The Gamut

"Us" or "Them"
By Thomas Sowell

The overall theme of this idiotic article is that liberals tend to think in absolutes, and that they cling to their ideals even when faced with staggering pragmatic reasons to abandon them. Of course, this is not entirely false - for some liberals. We all know the vegitarian who cries when she walks past McDonalds. But then we also all know the conservative who calls the woman who miscarries a baby killer.

But I want to make a point about this one observation from the article:

Meanwhile, nobody suggested awarding a Nobel Prize for peace to Ronald Reagan, just because he brought the nuclear dangers of a decades-long cold war to an end. He did it the opposite way from how members of "peace movements" thought it should be done.

In 1990, Gorbachev was awarded the medal for ending the cold war. Frankly, that choice makes much more sense than awarding it to the guy who postured and posed a threat bigger than he posessed.

Additionally, George Bush and Tony Blair were nominated in 2004 for the kinds of reasons this author thinks Reagan should have been nominated. Though thankfully they didn't win.

By the way, want to know why Reagan didn't deserve the prize. Let someone who did deserve it explain it to you.

Then Perez Esquivel won the 1980 Nobel Peace Prize for the work of his Service for Peace and Justice. The military apparently is withholding the stipend because the money could be used to help the organization challenge the government over the the estimated 6000 to 10,000 Argentines who disappeared in detention during a five-year military crackdown beginning in 1975.

"The Administration of Mr. Carter pursued a policy that benefitted the search for a solution to the human rights problems facing this country. The abandonment of that policy is for me a big step backwards," Perez Esquivel said.

Aiding the Sandanistas, propping up the tyranical government of Saddam Hussein, etc. etc. etc. And you think this guy should have been given a peace prize for threatening more violence?

Sheesh!