The EU is not a “Person”: Granting the Nobel Prize to the European Union is in Violation of Alfred Nobel’s Will
by Prof Michel Chossudovsky
Global Research
October 13, 2012
This year’s Nobel Peace Prize was granted to the European Union (EU) for its relentless contribution to “the advancement of peace and reconciliation, democracy and human rights in Europe.”
While the EU’s contribution to peace is debatable, the key issue is whether a union of nation states, which constitutes a political, economic, monetary and fiscal entity is an “eligible candidate” for the Peace Prize, in accordance with the mandate of the Norwegian Committee.
The Olympic Games are “granted” to countries. But the Nobel Peace Prize cannot under any stretch of the imagination be granted to a nation-state, let alone a union of nation states.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee has a responsibility to ascertain “the eligibility of candidates” in accordance with the Will of Alfred Bernhard Nobel (Paris, 27 November, 1895).
“The whole of my remaining realizable estate shall be dealt with in the following way: the capital, invested in safe securities by my executors, shall constitute a fund, the interest on which shall be annually distributed in the form of prizes to those who, during the preceding year, shall have conferred the greatest benefit to mankind….
The said interest shall be divided into five equal parts, which shall be apportioned as follows: one part to the person who shall have made the most important discovery or invention within the field of physics; one part to the person who shall have made the most important chemical discovery or improvement; one part to the person who shall have made the most important discovery within the domain of physiology or medicine; one part to the person who shall have produced in the field of literature the most outstanding work in an ideal direction; and one part 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. …
[F]or champions of peace [the prize will be awarded] by a committee of five persons to be elected by the Norwegian Storting. It is my express wish that in awarding the prizes no consideration whatever shall be given to the nationality of the candidates, but that the most worthy shall receive the prize, whether he be a Scandinavian or not.
Will of Alfred Bernhard Nobel, November 27, 1895, emphasis added
The conditions set out in Alfred Nobel’s Will have been twisted upside down.
Nobel’s Will is crystal clear. The five prizes are to be granted to “persons”. (See complete list of laureates)
Since its inception, however, several of the prizes have been granted to both “persons” and organizations/institutions to which they are affiliated as in the case of Henry Dunand (Red Cross) or Mohamed ElBaradei, UN International Atomic Energy Organization (IAEA). In other cases, the prize was granted as to “organizations” consisting of a collective of persons (e.g. UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change).
The granting of the Nobel Prize to the European Union, which is a political entity, a union of nation states, is visibly in blatant violation of Alfred Nobel’s Will.
Theater of the Absurd
The European Union cannot under any stretch of the imagination be categorized as a “person”, “a group of persons” or even an “organization”. Moreover, implied in Nobel’s Will is that the candidates must be citizens without regard to nationality:
“It is my express wish that in awarding the prizes no consideration whatever shall be given to the nationality of the candidates, but that the most worthy shall receive the prize, whether he be a Scandinavian or not.(Alfred Nobel’s Will, Paris, 1895)
The European Union is a union of nation states composed of citizens.
The EU cannot be a citizen of itself, nor does the EU have a nationality.
Citizens of the EU are “eligible candidates” but the EU cannot be “an eligible candidate”.
Moreover, it stands to reason that “eligible candidates” for the Peace prize who are “persons” cannot reasonably be evaluated, compared or ranked by the Norwegian selection committee in relation to the European Union, which is a “non-person”, namely a union of countries.
This an important consideration: How does the candidacy of the EU “compare” to “other” distinguished 2012 nominees who are actual “persons”? “Oranges versus apples?
According to the procedure, a short list of nominees “is reviewed by permanent advisers and advisers specially recruited for their knowledge of specific candidates.” And based on this review, the Peace Laureate is chosen, through a majority vote of the five persons Norwegian Committee.
The prize consists of “a medal, a personal diploma, and a cash award.” Theater of the absurd: A “personal diploma” to the European Union and “a cash award”, for what, to whom? To finance the EU’s budget deficit, its bank bailout schemes?
The decision of the Norwegian Nobel Committee is diabolical and illegal, in blatant violation of its mandate.
