Snowden Nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

Comments

Agreed.

Dominic Holden on January 29, 2014 at 11:08 AM

Fuckin'-A.

Snowden definitely should win the Nobel peace prize. It would hopefully somewhat counteract the stupidity of awarding it to Obama and Kissinger.

CPN on January 29, 2014 at 11:09 AM

No, he shouldn't win the Nobel Prize, and Obama shouldn't have either. But given that the Nobel Prize is a big joke, why not? Give it to him. Clearly his ego can still stand to get bigger.

Jizzlobber on January 29, 2014 at 11:17 AM

And yes, I think he's a coward for running away.

Jizzlobber on January 29, 2014 at 11:18 AM

But, but, but what about how his politics are different than mine!

guerre on January 29, 2014 at 11:22 AM

Funny how the two who nominated him do not agree with what he did, and agree that he harmed the national security of several nations.

But the Nobel peace prize has not had much to do with peace lately anyway. It has become more of a "this person did something of great historical note this year" award (not that it has never gone to someone deserving).

Stretching Obama or Snowden into people who are campaigning and acting for world peace takes quite a bit of mental gymnastics.

Theodore Gorath on January 29, 2014 at 11:24 AM

@4. You know that Snowden wouldn't be able to testify at his trial right? "What [Obama] doesn’t say is that the crimes that he has charged me with are crimes that don’t allow me to make my case. They don’t allow me to defend myself in an open court to the public and convince a jury that what I did was to their benefit. The espionage act was never intended, it’s from 1918, it was never intended to prosecute journalistic sources, people who are informing the newspapers about information that’s of public interest. It was intended for people who are selling documents in secret to foreign governments who are bombing bridges who are sabotaging communications not people who are serving the public good. So it’s I would say illustrative that the president would choose to say someone should face the music when he knows the music is a show trial"

guerre on January 29, 2014 at 11:29 AM

The peace prize is an absolute joke, as Jizzlobber @3 said. It's become a political tool and reality-show-quality advertisement for the Nobel committee... So go ahead and give it to Snowden. Or not. Doesn't really matter.

One thing though, Scandinavians have, without argue, the greatest names in the world. Snorre. Baard. They sound like Dungeons & Dragons characters or Anime monsters.

Urgutha Forka on January 29, 2014 at 11:29 AM

the original defining concept of the Nobel Peace Prize:

"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."

if as a direct result of Snowden's information we decreased the amount of surveillance of "allies" (e.g. Germany) then he'd be more deserving of one that Obama has been. there certainly can't be a question that Snowden deserves one more than a large fraction of the current set of laureates

theophrastus on January 29, 2014 at 11:35 AM

He is no hero he is a joke wow sometimes this site is to liberal for its own good.

Seattle14 on January 29, 2014 at 11:35 AM

I care so little about the Grammys, State of the Union, and Nobel Prizes. Three strikes and I'm out, right?

dnt trust me on January 29, 2014 at 11:37 AM

Edward Snowden should at least get the medal of freedom. He showed the American people two important things. First, that the intelligence agencies have been lying about what information they are collecting. And, second, that they are terrible at keeping that information secret.

A spy agency who can't even prevent a contractor from stealing this data and fleeing the country is worth shit. Do they even know how many foreign operatives have got their hands on this type of sensitive information and quietly left the country.

We spend in the neighborhood of 50 billion a year so these clown can play spy versus spy bragging about how they tapped Angela Merkel's phone, running operations on potential girlfriends, and all the while Dell contractors are siphoning the data off for the highest bidder.

fletc3her on January 29, 2014 at 11:42 AM

#7: And why not do the show trial? Why not reveal what a joke it is to the world? It's not like he's going to be sent to a gulag in Siberia or shot in the back of the head. He still would have been a known quantity to the world due to the leaks, he still would have been a celebrity with the world's focus on him. It would have been a demonstration of heroic conviction in the face of an unfair system. What does hiding behind Putin's skirts while your lawyers try to hammer out a sweet deal where you receive no trial or sentence at all say about him? In all seriousness, he's literally hiding behind a tyrant. Look, running to Hong Kong sort of made sense, because if information was still being distributed to journalists he needed to buy himself time. But running to Russia? A society that punishes dissent far less than his with utter severity? Make himself a political tool of Russia to protest surveillance in the US. I'm sorry, but he's kind of a coward, probably one who panicked when he realized there would be real consequences to his actions. Essentially, he doesn't think he should be punished at all. Even a reduced sentence under a plea bargain isn't good enough for him; he has to be feted as a hero to deign returning.

