Norwegian professors believe Snowden should get the Nobel Peace Prize

Norwegian law professors has requested that whistleblower Edward Snowden be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Source

The Norwegian Government says that such an award is not appropriate - the Nobel Peace Prize committee is not supposed to give in to political pressure though.

Opinions please.

-MM

a reply to: MerkabaMeditation

Listen, If they can give it to Obama who is a war mongering twit, they can give it to anyone, anyone at all!

Perhaps with the state of the planet, they should give it a miss for a while!

Just acknowledge there is no one on the world stage who is peaceful.

While they are considering these things, perhaps they can take Obama's away saying, 'FAIL.'

P

a reply to: pheonix358

"Perhaps with the state of the planet, they should give it a miss for a while."

A truer statement I haven't heard the like of in a while.

Kind Regards
Myselfaswell

meh.. why not?
obama got one
/stands in line


i think it's like phoenix was saying, it means nothing these days..

a reply to: MerkabaMeditation

The guy has alerted the world that at least one extremely powerful agency has gathered data on enemies, allies and its own citizens. Sure, nobody actually cares and the surveillance won't stop, but it was a brave move.

Terms:

and one part to the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses.

www.nobelprize.org...

Not sure he'd qualify for nomination with those terms. It's hard to determine what the greater good is, for all of humanity, rather than our own interests.

a reply to: MerkabaMeditation

Seems odd to me Alfred Nobel is even mentioned in the same sentence with the word peace. He was a explosives and arms designer and manufacture. Maybe the Gandhi Peace Prize would be better. But to give away peace prizes they should also give away a Nobel Fail Prize they would be much busier.

a reply to: Kandinsky

Not sure he'd qualify for nomination with those terms. It's hard to determine what the greater good is, for all of humanity, rather than our own interests.

Perhaps there is an even more sinister part to this Snowden and NSA saga that is known by those in the upper echelons of society, but not generally discussed...perhaps by doing what he did, Snowden halted or severely disrupted something even more alarming than the spying.

We'll probably never know even if this was the case, as the secret information is probably what has kept Snowden alive..after all, anyone can be got at and taken out if there's enough will to make it happen, regardless of where they are and who is protecting them.

Yet..he isn't dead.

I would imagine Snowden has a dead mans switch of some kind, that would release information about something SO dastardly that was perhaps in the works, and now cancelled or postponed, if anything happened to him.

What that 'something' could have been, i've no idea.

a reply to: MysterX

Perhaps there is an even more sinister part to this Snowden and NSA saga that is known by those in the upper echelons of society, but not generally discussed...perhaps by doing what he did, Snowden halted or severely disrupted something even more alarming than the spying.

We'll likely never know. One thing I haven't seen discussed is the upside for the agency. What they've just discovered is there's no practical or political reason to discontinue their surveillance. No real opposition and other world leaders have had to take assurances that could be meaningless. Being told by Congress to knock it off doesn't seem to do the context justice.

Snowden can wait. What we've learned is that a globally relevant scandal will blow away in no time.

Snowden had every right to blow the whistle on domestic spying by the NSA. Any citizen should have the responsibility of letting it be known that the government has violated the law. However, there is absolutely no excuse to let loose with NSA actions geared toward foreign governments. That is nothing short of treason.


Snowden should not receive anything but prison time.

originally posted by: EternalSolace
Snowden had every right to blow the whistle on domestic spying by the NSA. Any citizen should have the responsibility of letting it be known that the government has violated the law. However, there is absolutely no excuse to let loose with NSA actions geared toward foreign governments.

1) He couldn't have done one without doing the other.

2) There is absolutely no excuse to let loose of your own law for the purpose of spying on other countries. If you do, what is the purpose of the law in the first place? The law doesn't differentiate. You can't go around bending your own rules if you don't want to appear weak and stupid which is exactly what the NSA did.

3) Your perception of right and wrong is antiquated. The world has moved on from such childish notions that the U.S.A. is the king of the mountain and has the best interests of the world close to it's heart.

Give him the prize. Obama got his under the presumption of what he was going to do, and I think we all know what happens when you presume omething. Snowden already did what he did, and it was something that he didn't even plan on doing.