Full text of Alfred Nobel’s Will
I, the undersigned, Alfred Bernhard Nobel, do hereby, after mature deliberation, declare the following to be my last Will and Testament with respect to such property as may be left by me at the time of my death:
To my nephews, Hjalmar and Ludvig Nobel, the sons of my brother Robert Nobel, I bequeath the sum of Two Hundred Thousand Crowns each;
To my nephew Emanuel Nobel, the sum of Three Hundred Thousand, and to my niece Mina Nobel, One Hundred Thousand Crowns;
To my brother Robert Nobel’s daughters, Ingeborg and Tyra, the sum of One Hundred Thousand Crowns each;
Miss Olga Boettger, at present staying with Mrs Brand, 10 Rue St Florentin, Paris, will receive One Hundred Thousand Francs;
Mrs Sofie Kapy von Kapivar, whose address is known to the Anglo-Oesterreichische Bank in Vienna, is hereby entitled to an annuity of 6000 Florins Ö.W. which is paid to her by the said Bank, and to this end I have deposited in this Bank the amount of 150,000 Fl. in Hungarian State Bonds;
Mr Alarik Liedbeck, presently living at 26 Sturegatan, Stockholm, will receive One Hundred Thousand Crowns;
Miss Elise Antun, presently living at 32 Rue de Lubeck, Paris, is entitled to an annuity of Two Thousand Five Hundred Francs. In addition, Forty Eight Thousand Francs owned by her are at present in my custody, and shall be refunded;
Mr Alfred Hammond, Waterford, Texas, U.S.A. will receive Ten Thousand Dollars;
The Misses Emy and Marie Winkelmann, Potsdamerstrasse, 51, Berlin, will receive Fifty Thousand Marks each;
Mrs Gaucher, 2 bis Boulevard du Viaduc, Nimes, France will receive One Hundred Thousand Francs;
My servants, Auguste Oswald and his wife Alphonse Tournand, employed in my laboratory at San Remo, will each receive an annuity of One Thousand Francs;
My former servant, Joseph Girardot, 5, Place St. Laurent, Châlons sur Saône, is entitled to an annuity of Five Hundred Francs, and my former gardener, Jean Lecof, at present with Mrs Desoutter, receveur Curaliste, Mesnil, Aubry pour Ecouen, S.& O., France, will receive an annuity of Three Hundred Francs;
Mr Georges Fehrenbach, 2, Rue Compiègne, Paris, is entitled to an annual pension of Five Thousand Francs from January 1, 1896 to January 1, 1899, when the said pension shall discontinue;
A sum of Twenty Thousand Crowns each, which has been placed in my custody, is the property of my brother’s children, Hjalmar, Ludvig, Ingeborg and Tyra, and shall be repaid to them.
The whole of my remaining realizable estate shall be dealt with in the following way: the capital, invested in safe securities by my executors, shall constitute a fund, the interest on which shall be annually distributed in the form of prizes to those who, during the preceding year, shall have conferred the greatest benefit to mankind. The said interest shall be divided into five equal parts, which shall be apportioned as follows: one part to the person who shall have made the most important discovery or invention within the field of physics; one part to the person who shall have made the most important chemical discovery or improvement; one part to the person who shall have made the most important discovery within the domain of physiology or medicine; one part to the person who shall have produced in the field of literature the most outstanding work in an ideal direction; and one part 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. The prizes for physics and chemistry shall be awarded by the Swedish Academy of Sciences; that for physiological or medical work by the Caroline Institute in Stockholm; that for literature by the Academy in Stockholm, and that for champions of peace by a committee of five persons to be elected by the Norwegian Storting. It is my express wish that in awarding the prizes no consideration whatever shall be given to the nationality of the candidates, but that the most worthy shall receive the prize, whether he be a Scandinavian or not.
