Writer Pleased To See Obama Given Peace Prize
On Tuesday, syndicated columnist Cal Thomas slammed President Barack Obama and the Nobel Committee. After I finished reading his usual shallow, divisive, hypocritical dosage of gobbledygook, my notion that the Nobel folks had made a good choice was reinforced. Even though the president may not already accomplished his goals, as he humbly acknowledged, he has offered the world refreshing alternatives to overcome our differences and avoid war. Thomas, and many like minded people, can’t seem to see the world in any way but through a lens of “us” and “them.” Our president is known around the world and that world is ripe for a new approach to solving our differences.
In another recent column, Mr. Thomas suggests that America should seek to achieve peace by becoming like a childhood bully he remembers. Not only would that prove to be counter-productive, but why invest trillions more tax dollars into weapons of mass destruction, when millions of our own citizens cannot afford adequate health care?
What I find most disturbing is how so many on the right are using their religious beliefs to defend and promote their agendas. Twice Cal Thomas quotes Scripture in his column to defend his rationale for “resisting evil” and for trashing liberal-minded people.
Consider this: In one chapter of the Bible, I found these words from the mouth of Jesus: “Blessed are the peacemakers; You are the light of the world; Reconcile any difference between a brother or sister before presenting your gift on the altar; Love your enemies and pray for them; Do not resist an evildoer, but turn the other cheek; if anyone forces you to go a mile, go a second one.”
Certainly there is a time for resistance and the use of force is necessary. But demeaning others, or hating them, has no place in the Christian community. Such antics also serve to erode the credibility of the Church. When the Holy Spirit was poured out at Pentecost and the Church was empowered, people began speaking in different languages, but still could understand one another. God showed a desire for his people to become as one. That has not changed.
So, Cal, you are wrong when you say the peace prize is meaningless.
Donald L. Umbarger
Bristol, Tenn.
Advertisement
Reader Reactions
good grief common and farmer….why do you two keep repeating the same old crap about oldman and dadw5boys. That is REALLY getting old. Enough already. Find something more important to say. I know you can, you both have very long winded fingers. Stop it with the cut and run stuff over those two names. Please.
What I find surprising is how this person can win the Nobel Peace Prize while sending more troops to Afghanistan and maintaining troop levels in Iraq. Oh and let us not forget the sabre-rattling to Iran. Before you say “But they’re trying to build nukes!“, there is no proof whatever that they are using their nuclear program for anything but nuclear energy.
I truly wish he was a man of peace but so far his actions speak louder than his words.
Meet the People Who Were Passed Over for Obama
Sima Samar, women’s rights activist in Afghanistan: “With dogged persistence and at great personal risk, she kept her schools and clinics open in Afghanistan even during the most repressive days of the Taliban regime, whose laws prohibited the education of girls past the age of eight. When the Taliban fell, Samar returned to Kabul and accepted the post of Minister for Women’s Affairs.“
Ingrid Betancourt: French-Colombian ex-hostage held for six years.
“Dr. Denis Mukwege: Doctor, founder and head of Panzi Hospital in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo. He has dedicated his life to helping Congolese women and girls who are victims of gang rape and brutal sexual violence.“
Handicap International and Cluster Munition Coalition: “These organizations are recognized for their consistently serious efforts to clean up cluster bombs, also known as land mines. Innocent civilians are regularly killed worldwide because the unseen bombs explode when stepped upon.“
“Hu Jia, a human rights activist and an outspoken critic of the Chinese government, who was sentenced last year to a three-and-a-half-year prison term for ‘inciting subversion of state power.‘“
“Wei Jingsheng, who spent 17 years in Chinese prisons for urging reforms of China’s communist system. He now lives in the United States.“
This guy seems to be the least qualified in everything he does.But, he speaks well from a tele- prompter.
So ... you want to know what is going on here? I mean, come on! Barack Obama, president for what, nine months now? And he gets the Nobel Peace Prize?
Hopefully you weren’t all that surprised.
Let’s work through this thing. First - you have to come up with a definition of “peace.“ There’s a Nobel Prize for physics; one for medicine too. In virtually every culture and every country in the world you define “physics” and “medicine” pretty much the same way. Not so for “peace.“ During the post World-War II the Soviet Union defined “peace’ as “an absence of opposition to world Communism.“ As long as nobody was challenging their communist expansionism they felt we were all at peace. Let some country; The United States for instance, challenge their plans for world domination and ... no more peace.
For me any definition of “peace” must have a component dedicated to freedom. You can, after all, live a life of peace in a jail cell, so long as there isn’t someone there to stir things up. You’re not free, but peace reigns.
Now ... to Obama and the Peace Prize. I take you back again to that Pew Research poll conducted in Europe last year. Almost 60% of Europeans who responded to the poll wanted America to be less powerful in world affairs. That’s not an uncommon sentiment - right up until the time some other country is threatening to kick some international tail.
So ... along comes the Nobel committee. Can we reasonably assume that this committee reflects much of the European attitude? I mean, they’re not exactly headquartered in Boise. They look at the nominations before them, and there’s PrezBO! Now what has Obama done in the past nine or so months? Why, he’s given the Euro-weenies just exactly what they wanted! Now we have a United States with a weaker presence in world affairs! Russia and China are striving for military domination. Obama backs off the American promise of a shield against Iran’s missiles for Eastern Europe. Then we have the Arab states reportedly working to replace the dollar as the petroleum trading currency. Today there are suggestions that Obama is just going to declare that the Taliban are too entrenched in Afghanistan for us to possibly prevail there - a prelude to a cut and run. Does any of this sound like a projection of strength? Of course not. America is projecting feel-good, hopey-changey weakness at every turn.
This was a message to Obama. Europe likes your style. You’re giving us exactly what we wanted—- what we asked for. You’re weakening the United States; for us, the key to peace.
Oh ... and don’t forget the slap in the face for George Bush. Bush is in office for eight years. He responds strongly to the attacks from terrorist Muslims. He frees iraq from a ruthless dictator and his rapist sons. He projects American strength .. and Europe hates him for it. So ... the Nobel committee comes along and delivers a slapdown.
For those who define peace as an living free of threats to your natural right to be free ... this just isn’t your day, is it?
Well ... at least this will give Newsweek a reason to put Obama on the cover again.
I’m sure the left hand knows what the right hand is doing…
A post at 3:08 AM by oldman? It’s really ironic that someone called dadw5boys used to post crazy stuff at odd hours like that. I wonder if oldman and dadw5boys know each other?
Oldman=
Post at 3:08 am?
Not sleeping, huh?
Donald L. Umbarger..The NPP has always been awarded for something accomplished not for something one hopes to accomplish. This award has done nothing but lower it’s value.
Peace is always a Prayer.
Advertisement