Snowden and the Nobel Peace Price

The deadline for nominations to the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize expires tomorrow, i.e., nominations need to be post-stamped by tomorrow. Only certain people are qualified to nominated, and those qualified include members of national legislatures. Members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee may suggest other candidates at the meeting where the nominations are recorded, i.e., committee members in reality have an extended deadline.

Some Norwegian MPs have apparently nominated Mr. Edward Joseph Snowden for the Nobel Peace Price for 2014.

While it is absolutely beyond any reasonable doubt that Mr. Snowden deserves this prize more than some of the past laureates, I cannot see how his actions are covered by the terms in the late Alfred Nobel's last will and testament.

It has been argued in the defense of the Norwegian Nobel Committee that one needs only keep to the spirit of the will. However, that spirit has been stretched a wee bit far. Fredrik Hefermehl, a Norwegian critic of said committee, has said that one could allow interpretations beyond the strict wording of the will. An example of that, in yours truly's judgment, would be the reduction of nuclear arms. That is not strictly speaking the reduction of standing armies, but it is reasonably within the spirit of the will.

Edward Snowden has done a great service to humanity, but the Nobel Peace Prize is not meant for him.