As Executors of my testamentary dispositions, I hereby appoint Mr Ragnar Sohlman, resident at Bofors, Värmland, and Mr Rudolf Lilljequist, 31 Malmskillnadsgatan, Stockholm, and at Bengtsfors near Uddevalla. To compensate for their pains and attention, I grant to Mr Ragnar Sohlman, who will presumably have to devote most time to this matter, One Hundred Thousand Crowns, and to Mr Rudolf Lilljequist, Fifty Thousand Crowns;
At the present time, my property consists in part of real estate in Paris and San Remo, and in part of securities deposited as follows: with The Union Bank of Scotland Ltd in Glasgow and London, Le Crédit Lyonnais, Comptoir National d’Escompte, and with Alphen Messin & Co. in Paris; with the stockbroker M.V. Peter of Banque Transatlantique, also in Paris; with Direction der Disconto Gesellschaft and Joseph Goldschmidt & Cie, Berlin; with the Russian Central Bank, and with Mr Emanuel Nobel in Petersburg; with Skandinaviska Kredit Aktiebolaget in Gothenburg and Stockholm, and in my strong-box at 59, Avenue Malakoff, Paris; further to this are accounts receivable, patents, patent fees or so-called royalties etc. in connection with which my Executors will find full information in my papers and books.
This Will and Testament is up to now the only one valid, and revokes all my previous testamentary dispositions, should any such exist after my death.
Finally, it is my express wish that following my death my veins shall be opened, and when this has been done and competent Doctors have confirmed clear signs of death, my remains shall be cremated in a so-called crematorium.
Paris, 27 November, 1895
Alfred Bernhard Nobel
That Mr Alfred Bernhard Nobel, being of sound mind, has of his own free will declared the above to be his last Will and Testament, and that he has signed the same, we have, in his presence and the presence of each other, hereunto subscribed our names as witnesses:
Sigurd Ehrenborg
former Lieutenant
Paris: 84 Boulevard Haussmann
R. W. Strehlenert
Civil Engineer
4, Passage Caroline
Thos Nordenfelt
Constructor
8, Rue Auber, Paris
Leonard Hwass
Civil Engineer
4, Passage Caroline
Canada Officially Joins Pacific Trade Talks
by Terry Wilson
CanadianAwareness.org
October 10, 2012
Less than a week after a “gala” event, celebrating the 25th anniversary of the free trade agreement between Canada and America. That took place in Toronto Ont. on Wednesday October 3 2012. Canada has now officially joined talks aimed at achieving a Pacific free-trade deal.
The pacific free trade deal now has 11 countries signed on, in the talks. Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States and Vietnam.
The advocates of the pacific deal say it could prove a useful way of counteracting the growing clout of China in regional trade and be extremely beneficial to average Canadians. Boosting the Canadian middle class.
This is the same type of rhetoric that was said when when the FTA was signed, and ultimately NAFTA a few years later. How true was the advocates hype with the FTA and NAFTA?
In a report from the Toronto Sun, published on the university of Toronto’s website. The numbers show how free trade has severely hurt Canadians.
“Diversification in Canada’s industrial base has been disappointing, said Campbell, with the average unemployment rate in the last 15 years remaining about the same as the previous 15 years. Big business, though, has done well. A study of 40 non-financial member companies of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives found their combined revenues jumped 105 per cent between 1988 and 2002 while their overall workforce shrank by 15 per cent.
The wealth hasn’t trickled down, said Campbell, despite steady productivity growth in the Canadian economy. “If free trade was supposed to usher in a new era of rising living standards, reversing the sluggishness of the 1980s, the record reveals quite the opposite.”
Annual growth in average personal income per capita was at 1.55 per cent a year in the 1980s but slid to 0.63 per cent a year between 1989 and 2005. Meanwhile, Americans were enjoying a personal income growth rate of almost twice that during the same period. Massive cuts to Canadian social programs haven’t helped, said Campbell, and tax cuts and transfers didn’t offset the difficulties as
they did in the past.
Federal non-military spending cuts in the second half of the 1990s were the largest in Canadian history, bringing spending down to the level of the late 1940s. “Growing wealth and income inequality and a shrinking Canadian social state have been hallmarks of the free trade era,” Campbell said.
The bottom 20 per cent of families saw incomes fall by 7.6 per cent during 1989 to 2004, while incomes of the top 20 per cent rose 16.8 per cent. While the average Canadian wage increased eight per cent between 1990 and 2000, the top one per cent of wage earners made 64 per cent more. “The first free trade decade saw overall income inequality increase for the first time since the 1920s,” said Campbell.
