Edward Snowden nominated for Nobel Peace Prize • Hacker News Board

Re: Edward Snowden nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

#41

Post by elwin » Sun, Aug 04, 2013, 2:57 AM UTC

teddyh wrote: post #4

I fail to see how what Snowden has done has promoted world peace. The Nobel Peace prize is not (recent awardees notwithstanding) a we-like-you prize. It's supposed to be about world peace , and I just don't see how Snowden has advanced that particular goal. Or am I just dense?

Imagine that cyberwar really is a new kind of warfare that is about to emerge. This may or may not be a useful way of viewing the situation, but governments do seem willing to attack each others' infrastructure, causing great damage to civilians in the process. They have also begun using the kind of surveillance that is usually only justifiable during wartime.

If the Internet is being militarized, Snowden has pointed that out. He's shown that the NSA is actually one of the "standing armies" that the Peace Prize rules mention. Now we can talk about reducing it.

I still think it would be a stretch to award him the Peace Prize, but anything that keeps the Internet from becoming a war zone promotes world peace.

Re: Edward Snowden nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

#42

Post by trevelyan » Sun, Aug 04, 2013, 2:58 AM UTC

teddyh wrote: post #18

burntsushi wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Anyone who gets in the way of government abuses is promoting peace in my opinion . In Snowden's case, he's released information about programs that are specifically abusing the privacy of the world's population . One hopes that such a release serves as an impetus to curb or prevent it in the future. I think that at least fits my criteria.

I'm sorry, I still don't see the link between "[curbing] government abuses" and "promoting peace". What is the link?

The peace prize is often awarded to those who champion human rights and democratization.

Re: Edward Snowden nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

#43

Post by vor_ » Sun, Aug 04, 2013, 2:59 AM UTC

Archio wrote: post #30

jmspring wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Obama was awarded the Peace Prize prematurely. I've yet to see something he's done to deserve it, despite voting for him the first time.

That may be so, but let's keep in mind that there is no reason to criticize the President for being undeserving of the prize. It's not like he awarded it to himself.

I see nothing wrong with criticizing him for being undeserving of the prize, because he is.

Re: Edward Snowden nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

#44

Post by CurtMonash » Sun, Aug 04, 2013, 3:03 AM UTC

Is there any distinction more meaningless than "nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize"? Nominating a person for the Nobel Peace Prize is like introducing a bill in Congress -- all it takes is one person out of several hundred to think it's worth doing for some reason, and boom! It officially happened.

Re: Edward Snowden nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

#45

Post by salgernon » Sun, Aug 04, 2013, 3:04 AM UTC

tokipin wrote: post #38

jmspring wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Obama was awarded the Peace Prize prematurely. I've yet to see something he's done to deserve it, despite voting for him the first time.

besides ending the Iraq war, he's done a lot of stuff that is somewhat subtle. off the top of my head: a concerted and sustained nuclear arms reduction effort[1], and the specific way he handled the Libya situation[2]. still it remains that Obama is fundamentally pragmatic, for better or worse in any given issue. [1] good report here: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/rachel-maddow/46790266#46790266 [2] http://www.rollingst…

(I wish people wouldn't downvote things just because they disagree with a statement. Downvoting because you disagree with someone is like putting your fingers in your ears and going blah blah blah I can't hear you and I don't want anyone else to hear you either. I wish people would save votes for comments that add nothing to a conversation. Like this one.)

Re: Edward Snowden nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

#46

Post by FedRegister » Sun, Aug 04, 2013, 3:12 AM UTC

tokipin wrote: post #38

jmspring wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Obama was awarded the Peace Prize prematurely. I've yet to see something he's done to deserve it, despite voting for him the first time.

besides ending the Iraq war, he's done a lot of stuff that is somewhat subtle. off the top of my head: a concerted and sustained nuclear arms reduction effort[1], and the specific way he handled the Libya situation[2]. still it remains that Obama is fundamentally pragmatic, for better or worse in any given issue. [1] good report here: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/rachel-maddow/46790266#46790266 [2] http://www.rollingst…

He still murders people with flying robots. That's not very peaceful.

Re: Edward Snowden nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

#47

Post by moocowduckquack » Sun, Aug 04, 2013, 3:15 AM UTC

"Moreover, despite the national and international outcry that has resulted from the PRISM leak, it is too soon to tell what the real consequences of Snowden's actions will be. This is the same logic that governs the claim that Obama's award was prematurely given. "

No it isn't. Snowden is being nominated for actions rather than just for potential actions. Consequences can take decades.

Re: Edward Snowden nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

#48

Post by phaus » Sun, Aug 04, 2013, 3:16 AM UTC

Archio wrote: post #30

jmspring wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Obama was awarded the Peace Prize prematurely. I've yet to see something he's done to deserve it, despite voting for him the first time.

That may be so, but let's keep in mind that there is no reason to criticize the President for being undeserving of the prize. It's not like he awarded it to himself.

It's not his fault, but a man of integrity would have called them out for trying to give it to him when he hadn't even done anything to deserve it.

The Nobel peace prize is pretty much a joke, former recipients include a pedophile and a direct supporter of terrorism. If I were Snowden, I wouldn't want one.

Re: Edward Snowden nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

#49

Post by phaus » Sun, Aug 04, 2013, 3:18 AM UTC

FedRegister wrote: post #46

tokipin wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

besides ending the Iraq war, he's done a lot of stuff that is somewhat subtle. off the top of my head: a concerted and sustained nuclear arms reduction effort[1], and the specific way he handled the Libya situation[2]. still it remains that Obama is fundamentally pragmatic, for better or worse in any given issue. [1] good report here: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/rachel-maddow/46790266#46790266 [2] http://www.rollingst…

He still murders people with flying robots. That's not very peaceful.

You're not representing him fairly, those aren't robots, there are trained killers on the other end of the drones.

Re: Edward Snowden nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

#50

Post by phaus » Sun, Aug 04, 2013, 3:22 AM UTC

u2328 wrote: post #22

zombio wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't really understand the nobel peace prize, or specifically why Obama was awarded it. I understand being the first black president of the United States is a big deal, but did he personally do anything to promote peace? Or does being black in the white house somehow lower racism, hence promoting world peace?

Wasn't so much about him being the first black President as much as him not being Bush/Cheney et. al. Still pretty premature of them since Obama ended up adopting and ramping up many of the foreign policies that made Bush/Cheney so despised by the world in the first place.

But everyone should have known that he was Bush, and he was Cheney. Maybe five of the several hundred major politicians in our country are not carbon copies of one another.