, if for no other reason then his writing should be properly acknowledged too.
But really, I'm against the Peace Prize going to individuals. There are lots of organizations that work tirelessly on the ground, day after day, helping people, that could use the attention and the award. If they happen to be led by a charismatic individual, that's fine. But working on behalf of the good isn't like writing some interesting books or discovering a new element -- it's something we all should do all the time. How can one person "deserve" to win a prize for helping other people? It just seems wrong to me, especially when the person is an elected government official. That's what they should be doing anyway.
Eh, give it to Bono, maybe he'll sing a song about it.
Who do you think should have been nominated? Add your suggestions...