Jizzlobber on January 29, 2014 at 11:43 AM

@8 Trust me, those names are funny in many languages. Snor and Baard mean "mustache" and "beard" respectively in Dutch - and snorrebaard means "whiskers."

Bård Vegar Solhjell is at least barbate - Snorre is a babyface.

on January 29, 2014 at 11:44 AM

Only a racist would say that Obama didn't deserve the prize - a black man won the presidency in a country where black men are literally second class citizens. Where black men were regularly lynched - where black men are killed with impunity on the streets all over the country.

So fuck off, no, Obama absolutely deserved the prize. Snowden stole data and fucked off to the protectorate of a literal tyrant, rather than a president who is only a tyrant in the eyes of bitcoin enthusiasts.

johnjjeeves on January 29, 2014 at 11:46 AM

The headline is silly: literally everyone remotely interesting or controversial is routinely nominated for the Peace Prize (including, say, Assad, and in his day Milosevic), because the rules state that any individual member of any national legislature can make a nomination. There are many thousands of such people in the world, and no few of them are cranks or troublemakers.

You want to push Snowden's candidacy, have at it. But the headline is just silly.

Warren Terra on January 29, 2014 at 11:53 AM

@16

I don't know. There's possibly a website listing the rules. Try scrolling around www.germansausage.com

dnt trust me on January 29, 2014 at 12:08 PM

I must be getting old; I remember when the Peace Prize was awarded to someone who actually did something that made the world a more peaceful place. No, that's not Obama, and it's not Snowden either.

Fifty-Two-Eighty on January 29, 2014 at 12:08 PM

@Nobel generally

When Obama won for just being elected president, this prize officially became a joke.

Seattleblues on January 29, 2014 at 12:16 PM

I want to be as clear as I possibly can about this: all sorts of random people, heroic and awful, are nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize every year. This nomination is meaningless, deserved or not.

Josh Bis on January 29, 2014 at 12:20 PM

@14,
Holy shit that's awesome!!!

So the two guys who nominated Snowden have names that literally translate (in Dutch) to "moustache" and "beard."

And Snowden has a goatee (from what I recall). Cue facial hair conspiracy theorists.

Urgutha Forka on January 29, 2014 at 12:29 PM

@13: because at the end of the day, he's a human being who wants, at some level, to see sunshine or green grass again at some point. He wouldn't go to Siberia or be shot, he'd probably end up in Supermax in Colorado and live the rest of his life in a concrete cell without so much as a glimpse of sunlight. Meanwhile, those who actually committed these crimes against us would be free to continue doing what they're doing. He ran because running is the best chance that he would be able to continue lobbying against surveillance and do a little good.

@21: I can't really place the blame for that on the heads of anyone but the NSA brass. If they'd responded when Binney and Drake attempted to go through proper channels with this stuff, we wouldn't have had a Snowden in the first place. Stick a gun in the face of the professionals when they try to report malfeasance and you get amateur hour.

Apocynum on January 29, 2014 at 12:34 PM

Um, no Paul.

Mr. Snowden doesn't deserve a Nobel Peace Prize. He broke the law. My understanding is he signed a disclosure agreement not to reveal data/information. I know I have as I work in clinical research. I'm fairly certain it is necessary at the NSA. While he may not yet deserve to be prosecuted, he doesn't deserve a Nobel. Not surprisingly, the Norwegian Nobel Committee has nominated and awarded the prize to people deemed unworthy. Mr. Snowden isn't MLK or Betty Williams & Maireid Corrigan (the winners in 76'). They deserve the award. Even Obama admitted he didn't deserve the award after a mere 9 months in office. I agree with him.

Mr. Snowden needs to be thoroughly investigated and possibly prosecuted. Obama agrees with that. Snowden's nomination is absurd.

lark on January 29, 2014 at 12:37 PM

@20

No need to spell out that you're thinking of Henry Kissinger here. We can tell.

Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn on January 29, 2014 at 12:49 PM

I wish they would take Obama's away from him and give it to Snowden. Just draw a line through Obama's name and write in Snowden's below it.

