Peace Prize

My turn to weigh in on our president winning the Nobel Peace Prize!

The general consensus around the table at McDonald's has been one of shock and awe. We are a conservative bunch in general. Our first reaction, is 'What?'! Some of us, are only a little more chagrined that a black man won that prestigious award, than we are that a Democrat won it! As if, ex-president Bush could have ever been in the running! We're talking a Peace Prize here remember! It is important to remember that it is a Peace Prize!

My feelings? First, I am proud that an American won the Nobel Peace Prize, not an European. Heaven forbid that a person from an 'emerging' country win it! (Wait, that is not the tangent I want to pursue!) I would think that we as Americans should be glad that one of our own won! I am!

We could argue that our president was not qualified to be considered. He had only been in office something like 11 days when he was nominated. I personally, do not know the criteria the Nobel Peace Prize committee used to determine the qualifications of a candidate. Irregardless, I am surprised that Mr Obama was nominated. I do not feel that he had had time to show any leadership or peace-ship qualities at all. Obviously the committee did.

I don't believe his being black or white or even a Democrat should be considered by anyone. Those attributes have nothing to do with whether or not one is qualified. Nor should his or any candidates religion, how he feels about health care or of any of those personal considerations that are being used to divide us as a Country, be considered. They are not germane.

How does Mr Obama's winning that award affect me personally. Not at all! Nothing in my life has changed at all from before we knew that he was the winner! No more, no less money has come into my life. I believe my wife still loves me. My kids are still my pride and joy. I have not been drafted nor sent home from the war. I can think of nothing that has changed for me or of any of my friends really, because that award was rewarded. Well, maybe one fellow at our table at McDonald's has become somewhat more ornery...but he was pretty ornery before actually, he has had a rough life since the Democrats won the last election! He has elected to let that affect him, so that is his own problem. In actuality nothing for him has changed either.

So other than being proud to be an American, I would say that the Nobel Peace Prize is a Non-issue. It just plain does not matter! It is a media event...if event is defined loosely. It is smoke and mirrors, a magic act, and we should just be entertained by it and Not Get All Worked UP about it at all.