Besides which, he's been unemployed for a few years now. He needs the money.

originally posted by: Taupin Desciple

originally posted by: EternalSolace
Snowden had every right to blow the whistle on domestic spying by the NSA. Any citizen should have the responsibility of letting it be known that the government has violated the law. However, there is absolutely no excuse to let loose with NSA actions geared toward foreign governments.

1) He couldn't have done one without doing the other.

2) There is absolutely no excuse to let loose of your own law for the purpose of spying on other countries. If you do, what is the purpose of the law in the first place? The law doesn't differentiate. You can't go around bending your own rules if you don't want to appear weak and stupid which is exactly what the NSA did.

3) Your perception of right and wrong is antiquated. The world has moved on from such childish notions that the U.S.A. is the king of the mountain and has the best interests of the world close to it's heart.

Give him the prize. Obama got his under the presumption of what he was going to do, and I think we all know what happens when you presume omething. Snowden already did what he did, and it was something that he didn't even plan on doing.

Besides which, he's been unemployed for a few years now. He needs the money.

1. The government is always making choices as to what information is disseminated to the public and which is withheld. Snowden had the option to withhold foreign action and disclose domestic action.

2. United States law protects its citizens. It does not protect foreign governments. The only thing that made the NSA look stupid was its application of domestic spying on its citizens. Spy actions toward foreign governments and terroristic organizations is exactly what they're there for and is absolutely necessary.

3. Not once did I state or imply that the USA was any kind of world model (king of the mountain) for how governments should run. If you do not believe that other governments spy on the US, then you are sadly mistaken. There is no antiquated notion of right and wrong. As an American Citizen, I am protected by the Constitution. Same goes for every one that can claim US citizenship. Domestic spy actions toward Americans is unconstitutional and illegal. Foreign spy actions, toward other governments, are perfectly legit regardless of the country performing those actions.

a reply to: pheonix358

That was my reaction as well.

I wonder if there is a conspiracy by the committee to issue awards to people whose actions result in catastrophe.

if its all the same I think we should expand the winner pool for the annual Darwin awards. The last high profile winner was in 2006 and it was Saddam Hussein. He wanted to make the trip to claim the award but his plans "fell through".

originally posted by: EternalSolace


1. The government is always making choices as to what information is disseminated to the public and which is withheld.

Which is obviously ok with you. A great many American citizens take issue with that.

Snowden had the option to withhold foreign action and disclose domestic action.

Not really. Not when you take into account the nature of the U.S. and it's habit of letting everyone and their grandmother in for every reason from education to religion to political to whatever else you can think of. It's 2014 now and the diversity if different people from different cultures is at an all time high, the NSA knows this and they know that to spy on citizens of other countries while here in the U.S., you're going to get everyone else as well. This world is more interconnected than ever, so when you spy on certain people in certain countries, that action is inevitably going to lead back here to the U.S. You say other countries spy on us too. You're right. They also spy on their own citizens just like the NSA does. Quit trying to make it sound as if the government and it's various factions are clean, because they're not. This is probably the most corrupt country on the planet right now by virtue of it's deception and lies towards everyone...........on the planet.

2. United States law protects its citizens. It does not protect foreign governments. The only thing that made the NSA look stupid was its application of domestic spying on its citizens. Spy actions toward foreign governments and terrorist organizations is exactly what they're there for and is absolutely necessary.

No offense, but that was most naive thing I've heard in quite some time. Your blind allegiance is disturbing.

3. Not once did I state or imply that the USA was any kind of world model (king of the mountain) for how governments should run.

Everything you're stating in this thread is an implication that the U.S. Government does things in response to other countries. That' we're just protecting ourselves from places like China and Russia. All the while, that movement in Europe to disband the Federal Reserve is gaining momentum. Certain countries are also working to obtain an oil supply outside of U.S. control. Like I said before, the world is more interconnected than ever before and what this is leading to is other countries starting to see the U.S. for what it is, and these countries don't like what they see. It's gotten to the point where they're more than just pissed off about it. They're doing something about it like distancing themselves from our currency and our oil. If you think for one second that the world community is going to stand by and take all this spying crap that we instigated in the first place over 50 years, you're sadly mistaken.

