# Snowden nominated for Nobel Prize **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics and Social Issues\ **Created:** [July 16, 2013, 6:56pm UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/snowden-nominated-for-nobel-prize/2964 "2013-07-16T18:56:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![lois](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/5f8ce5/32.png) [@lois](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/lois)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2013, 6:56pm UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/snowden-nominated-for-nobel-prize/2964/1 "2013-07-16T18:56:57Z")
Edward Snowden Nominated for Nobel Peace Prize By Tal Kopan, Politico 16 July 13 Swedish sociology professor has nominated Edward Snowden for the Nobel Peace Prize, saying that awarding the former NSA employee would correct Nobel Committee’s mistake in giving the award to President Barack Obama in 2009. According to a translation of the letter published by the Daily Mail and [RT.com](http://RT.com), Umeå University professor Stefan Svallfors wrote the committee that Snowden has made the world safer in releasing information about United States surveillance. “Edward Snowden has - in a heroic effort at great personal cost - revealed the existence and extent of the surveillance, the U.S. government devotes electronic communications worldwide. By putting light on this monitoring program - conducted in contravention of national laws and international agreements - Edward Snowden has helped to make the world a little bit better and safer,” Svallfors wrote. Referencing the Nuremberg trials of Nazis, Svallfors says following orders is not an excuse for acting against human rights and freedom, and he praised Snowden’s courage in leaking the information. Svallfors also noted that Obama was a past recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, which he called a correctable mistake. “The decision to award the 2013 prize to Edward Snowden would - in addition to being well justified in itself - also help to save the Nobel Peace Prize from the disrepute that incurred by the hasty and ill-conceived decision to award U.S. President Barack Obama 2009 award,” Svallfors said. Because of Svallfors’s professorship at Umeå, he is one of the people who can submit a nomination to the Nobel organization. However, nominations for 2013 were required to be postmarked by Feb. 1. It was unclear if the committee would consider Snowden’s nomination for 2013 anyway. The Nobel Peace Prize website says the committee may sometimes add nominations to the list accrued by Feb. 1, but once names are whittled down into a shortlist, the nomination process is closed. Nominations after the deadline are usually considered the following year. The committee received a record 259 nominations this year, it said. Prizes are announced in October. On Monday, WikiLeaks noted that Snowden joins WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and leaker Army Pfc. Bradley Manning in having been nominated for Nobels, but the organization in a series of tweets decried the committee as a “corrupt” tool of foreign policy. [http://readersupportednews.org/news-section2/421-national-security/18426-edward-snowden-nominated-for-nobel-peace-prize](http://readersupportednews.org/news-section2/421-national-security/18426-edward-snowden-nominated-for-nobel-peace-prize) ---
**Author:** ![yosemitesam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/7feea3/32.png) [@yosemitesam](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/yosemitesam)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2013, 8:39pm UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/snowden-nominated-for-nobel-prize/2964/2 "2013-07-16T20:39:47Z")
Ain’t that a kick - I just heard it myself. Aren’t those the folks that gave Obama something very special a while back 🙂 Maybe they are trying to make amends, considering… Well, OK, no maybe about it. > :ohh: Svallfors also noted that Obama was a past recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, which he called a correctable mistake. “The decision to award the 2013 prize to Edward Snowden would - in addition to being well justified in itself - also help to save the Nobel Peace Prize from the disrepute that incurred by the hasty and ill-conceived decision to award U.S. President Barack Obama 2009 award," Svallfors said. ============================================= What are the odds of Snowden winning? Now I'm not a betting man and don't know squat about odds - but I'm in for 5 bucks on Snowden taking it. ---
**Author:** ![ciceronianus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b19c9b/32.png) [@ciceronianus](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/ciceronianus)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 6:29pm UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/snowden-nominated-for-nobel-prize/2964/3 "2013-07-18T18:29:35Z")
Well, giving one to the President was silly, as he had done nothing. Snowden has done something, but it isn’t clear to me he has advanced the cause of peace. But I fear the good professor’s dream of rescuing the prize from disrepute will not come true, regardless of who the winner is; it fell into disrepute long ago. ---
**Author:** ![rbc13183](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/forum.centerforinquiry.org/rbc13183/32/66_2.png) [@rbc13183](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/rbc13183)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 6:38pm UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/snowden-nominated-for-nobel-prize/2964/4 "2013-07-18T18:38:51Z")
I think it’s time to admit that the Nobel Peace Prize has basically lost any real significant meaning by now… ---
