Friday - October 12, 2012

Insignificant Crap

Oh yeah, I almost forgot. The first bit of news I heard this morning - and I’ve been up since 5am because of the MIL’s surgery (she came through fine, thanks) - was that Oslo awarded the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize ... to the EU. Give yourselves a hand; they gave themselves their own prize.

That’s right! Europe gave Europe the Peace Prize because for 60 years now Europe hasn’t gone to war with Europe.  No mention was made EVER, AT ALL, of the tens of thousands of American troops stationed all around Europe for many decades for pretty much exactly this reason (plus keeping those other Europeans at bay), resulting in most countries in Europe hardly even having an army worth invading Belgium with, nor an air force or navy good for more than a few hours of fighting. No matter.

So, since the ass clowns in Norway have reduced old Alfred’s once truly significant award to less then audacious hype and empty political posturing, it is only just that I don’t post on this event until the middle of the evening when I’m taking a bathroom break between bouts of channel surfing. It matters that little. Less. I do hope though that the EU puts the prize money in one of their virtually cobwebbed bank accounts, because the whole bunch of them are about to go belly up financially. And when that happens things will get nasty. Lead by Germany, the only country in Continental Europe to have not made a complete mess of things.

Gee, in the 1930s we had an angry Germany and everybody else had all the money. I wonder how it will play out this time with an angry Germany that has all the money? Perhaps the Nobel Prize is now a reliable contra-indicator, the same way awarding their gold medal to Obama the moment he took power seems to have been proof of the nothingness of his reign? Thus a peace prize to the EU would mean war is on the horizon. If NATO fights NATO, does the US have to support both sides? Will we at least be able to send Democrats to this set of trenches and Republicans to that set? Gee whiz.

OSLO, Norway — The European Union won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for its efforts to promote peace and democracy in Europe — despite being in the midst of its biggest crisis since the bloc was created in the 1950s.

The Norwegian prize committee said the EU received the award for six decades of contributions “to the advancement of peace and reconciliation, democracy and human rights in Europe.

“The stabilizing part played by the European Union has helped to transform a once torn Europe from a continent of war to a continent of peace,” Nobel committee chairman Thorbjoern Jagland said.

The EU rose from the ashes of World War II, born of the conviction that ever-closer economic ties would make sure that century-old enemies never turned on each other again. It’s now made up of 500 million people in 27 nations, with other nations lined up, waiting to join.

The idea of a united Europe began to take on a more defined shape when, on May 9, 1950, French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman proposed that France and the Federal Republic of Germany pool their coal and steel resources in a new organization that other European countries could join.

“Today war between Germany and France is unthinkable. This shows how, through well-aimed efforts and by building up mutual confidence, historical enemies can become close partners,” the committee said.

Wanna bet? Buy a few rounds at any German pub and then get them talking about reparations from WWI. Or all the wonderful Turks in their cities. And then buy another round and bring glorious, sophisticated, romantic France into the conversation. 

Posted by Drew458     on 10/12/2012 at 06:36 PM   
Filed Under: • EUro-peons •  
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