It's also a dangerous notion to believe that the U.S. doesn't need the world community on its side. It makes us look like stubborn brats who stole from the cookie jar but doesn't want to admit it. And what started this snowball effect of other countries being privy to our inside workings that kept nations divided and at war with each other? That's right, Snowden. Yes, everyone knew that everyone spied on each other, but no one knew the depth of the deception until Snowden blew the lid off the whole thing and that's what pisses off the U.S Government. Snowden didn't betray the country, Snowden set things in motion to where the rest of the world had their eyes opened to the truth and now they're doing something about it.

This has nothing to do with national security. This has everything to do with all of the perceived control that the U.S. had over everyone else in the world by virtue of their spying techniques and always having the upper hand in world affairs because of those techniques. U.S. security has not been compromised by what Snowden did. U.S. control has been compromised. There's a big difference. No one is attacking us are they? No, they're distancing themselves from us and taking away the control the U.S. once had, and that scares the sh*t out of the people on top.

It's sad to think that so many people are scared of the notion that the U.S. should actually cooperate with the rest of the world instead of trying to control it. If we did the former then people might begin to see that other people in the world really aren't that bad. It's the Governments that screw things up. Yes, the democratic model that formed the U.S. is the best model any government could have. But it always seems to happen that Governments wrestle away control from citizens under the guise that they need to be protected from other countries. It's bullsh*t.

originally posted by: EternalSolace

originally posted by: Taupin Desciple

originally posted by: EternalSolace
Snowden had every right to blow the whistle on domestic spying by the NSA. Any citizen should have the responsibility of letting it be known that the government has violated the law. However, there is absolutely no excuse to let loose with NSA actions geared toward foreign governments.

1) He couldn't have done one without doing the other.

2) There is absolutely no excuse to let loose of your own law for the purpose of spying on other countries. If you do, what is the purpose of the law in the first place? The law doesn't differentiate. You can't go around bending your own rules if you don't want to appear weak and stupid which is exactly what the NSA did.

3) Your perception of right and wrong is antiquated. The world has moved on from such childish notions that the U.S.A. is the king of the mountain and has the best interests of the world close to it's heart.

Give him the prize. Obama got his under the presumption of what he was going to do, and I think we all know what happens when you presume omething. Snowden already did what he did, and it was something that he didn't even plan on doing.

Besides which, he's been unemployed for a few years now. He needs the money.

1. The government is always making choices as to what information is disseminated to the public and which is withheld. Snowden had the option to withhold foreign action and disclose domestic action.

2. United States law protects its citizens. It does not protect foreign governments. The only thing that made the NSA look stupid was its application of domestic spying on its citizens. Spy actions toward foreign governments and terroristic organizations is exactly what they're there for and is absolutely necessary.

3. Not once did I state or imply that the USA was any kind of world model (king of the mountain) for how governments should run. If you do not believe that other governments spy on the US, then you are sadly mistaken. There is no antiquated notion of right and wrong. As an American Citizen, I am protected by the Constitution. Same goes for every one that can claim US citizenship. Domestic spy actions toward Americans is unconstitutional and illegal. Foreign spy actions, toward other governments, are perfectly legit regardless of the country performing those actions.

You know the way I read the disclosures were: this is what they can do. Everything they can do do to everyone as hard as you can... It's their motto.

Also he didn't disclose anything publicly per se. He gave the documents to a team of journalists. Was that risky? Yea. Was there a better way? Probably not. So the documents said we spy on our allies. Our allies knew that. They spied on us unless they are naive. Most people I knew knew most of the disclosures to date- it was unusual to assume there was anything the gov could not do.

What he did was bring the entire beast to the public square of discussion. Brasil passed an Internet bill of rights recently guaranteeing privacy. IT companies worldwide are building more secure systems. In the US we have a chance to tell our lawmakers how we feel. And our lawmakers have a chance to tell us how much they care. I think what he did was positive, but time will tell how this all plays out.

Benjamin Franklin once said those who would sacrifice liberty for safety deserve neither. Do you agree?

I like Norway. Wish we could have more zones like it. He's a good candidate in my mind, need to uphold the concept of hero, not zero, and whistleblowing is definitely HERO mode.

a reply to: Taupin Desciple

Which is obviously ok with you. A great many American citizens take issue with that.