**Author:** ![thevillageatheist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/85e7bf/32.png) [@thevillageatheist](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/thevillageatheist)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 8:22pm UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/snowden-nominated-for-nobel-prize/2964/5 "2013-07-18T20:22:49Z")
> Well, giving one to the President was silly, as he had done nothing. Snowden has done something, but it isn’t clear to me he has advanced the cause of peace. But I fear the good professor’s dream of rescuing the prize from disrepute will not come true, regardless of who the winner is; it fell into disrepute long ago. I'm not certain how Snowden advanced the cause of peace by the act of leaking sensitive information concerning the NSA surveillance activities. He did bring it to light and force the government and the people to deal with it but how does that make for a more peaceful World? Will it somehow stop the drones? And, yes the peace prize has been given to recipients leaving people to scratch their heads in bewilderment, e.g. Teddi Roosevelt, also known as our first imperial president and known war hawk. He stopped the brushfire war between Russia and Japan and they handed him the prize. Prior to that he literally started the Spanish-American War just to participate in it, created a bogus country to build a canal and added a corollary to the Monoe Doctrine that allowed for the exploitation of Central America. His was an aggressive foreign policy if you remember his cliche phrase. All that and more by 1906. Cap't Jack ---
**Author:** ![lois](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/5f8ce5/32.png) [@lois](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/lois)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 11:18pm UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/snowden-nominated-for-nobel-prize/2964/6 "2013-07-18T23:18:08Z")
It might make some sense if heads of state and all politicians were disqualified from the Peace Prize. Keeping peace or creating it is part of their jobs. It’s laymen who do something substantial to advance world peace who should receive it. The peace prize has become too political. Snowden shouldn’t get it, either. ---
**Author:** ![mikeyohe](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/forum.centerforinquiry.org/mikeyohe/32/28536_2.png) [@mikeyohe](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/mikeyohe)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2013, 3:41am UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/snowden-nominated-for-nobel-prize/2964/7 "2013-07-19T03:41:19Z")
Maybe we need a Whistle Blower Award and Gold Metal. ---
**Author:** ![rbc13183](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/forum.centerforinquiry.org/rbc13183/32/66_2.png) [@rbc13183](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/rbc13183)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2013, 3:50am UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/snowden-nominated-for-nobel-prize/2964/8 "2013-07-19T03:50:51Z")
> Maybe we need a Whistle Blower Award and Gold Metal. Unfortunately, the US govt. would likely have it renamed as the "Traitor" award. ---
**Author:** ![ciceronianus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b19c9b/32.png) [@ciceronianus](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/ciceronianus)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2013, 3:26pm UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/snowden-nominated-for-nobel-prize/2964/9 "2013-07-19T15:26:58Z")
> > Well, giving one to the President was silly, as he had done nothing. Snowden has done something, but it isn’t clear to me he has advanced the cause of peace. But I fear the good professor’s dream of rescuing the prize from disrepute will not come true, regardless of who the winner is; it fell into disrepute long ago. > > I'm not certain how Snowden advanced the cause of peace by the act of leaking sensitive information concerning the NSA surveillance activities. He did bring it to light and force the government and the people to deal with it but how does that make for a more peaceful World? Will it somehow stop the drones? And, yes the peace prize has been given to recipients leaving people to scratch their heads in bewilderment, e.g. Teddi Roosevelt, also known as our first imperial president and known war hawk. He stopped the brushfire war between Russia and Japan and they handed him the prize. Prior to that he literally started the Spanish-American War just to participate in it, created a bogus country to build a canal and added a corollary to the Monoe Doctrine that allowed for the exploitation of Central America. His was an aggressive foreign policy if you remember his cliche phrase. All that and more by 1906. Cap't Jack Yes. Roosevelt, "the Great American Sissy" as Gore Vidal called him, was certainly a warmonger. ---
**Author:** ![hazelnut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/bbce88/32.png) [@hazelnut](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/hazelnut)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2013, 6:11am UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/snowden-nominated-for-nobel-prize/2964/10 "2013-07-20T06:11:36Z")
The Nobel committee is probably trying to regain relevancy. Snowdon should tell them to shove it. ---