You_Gotta_Be_Kidding_Me on January 29, 2014 at 12:51 PM

@27 good thing our country was founded by men who followed the rules. If people like you existed we wouldn't know about COINTELPRO, about Hoover's spying on MLK, unions and strikes would never happen, etc etc. I don't remember nondisclosure agreements being handed down from on high, written indelibly in red across the sky for all mankind to follow. The only good heroes are those brave men and women who break their countries laws in order to serve the public. The had no standing in court to contest NSA surveillance until the Snowden Leak. You know what happens to leakers who come home to stand for their 'crimes'? Why don't you ask Chelsea Manning, rotting away in her cell.

guerre on January 29, 2014 at 12:53 PM

@26

Again, you stop being a whistle blower when you start indiscriminately releasing stolen NSA data in exchange for a place to hide or just because.

I hate the Patriot Act. I hate being illegally searched by my government for flying within my country or simply entering a federal building. I hate that my internet or phone data, or any other data not obtained via a search warrant, could be gotten by law enforcement or the feds without due process. I hate that even many searches with warrants obtained by the odious Fisa court are mere rubber stamps for federal unreasonable searches without Constitutionally granted rules of evidence and review.

We live in what could only reasonably be called a police state. A nice one, with a comfortable living standard for most, but a police state nonetheless. People willing to take risks, to engage in civil disobedience, to sue and keep doing so until the bill of rights again means something are absolutely necessary if we're to be a free people again.

Had Snowden confined himself to violations of Americans civil rights, I'd be foursquare behind him. He didn't, and I'm not.

Seattleblues on January 29, 2014 at 12:55 PM

@15
I don’t think you understand the meaning of the words “literally” or “impunity.”

You_Gotta_Be_Kidding_Me on January 29, 2014 at 12:57 PM

I'm ambivalent about whether he should get a Nobel prize or not, but I think giving it to him now, this year, would be a huge mistake. We really just don't know enough about him. I think the odds are very small, but nonzero, that he actually was working as a spy for some foreign government or had other ulterior motives. Again, I don't think that's likely, but he's too new to public life for us to be immortalizing his accomplishments (if you want to call them that) before we know they'll stand the test of time. From the Nobel committee's standpoint at least, I would want to avoid the "yeah, I got this tattoo as a kid, now that band totally blows" situation.

Shane P. on January 29, 2014 at 12:59 PM

@12 Nailed it, absolutely.

NotSean on January 29, 2014 at 1:00 PM

@30

Thank you for citing Brad Manning. He and Snowden fail the smell test for the same reason.

Taking targeted data and publicizing it to prove a harm to others you couldn't otherwise prove is whistle blowing. Wholesale theft of documents and indiscriminate release of them is espionage.

Mr Bradley Manning and Mr Snowden aren't whistleblowers, they're spies, traitors.

Seattleblues on January 29, 2014 at 1:01 PM

@31 I tentatively agree with you on the scope-of-releases issue, provided that what you say about his releasing data indiscriminately to foreign governments is verifiably true and not just something the government is alleging he did, because we both know they say all kinds of shit.

That said, I stand by my point that Snowden wouldn't exist if Drake and Binney had been dealt with properly. The government doesn't get to define the scope of whistleblowing, threaten and fire those who work inside it, then flip their shit when the next guy when he sees what happens and goes directly to the press.

Apocynum on January 29, 2014 at 1:09 PM

@ 35, I'm pretty sure you just looked at the fact that they have some fans on the left and decided to take the opposite tack. It's about as sophisticated as your approach to politics gets.

Matt from Denver on January 29, 2014 at 1:14 PM

@21 Could you briefly outline the boundaries of YOUR country? I'm way the hell on the other side of the United States, so I'm pretty sure that I'm not in it, but based upon your usual run of posts, I would like to be sure.

pemulis on January 29, 2014 at 1:20 PM

@31: Do you have any evidence that Snowden traded sensitive documents for sanctuary in Russia? Didn't think so.

And he's not indiscriminately releasing information. He's releasing (well, Greenwald is) very specific information at very specific times for the purpose of showing the extent of the lies the NSA is telling trying to cover their unconstitutional actions.

Care to make any other bullshit arguments?

MRM on January 29, 2014 at 1:22 PM

Oh, Seattleblues, just shut up already until they post something about your area of expertise--anal sex between guys. Then you can comment all you want.

seatackled on January 29, 2014 at 1:23 PM

@21

Aww isn't that cute? Constant's wittle feewings were hurt!

I'll re-iterate, since the coward Constant can't stand any views but his.

If you hate this country so much that traitors like Snowden deserve the Nobel for their treason, you're cordially invited to leave, Constant.