I'm not sure where in my statement that I said I didn't have a problem with it. You shouldn't put words in peoples mouths.

Not really. Not when you take into account the nature of the U.S. and it's habit of letting everyone and their grandmother in for every reason from education to religion to political to whatever else you can think of. It's 2014 now and the diversity if different people from different cultures is at an all time high, the NSA knows this and they know that to spy on citizens of other countries while here in the U.S., you're going to get everyone else as well. This world is more interconnected than ever, so when you spy on certain people in certain countries, that action is inevitably going to lead back here to the U.S.

This is exactly why Snowden should have disclosed the NSA's actions because it directly impacts this country's citizens. However, releasing the actions taken the governments of Germany, Australia, Britain, Russia, and wherever else the NSA had things going is inexcusable. Those two issues are not interchangeable.

They also spy on their own citizens just like the NSA does. Quit trying to make it sound as if the government and it's various factions are clean, because they're not. This is probably the most corrupt country on the planet right now by virtue of it's deception and lies towards everyone...........on the planet.

This is not the same issue as foreign spying. If Britain, Australia, etc. want to spy on their own citizens, then that's for the citizenry to deal with. You seem to have a hard time differentiating between domestic spying and foreign spying. THEY ARE NOT ALWAYS THE SAME THING.

No offense, but that was most naive thing I've heard in quite some time. Your blind allegiance is disturbing.

There was nothing naive about my statement. Maybe I should have said that US law is supposed to protect its citizens. However, US law does not in any way protect foreign governments. I'm not quite sure, but it seems like I've struck a nerve somewhere. There is no blind allegiance in recognizing the need for spy agencies and recognizing that they shouldn't be used against their own citizenry.

Once again, you seem to be mistaking the difference between foreign and domestic actions.

Everything you're stating in this thread is an implication that the U.S. Government does things in response to other countries.

Nothing I've said is an implication that the US acts in response to other countries. It's simple fact that countries spy on one another. The reason I stated that Snowden had no excuse to disclose how far foreign spying went is because no other government needs to know what the US is capable of. It's as simple as that. I don't care what country it is. Each government and its citizens should be upset if someone let loose what they are capable of. It's common sense security measures.

Snowden didn't betray the country, Snowden set things in motion to where the rest of the world had their eyes opened to the truth and now they're doing something about it.

Snowden didn't betray the country when he disclosed DOMESTIC spying.

Snowden did betray the country when he disclosed FOREIGN spying.

I'm not sure why this concept is so difficult to understand.

a reply to: Sillyosaurus


There are two issues present in what Snowden did.

He disclosed information about domestic spying and he disclosed information about foreign spying. One (domestic spying) is a constitutional violation, the other (foreign spying) is not.

I have no issue that Snowden disclosed the NSA's domestic spying. That needed to be brought to light.

I have every issue in the world with Snowden disclosing the NSA's foreign spying. Yes, I'll agree that our allies knew we were spying. But it's another thing entirely to disclose just how far it went and what the NSA was capable of.

I do agree with your quote. Which is why I support the disclosure of the NSA's domestic actions.

a reply to: EternalSolace

You do realize that he probably had to disclose the foreign spying in order to retain his amnesty, right?
"Tell us or we will feed you to the wolves".

a reply to: EyesOpenMouthShut

Doesn't make a difference. He disclosed classified information, to foreign governments, on NSA actions geared toward foreign governments. If he had of kept his mouth shut, and just disclosed the domestic actions to begin with, he likely would have been safe in court. But since he told all, and ran, it makes sense that all the places he applied for amnesty would require him to disclose it all to keep his amnesty...

If that makes sense.

While the reasons for awarding the Nobel Peace Prize have been a joke since Kissinger got it in 1973 and even more after giving it to Obama, it still adds a little more publicity to someone that might help protect his/her life like Liu Xiaobo (2010). It is one thing to let some rather unknown government critic or whistleblower vanish, but another to do that to a Nobel Peace Prize winner.

So, since the USA doesn't care about human rights or international laws and treaties unless it benefits them, I guess giving Snowden the Nobel Peace Prize is an attempt to protect him. Apart from that I think he deserves it for making this hypocrisy about freedom and democracy known to a wider audience.