**Author:** ![vyazma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d9b06d/32.png) [@vyazma](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/vyazma)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2013, 5:02pm UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/snowden-nominated-for-nobel-prize/2964/11 "2013-07-20T17:02:10Z")
> The Nobel committee is probably trying to regain relevancy. Snowdon should tell them to shove it. Regain relevancy to suit whom? Bloggers? Pundits? Biased media outlets? Crows? I wasn't aware myself that the Nobel Prize had lost any relevancy actually. I thought it was simply an organization that tries to award recognition for endeavors of human achievement in culture and science and humanities. Perhaps some of you should contact them and give them your regarded opinion on how to better administer the prizes that they go out of their way to award. ---
**Author:** ![rbc13183](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/forum.centerforinquiry.org/rbc13183/32/66_2.png) [@rbc13183](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/rbc13183)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2013, 5:46pm UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/snowden-nominated-for-nobel-prize/2964/12 "2013-07-20T17:46:43Z")
> The Nobel committee is probably trying to regain relevancy. Snowdon should tell them to shove it. Regain relevancy to suit whom? Bloggers? Pundits? Biased media outlets? Crows? I wasn't aware myself that the Nobel Prize had lost any relevancy actually. I thought it was simply an organization that tries to award recognition for endeavors of human achievement in culture and science and humanities. Perhaps some of you should contact them and give them your regarded opinion on how to better administer the prizes that they go out of their way to award. Well, yeah, everyone knows what the Nobel Peace prize was FOR. And sure, they could give it to whomever they want. They could give it to a dog if they want. They could give it to a nearby tree stump. But that's completely beside the point. It's a prize that is meant to garner strong **public** recognition. So while the public may or may not have any say so in the matter, it doesn't necessarily follow that their opinion is irrelevant. Otherwise, Professor Svallfors wouldn't be speaking so apologetically about their "hasty and ill-conceived decision" to give it Obama in 2009. The NPP is meant to be a shining symbol of tireless and sacrificial work towards human societal progress. Even Obama supporters (like me at the time) were scratching our heads a bit when it was offered to him after he won the election. If my memory serves me correctly, I don't think he had been in office for even two weeks at the time. And while I have defended Snowden's recklessness, I find myself once again scratching my head. Snowden? Really? Things like this make me wonder if the NPP is becoming more of a political tool than what it is meant to symbolize. Or perhaps it's just a popularity contest now. I mean, really, the people who tend to get the award are usually those who have put in some **serious** work. You don't just get it because a bunch of people like you. So the only conclusion I can come to is that they are indeed trying to regain their relevancy with the public. But again, sure, they don't have to check with me in order to determine who to give it to. But it's relevancy and prestige is partially, if not completely, dependent on public recognition of the prize. At least, that's how it's evolved. ---
**Author:** ![ericm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/48db29/32.png) [@ericm](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/ericm)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2013, 6:05pm UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/snowden-nominated-for-nobel-prize/2964/13 "2013-07-20T18:05:29Z")
vyazma- Such a snarky little response…knee-jerk reaction to something that you have not devoted much time or thought to. Barack Obama- for extraordinary efforts to bring about peace…blah, blah blah IPCC for bringing truth about global warming…blah blah blah… Un and kofi anon for bringing about world peace …wow imagine there are no more wars. Mother theresa for helping to keep Indian kids sick and poor because Christ loves the little children so much that suffering is salvation…wow The Nobel Peace Prize is a big butt-kissing joke award…my opinion only of course…but accurate never the less… ---
**Author:** ![vyazma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d9b06d/32.png) [@vyazma](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/vyazma)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2013, 7:18pm UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/snowden-nominated-for-nobel-prize/2964/14 "2013-07-20T19:18:35Z")
> **Cloak-** Otherwise, Professor Svallfors wouldn't be speaking so apologetically about their "hasty and ill-conceived decision" to give it Obama in 2009. I don't know how he could make those comments apologetically..he doesn't give the award, he only offers his opinion on who should get the award. Apparently he offers his opinions on who deserved the award and who didn't too. > The NPP is meant to be a shining symbol of tireless and sacrificial work towards human societal progress. Even Obama supporters (like me at the time) were scratching our heads a bit when it was offered to him after he won the election. If my memory serves me correctly, I don't think he had been in office for even two weeks at the time. And while I have