...it's a guy who is nominatd for the #1 humanity prize on earth. He must have done something genuinely and deeply righteous. Nobel scrutinizes their nominees very carefully.
Once again, you are factually challenged. Did you know that Adolf Hitler, Josef Stalin, Benito Mussolini and Fidel Castro were all nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize? Former Illinois Governor George Ryan, who is currently on trial, was also nominated. Should he walk?
The nomination by itself means nothing.
Who doesn't have a Nobel nomination?
By Eugene Volokh, a professor of law at UCLA Law School: Los Angeles Times
Published December 8, 2005
Many advocates of clemency for Stanley "Tookie" Williams note that he has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize and the Nobel Prize in literature for his anti-gang work, which includes writing children's books. How could a convicted murderer and co-founder of the Crips, Los Angeles' infamous street gang, be nominated for such prizes?
According to Nobel Prize nominating rules, any "professor of social sciences, history, philosophy, law and theology" and any judge or national legislator in any country, among others, can nominate anyone for a Nobel Peace Prize. Past nominees have included Adolf Hitler, Josef Stalin, Benito Mussolini and Fidel Castro. Any "professor of literature [or] of linguistics," among others, can nominate anyone for a Nobel Prize in literature.
Naturally, many nominees have real merit. But being nominated by one or a few of the hundreds of thousands of eligible nominators is little evidence of such merit. This is especially so when the nominee is a source of controversy and when it may seem that nominating him may prevent his execution in California on Tuesday.
It would surely be helpful to readers if news stories mentioning Williams' nominations--or, for that matter, any Nobel peace or literature prize nominations--stressed how unselective the nomination process is.
We're used to prize nominations signifying relatively broad acclaim, as for an Oscar. When a nomination means nothing other than a recommendation from a professor (or even a few professors and a legislator), that should be made clear.
Besides, a convicted murderer's nominations for Nobel prizes shed little light on the complex question of whether he is sincerely contrite, whether he has done good deeds and whether his life should be spared.
Copyright © 2005, Chicago Tribune
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