October 9, 2009
Four For Friday - Do you think President Obama Deserves the Nobel Peace Prize
Q1 - Nobel Peach Prize: The Nobel Peace Prize -- one of five Nobel Prizes bequeathed by Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel -- is supposed to be awarded 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." Do you think President Obama deserves the Prize?
Q2 - Bodyguards: If for some reason you absolutely had to have two bodyguards for your own personal safety and protection, and one had to be someone you personally know, while the other could be anyone dead or alive, who would you choose and why?
Q3 - Airbrushing: Like many nations, France requires health warnings on tobacco and alcohol, as well as similar labels on processed food containing genetically modified ingredients. Now some French legislators want to take consumer protection to an unprecedented level, requiring that advertisements, product labels and even campaign posters carry a warning when they feature a photograph that's been digitally enhanced or airbrushed. Would you be in favor of such a requirement or do you think when it comes to advertising, there's nothing wrong with a little artificial reality?
Q4 - Freedom of Speech: The U.S. Supreme Court voiced deep free speech concerns this week about a law designed to stop the sale and marketing of videos showing dog fights and other acts of animal cruelty. The justices heard an hour of lively debate about the scope and intent of the decade-old statute that supporters say has done much to stop the spread of profiting from the torture and abuse of animals. But media groups and the National Rifle Association were among those who say the law is overly broad. Do you think the current federal law outlawing the sale of graphic videos of animal cruelty amounts to a violation of free speech rights?
Posted by Mikal at October 9, 2009 10:20 PM
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1. I wish I could say yes, but it's more than a little premature at this point.
2. Friend: Ben Held. Other: No one comes to mind in particular, but probably an ex Navy SEAL or Special Forces operative.
3. There's not much difference between airbrushing and the "serving suggestions" one sees on food packaging that bear no relation to the actual food. If they have to make that disclaimer, I don't see why there can't be a airbrush notice.
4. Restrictions on videos depicting animal cruelty is no more a free speech issue than restrictions on a video showing a child being beaten. As long as there are laws against the act of abuse itself, restriction on videos depicting the abuse is not unreasonable.
Q1 - I do not think that he has done anything of substance to enhance the chances of peace in any of the hot spots, and I certainly do not think he had done anything in the first 2 weeks of his presidency to have deserved the nomination. This is probably more of an indictment of the credibility of the Nobel committee than Obama.
Q2 - My bodyguards would be "Big John" Akin (a steel worker) and Dirty Harry.
Q3 - Everyone knows (or should know) that images are cleaned up. I don't think that the government needs to "idiot proof" the entire civilization.
HOWEVER,
Q4 - Decent societies do not condone violence toward people or other living things as entertainment.
1. Wait? Obama got a peach award? I missed this!
In all seriousness, this was CLEARLY a referendum on Obama NOT being Bush. I'm ok with him receiving it because I think he will earn it, but he really should have earned it first.
2. So tempted to say Chuck Norris....
OK, seriously: Beast (my husband) and Ziva (from NCIS). Oh, it has to be someone 'real'? Then Beast and Elizabeth Bathory.
3. Oh, I am TOTALLY all about this! Yes, please, can we see the before/after shots too?
4. No, I do not. I haven't read a lot about this, but there is no reason whatsoever to propagate this sort of entertainment. And no, I do not belong to, nor would I ever join, PETA. But frankly, at this point anything the NRA is against, I'm for.
Q1 - Nobel Peach Prize: No. I also think the Nobel Prize for Peace is a joke. But then again, I've been told I'm a war monger, so whatever.
Q2 - Bodyguards: Master David Linton. One of his students (now a 4th dan black belt, and under ranked if you ask me (politics)) used to fight full contact, and I've seen that student knock somebody out with the lightest of taps -- among other really crazy stuff you would not believe if you didn't see it. That student is scared to death of Master Linton. Second body guard might be General Patton, simply because he had the unquestioning loyalty of an entire army behind him which he could call upon if I so needed.
Q3 - Airbrushing: I think that Truth in Advertising should require real pictures. Without any label that says otherwise, the advertiser is presenting the image as the real deal. That's the opposite of truth where I come from.
Q4 - Freedom of Speech: If you want true freedom (and I do) you have to take the good with the bad and hope that people are reasonable and civilized enough to practice their freedom responsibly. Obviously, that's not the case, so sometimes we have to set laws to define the boundaries. On the other hand, I don't like anyone else telling me what "reasonable" and "civilized" is. Part of practicing my freedom is being able to decide for myself what those bounds are. As long as what I'm doing doesn't infringe on the freedoms or lives of others, it should be okay. Animals, while not having the same rights and freedoms as humans, should have some. Torturing animals is illegal -- as it should be -- and therefore the distribution of materials showing these illegal activities should also be illegal. Long answer short? No.
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