defended Snowden's recklessness, I find myself once again scratching my head. Snowden? Really? Obama was a symbol of a nation finally emerging from the possible final vestiges of an apartheid, slave legacy state, with a huge history of racial bias and discrimination and racial human rights abuses. They chose Obama as the symbol of this emergence, and as a singular person who had the ability to accomplish this political feat in the face of such a legacy. I got it. To me the _political tool_ is this Swedish Professor. That's obvious! Obama doesn't live up to _his_ political expectations, Snowden does. Hmmnn... > So the only conclusion I can come to is that they are indeed trying to regain their relevancy with the public. How did they lose their relevancy with _the public_? What exactly caused them to lose relevancy? And what are the doing to regain this relevancy? Could you fill me in on this? > But it's relevancy and prestige is partially, if not completely, dependent on public recognition of the prize. At least, that's how it's evolved. How much of the public is aware of the prize in the first place? It's a world wide prize. So how much of the world public is aware of the prize or the US public? The scientists, authors and politicians maybe dependent(somewhat) on the recognition from _receiving_ the prize, but how dependent is the NPP Body on recognition from the public? Really, how dependent are _they_ on recognition from the public? You think they will stop giving it out or people will stop accepting the award if the _public_ doesn't _recognize_ it's relevancy? ---
**Author:** ![vyazma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d9b06d/32.png) [@vyazma](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/vyazma)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2013, 7:30pm UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/snowden-nominated-for-nobel-prize/2964/15 "2013-07-20T19:30:57Z")
> vyazma- Such a snarky little response....knee-jerk reaction to something that you have not devoted much time or thought to. Barack Obama- for extraordinary efforts to bring about peace.......blah, blah blah IPCC for bringing truth about global warming.......blah blah blah...... Un and kofi anon for bringing about world peace .....wow imagine there are no more wars. Mother theresa for helping to keep Indian kids sick and poor because Christ loves the little children so much that suffering is salvation......wow The Nobel Peace Prize is a big butt-kissing joke award.......my opinion only of course....but accurate never the less..... How boorish. I suppose you have overly high expectations of sprinkles and rainbows. But your probably just another fickle crow, spouting your tiny opinions within the delineated choruses of the blog-o-sphere. ---
**Author:** ![thevillageatheist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/85e7bf/32.png) [@thevillageatheist](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/thevillageatheist)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2013, 8:52pm UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/snowden-nominated-for-nobel-prize/2964/16 "2013-07-20T20:52:35Z")
> Yes. Roosevelt, “the Great American Sissy" as Gore Vidal called him, was certainly a warmonger. I wonder what Roosevelt's reaction to THAT comment would have been as he said pubically that President Wilson had "the backbone of a chocolate eclair" for not joining the allies in World War I. He wanted to lead another charge before he died. Undoubtedly Roosevelt would have considered Snowden an egregious coward and traitor. Cap't Jack ---
**Author:** ![rbc13183](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/forum.centerforinquiry.org/rbc13183/32/66_2.png) [@rbc13183](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/rbc13183)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2013, 9:26pm UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/snowden-nominated-for-nobel-prize/2964/17 "2013-07-20T21:26:15Z")
> I don't know how he could make those comments apologetically..he doesn't give the award, he only offers his opinion on who should get the award. Apparently he offers his opinions on who deserved the award and who didn't too. No, but he's likely one of the people who may have nominated the guy. You and me don't have the capability of doing something like that. Apparently, he is allowed to submit nominations, with the guarantee that those nominations will actually be looked at by the committee. That, in the very least, indicates that his opinion on these issues is respected by the committee itself. I'm not saying that he has authority here, but his opinion obviously holds some kind of weight, so he doesn't have to be the actual committee to speak apologetically on their behalf. > Obama was a symbol of a nation finally emerging from the possible final vestiges of an apartheid, slave legacy state, with a huge history of racial bias and discrimination and racial human rights abuses. They chose Obama as the symbol of this emergence, and as a singular person who had the ability to accomplish this political feat in the face of such a legacy. I got it. I'm not sure if you intended this, but all this seems to come down to is that Obama got the nomination simply for being a black man who won the presidency? Look, many people were amazed by what this actually meant, including me. It made us all smile to finally see this day. But, heck, I didn't need anymore symbols. The very fact that I could already walk outside and kiss my white wife in front of my white neighbors and then wave at