Seattleblues on January 29, 2014 at 1:29 PM

@40

Try reading for a change. The scale and scope of violation of basic civil rights by our government I find appalling. Now, do you really disagree with that, or is adolescent insult all you got?

Seattleblues on January 29, 2014 at 1:33 PM

@ 42, see @ 37, then follow your own advice.

Matt from Denver on January 29, 2014 at 1:51 PM

the ACLU had no standing*

guerre on January 29, 2014 at 1:54 PM

What Snowden did.... are we better or worse for it? Better for sure. Full stop.

That said, Snowden is a punk who didn't have the balls to go public on his own soil & trust his society to enable his story to be told. Instead, he ran away and hid behind the cloak of dictator/KGB thug/homophobe Victor Putin and takes petulant pot shots from behind the erstwhile iron curtain. Neener, neener. catch me if you can. Irony anyone?

Snowden has acted in ways that suggest he is more about Snowden than the cause he purports to believe in. Am I glad the information he has is public? Yes. Does there need to be a big public debate about changes to how NSA does business? Absolutely. Does he deserve any respect -- or a peace rpize -- for how he has acted? No effn way. Be a stand up guy, Ed. Own it that society's got rules. Use what you know to change the rules. Dont run & hide in a manner that sends the message that it's OK to selectively comply with laws in a democratic society. You've undermined your own point, dumbass.

gawd on January 29, 2014 at 2:05 PM

Snowden should receive the Nobel Peace Prize.

catpantsclub on January 29, 2014 at 2:23 PM

He should be in jail. Who knows if China or Russia got their hands on our data but we know a British newspaper has it. Right there he is a traitor.

MarkusTaylor on January 29, 2014 at 2:33 PM

Seriously why did he give our data to anyone but an American new source?

MarkusTaylor on January 29, 2014 at 2:36 PM

Yes, dozens of random people are nominated for Nobel peace prizes every year and, no, the prize has never been anything more than a political statement by those who awarded it. Look at any time in history and you'll find some real howlers on the list.

http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/p…

I think it's funny when people say it became a joke when Obama won it. Not when Al Gore won it for his work publicizing climate change? Not when the IAEA won it for failing to convince anyone Iraq didn't have WMDs? Not when Kissinger won the damn thing? And, not when Arafat, Peres, and Rabin for bringing peace to the Middle East... in 94?

Still, Snowden deserves it. For bringing to light the United States' clandestine warfare against all the nations of the world including itself.

fletc3her on January 29, 2014 at 3:11 PM

@48 None of the American news sources he gave it to would publish any of it so most of the revelations have been broken by Glenn Greenwald of The Guardian newspaper in the UK.

fletc3her on January 29, 2014 at 3:12 PM

@50 If the data is so sensitive that no American news source would publish it then it kind of shows the crimes he has committed.

MarkusTaylor on January 29, 2014 at 4:21 PM

I wish people would stop publishing articles about Nobel Prize nominations as if they mean anything. They don't. It just means that one of roughly 3000 people who are allowed to submit a nomination submitted his name.

delirian on January 29, 2014 at 4:54 PM

@50 the Guardian does have a US branch, which did publish the materials. Glenn Greenwald is also an American, though he lives in Brazil because his husband was unable to get a visa in the US under DOMA.

Kisses on January 29, 2014 at 5:15 PM

Edward Snowden might be brave, and may be a hero;

But it's a different argument to say he's advanced the cause of global peace one iota.

fetish on January 29, 2014 at 5:22 PM

@13- Why not have a secret trial? I don't know...maybe because it wouldn't be a show trial where he actually got a show? Or maybe because he saw what happened to Chelsea Manning? Or maybe because he didn't see why he should go to prison for doing America a huge favor?

Snowden is a hero, I don't see why he needs to be a martyr.

dwightmoodyforgetsthings on January 29, 2014 at 5:46 PM

Indoctrination and propaganda, behold your mindless minions.

Simpletons on parade.

The law has been made sacrosanct to them, the government above reproach.

The "other" as defined by you is instantly made wicked in their sight.

They look to their invisible sky god and find him made manifest in you.

Babbling idiots, one and all.

on January 29, 2014 at 6:19 PM

People who dismiss what Edward Snowden did because he wasn't dumb enough to stay in the U.S. (where he'd be tossed into a bottomless gulag) are probably bloodthirsty martyr fetishists who masturbate to crucifixion fantasies. Keep Snowden out of your sex lives. It's selfish and rude.

Puty on January 31, 2014 at 8:27 PM

Snowden Nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

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