Nobel Prize for Putin

[Shofercia]

Putin has fought against corruption throughout his service as Russian Head of State or Head of Government.

Yes, I'm sure the Russian State Media says that, just like the North Korean media likely claims that Kim Jong Un single-handedly defeated the Dream Team in basketball.

Pretty sure he did though. Considering the sheer levels of unreported corruption in Russia in the 1990s, it's much better now. Then again, it's hard for Russia to be more corrupt than Russia was in the 90s, I think that was a World Record or something...

The problem was that the reaction was out of proportion to the crime. If Pussy Riot had done something like that in the US they might have gotten charged with disorderly conduct or something similar, but then they would have just been fined or made to serve a few hours of community service. They didn't do anything to deserve being locked up in prison for several years.

Not to mention the reasoning for the charges were basically because they said the Russian equivalent of "Holy Shit", which was interpreted as blasphemy.

Saying "holy shit" isn't punishable. Interrupting a Church Prayer with your back to the Altar to directly violate Matthew 22, now that's Blasphemy. While I agree that the punishment was disproportionate, let's not pretend that they were punished for what they said. Religion aside, if I was sitting in a Meditation Garden, and someone came into it, (since it's open to the public,) and started blasting heavy metal along the lines of "Bush Sucks", I'd still want them punished with at least a few months of community service, not for saying "Bush sucks", but for blasting heavy metal in a Meditation Garden, as that would send a strong message to others not to be complete dicks. Additionally, without community service, how do you fight it? Do you place a bouncer in front of every Meditation Garden? Who pays?

If it's just a fine, well shit, if I'm rich then I can be a super dick. There's a fine line between free speech, and yelling "BUSH SUCKS!" in a residential neighborhood at 3 in the morning. On the other hand, if you want to yell that at a plaza, at 3 in the afternoon, you should undoubtedly have that right. And that's what also concerns me about the whole Pussy Riot Affair. It's not about free speech. It's about the "right" to be a complete dick to your fellow human beings, and that's not something that I'm going to support. Obviously the punishment should be proportionate to the crime, and in this case, it clearly wasn't, but let's not pretend that they're just some poor political protesters...

I think we should also award the Nobel Prize for literature to Stephanie Meyer.

Eh, not sure about that, but the Noble Prize for Parody should go to Tina Fey

may as well give one to my last bowel movement, it's just as deserving

Your last bowel movement prevented the possibility of even more massive sectarian violence in the Middle East, while violating Civil Rights at home?

[Gravlen]

Putin has fought against corruption throughout his service as Russian Head of State or Head of Government. The 1990s morass of corruption is almost gone. I too sarcastically apologise for stating the facts.

Russia's Corruption in the World index rating is shoddy. http://cpi.transparency.org/cpi2012/results/ It's worse than Belarus, one of the most authoritarian countries in Europe.

But it's up from #143 to #133 between 2011 and 2012. GO PUTIN!!!

[Dyakovo]

Putin prevented a WAR

No, he didn't. Unless you think the constant gunfire in Syria is just a massive, 24/7 paintball game.

It isn't?!?
I've been lied to!

[Death Metal]

Seriously, why don't Putinheads get that there is a civil war, and war crimes are being perpetrated and that's the only reason the US is getting involved?

Now, if this happened:

Putin: "Assad?"
Assad: "Sup Homie?"
Putin: "Let your people has democracy."
Assad: "K."

Then you could say he stopped a war. That's not what he did though. He did this.

Putin: "Assad?"
Assad: "Sup homie?"
Putin: "Give up your chemical weapons because if you don't the UN will fuck you shit up."
Assad: "K."
Putin: "And let your people has democracy."
Assad: "Seriously?"
Putin: "GOTCHA!"
Assad: "LOL! Oh man you almost had me there bro."
Putin: "But really give up the chem weapons."
Assad: "Sure, I'll drop them off at 8."

[Shofercia]

Seriously, why don't Putinheads get that there is a civil war, and war crimes are being perpetrated and that's the only reason the US is getting involved?

Because that's not the only reason. You honestly think that if Syria was a country in Africa, and wasn't allied to Iran, US would care? Cause Congo's worse in terms of Human Rights, and unlike NK they don't have nukes, or even the slightest possibility of SCO backing, and yet, I'm not seeing an intervention there.

[Rehansu Tir]

huh, I'm sure all those fighting and dying in the Syrian civil war will be thrilled to know that Putin has averted war.

Putin's has not averted war, he possibly averted a military strike against syria by the US, but there's still a war, so no prize for him.

He prevented an internal civil incident from becoming a regional clusterfuckstorm. So yes, I say give him the prize already.

Given that Iran and Hezbollah are still supporting Assad and hezbollah is still attacking on assad's behalf from lebanon, and that turkey, saudi arabia and others are still using the rebels as their proxy force against assad and iran, that is by no means certain. this could still very easily spread, as the war isn't even close to contained to syrian territory, let alone over. so no, no peace prizes for putin or anyone else for anything going on in syria.

[Hurdegaryp]

No, he didn't. Unless you think the constant gunfire in Syria is just a massive, 24/7 paintball game.

Yeah thats an insurgency waged by foreign jihadists. It isn't a war, as defined by two nations taking up arms against each other.

But it is a civil war. Get your facts straight, kid. A civil war is a war too.

[The United Communist Solar Republic]

I think we should also award the Nobel Prize for literature to Stephanie Meyer.

We should rather award the Nobel Peace Prize post-humously to Ayn Rand, not Stephanie Meyer.

[Gravlen]

I think we should also award the Nobel Prize for literature to Stephanie Meyer.

We should rather award the Nobel Peace Prize post-humously to Ayn Rand, not Stephanie Meyer.

Ayn should get a sex prize, not a peace prize.

[Alyska]

No, I don't believe Putin deserves the Nobel Peace Prize. But I actually do believe that he is less undeserving that Obama. He did actually DO something after all. Granted, he did it for cynical, hypocritical and self aggrandizing reasons. And, granted, he was largely responsible for the situation reaching that point in the first place by using his veto power to block the UN Security Council from doing anything to hold Syria to account even when the vote was 13-2 with him on the loosing side. And, granted, he is a dick who will say nice things about human rights and the rule of law when it suits his purposes, but will waste no time trampeling them under foot the moment he perceives them to be a threat (which, within Russia at least, is pretty much all the time.) But he did do SOMETHING. As best I could tell, the only reason Obama got it was for not being George Bush.

Anyway, I pretty much stopped taking the Nobel Peace Prize seriously when they gave it to Yassar Arafat.

[Coccygia]

Henry Kissinger, Yasser Arafat, and Obama all got Nobel peace prizes, so why not Putin?

[Blouman Empire]

If Obama can win it for becoming President, Al Gore for making a movie and Kissenger for bombing the fuck out of Cambodia then I see no reason why Putin can't win it. It is obvious that the Peace Prize has nothing to do with peace anymore and hasn't been for sometime.

[TaQud]

Peace Prize Putin?

doesn't have a ring to it.

[Pandeeria]

Obama nor Putin deserve a Nobel Peace Prize.