them, without having to worry about being kidnapped and lynched was enough "symbol" for me. I was more interested in seeing what he would _do._ Isn't that what matters with the NPP? Perhaps my understanding of the meaning of the NPP, and what it takes to actually get it, is limited. If so, I'm willing to grant that. > How did they lose their relevancy with _the public_? What exactly caused them to lose relevancy? And what are the doing to regain this relevancy? Could you fill me in on this? I don't know if they've "lost their relevancy" yet, but they sure have a lot of people confused now. What I'm saying is that there is a potential for losing this relevancy, because if you develop a reputation for giving it away to people for doing virtually nothing, then they could run the risk of being ignored into obscurity. I'm not saying that I know for sure if that's really the case, but I can say that the meaning of the prize is a bit lost on me now, since it's now able to be expanded to just being a black man in a powerful position. > The scientists, authors and politicians maybe dependent(somewhat) on the recognition from _receiving_ the prize, but how dependent is the NPP Body on recognition from the public? Really, how dependent are _they_ on recognition from the public? I'm not sure what the NPP Body depends on, but I do believe that the prestige of the award is dependent on public recognition. Is that idea unreasonable? ---
**Author:** ![hazelnut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/bbce88/32.png) [@hazelnut](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/hazelnut)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2013, 11:04pm UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/snowden-nominated-for-nobel-prize/2964/18 "2013-07-20T23:04:38Z")
> The Nobel committee is probably trying to regain relevancy. Snowdon should tell them to shove it. Regain relevancy to suit whom? Bloggers? Pundits? Biased media outlets? Crows? I wasn't aware myself that the Nobel Prize had lost any relevancy actually. I thought it was simply an organization that tries to award recognition for endeavors of human achievement in culture and science and humanities. Perhaps some of you should contact them and give them your regarded opinion on how to better administer the prizes that they go out of their way to award.The young find it irrelevant. Overall, young people don't care much about the Nobel prize and what it stands for. It's on the same level of mediocrity as the UN. IMO, the Nobel committee know they're slipping - with giving Barack, Kissinger, Arafat, and the EU, the damn award; nominating Snowdon is just a way for them to stay in the headlines. ---
**Author:** ![hazelnut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/bbce88/32.png) [@hazelnut](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/hazelnut)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2013, 11:21pm UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/snowden-nominated-for-nobel-prize/2964/19 "2013-07-20T23:21:54Z")
> > The NPP is meant to be a shining symbol of tireless and sacrificial work towards human societal progress. Even Obama supporters (like me at the time) were scratching our heads a bit when it was offered to him after he won the election. If my memory serves me correctly, I don't think he had been in office for even two weeks at the time. And while I have defended Snowden's recklessness, I find myself once again scratching my head. Snowden? Really? > > Obama was a symbol of a nation finally emerging from the possible final vestiges of an apartheid, slave legacy state, with a huge history of racial bias and discrimination and racial human rights abuses. They chose Obama as the symbol of this emergence, and as a singular person who had the ability to accomplish this political feat in the face of such a legacy. I got it. By that logic, they could have awarded it to the American public that voted him in, but Norwegians hate Americans. :lol: But really, he got it because he's half black, that's all. ---
**Author:** ![lois](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/5f8ce5/32.png) [@lois](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/lois)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2013, 3:33am UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/snowden-nominated-for-nobel-prize/2964/20 "2013-07-21T03:33:46Z")
> > The NPP is meant to be a shining symbol of tireless and sacrificial work towards human societal progress. Even Obama supporters (like me at the time) were scratching our heads a bit when it was offered to him after he won the election. If my memory serves me correctly, I don't think he had been in office for even two weeks at the time. And while I have defended Snowden's recklessness, I find myself once again scratching my head. Snowden? Really? > > Obama was a symbol of a nation finally emerging from the possible final vestiges of an apartheid, slave legacy state, with a huge history of racial bias and discrimination and racial human rights abuses. They chose Obama as the symbol of this emergence, and as a singular person who had the ability to accomplish this political feat in the face of such a legacy. I got it. By that logic, they could have awarded it to the American public that voted him in, but Norwegians hate Americans. :lol: But really, he got it because he's half black, that's all. Was Jimmy Carter half black? How about Mikhail Gorbachev? [Next page](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/snowden-nominated-for-nobel-prize/2964.md?page=2)