Continue Reading
Since this report, things have not improved. This was published just today: Canada must move on income inequality
“What’s concerning is that inequality is getting worse instead of better, and while Canada has the financial means to turn this around, those steps aren’t being taken”
As we can see the only Canadians benefiting from North American free trade are the rich. Or as the occupy movement dubbed them the “1%”. The rest of us got the shaft after being told it would be amazing! (big surprise)
Will this new trade deal be legit? Will it help common Canadians? I wouldn’t count on it! This trade deal along with many others including CETA (Canadian and European trade agreement), which is also being negotiated at this moment. Is only furthering the globalized consolidation of wealth into the hands of a few billionaires.
And for those who like to pin all of our woes on Stephen Harper or the Conservative party. Stop before you even try to blame them solely for this. Conservatives began the FTA and NAFTA, Liberals continued them and started the negotiations for CETA, and now the conservatives are continuing CETA and starting this new Pacific deal. You see an emerging trend? It does not matter which politician or party is in office. The same agenda continues. Harper, Martin, Chretien, Mulroney all puppets doing the bidding of their corporate masters.
Justin Trudeau on Bilderberg [video]
Press For Truth
October 12, 2012
On Wednesday October 10th I attended a meet and greet with Justin Trudeau at the Sheraton Hotel to ask him about the Bilderberg group and whether or not he would attend…apparently that’s not an appropriate question to ask a potential liberal leader…
A big shout out to Anthony from Canadian Awareness Network for questioning Trudeau on water fluoridation. http://canadianawareness.org/
Watch the trailer for “The Turning Point”
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New Border Regime is Taking the U.S.-Canada Partnership to the Next Level
by Dana Gabriel
BE YOUR OWN LEADER
October 9, 2012
The Beyond the Border deal announced in December 2011 represents the most significant step forward in U.S.-Canada cooperation since NAFTA. Dual action plans are further transforming trade, regulatory and security relations between both countries. Over the next few years, various cross-border initiatives will be rolled out, with some beginning as pilot programs. The U.S. and Canada have laid the framework for a new border regime which is taking their partnership to the next level and pushing the continent closer to a fully integrated North America security perimeter.
The Department of Homeland Security and Canada Border Services Agency recently announced the Phase I pilot of the Entry/Exit program which is part of the Beyond the Border action plan. It will include collecting and exchanging biographic information of third-country nationals, permanent residents of Canada, and lawful permanent residents of the U.S. at four selected land border ports of entry. A fact sheet stressed how this, “is an important step as both countries move towards a coordinated entry/exit system that will strengthen border and immigration programs, support law enforcement, and accelerate the legitimate flow of people and goods into Canada and the United States and across our common border.” The Canadian government is also advancing plans to use biometrics for immigration and border security that would bring them in line with the U.S. and other countries. The perimeter security agreement called for implementing, “systematic and automated biographic information-sharing capability by 2013 and biometric information-sharing capability by 2014.” A North American biometric identification system could be used to restrict, track and trace our movements.
On October 4, Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and Transport Canada officials announced the extension of the expedited screening initiative, TSA Pre✓™ which will now include lanes for Canadian NEXUS members at 27 participating U.S. airports. Canadian Minister of State For Transport Steven Fletcher explained that, “The Government of Canada and the United States are delivering on commitments to include Canadian NEXUS members in designated TSA Pre✓™ lanes as part of the Beyond the Border Action Plan.” He went on to say, “This will mean smarter and faster air travel for Canadian NEXUS members traveling within the U.S., while maintaining a high level of aviation security.” TSA Administrator John Pistole acknowledged that, “The inclusion of Canadian NEXUS members in TSA Pre✓™ is an important step in further harmonizing the security screening process between the U.S. and Canada.” Under NEXUS, pre-screened travelers are granted expedited access across the border, by air, land or sea. As part of the perimeter security deal, both countries are expanding and integrating trusted traveler programs.
The Next-Generation pilot project which would permit U.S. agents on Canadian soil is on hold while legal issues are being resolved. The security perimeter agreement stated that both countries would, “create integrated teams in areas such as intelligence and criminal investigations, and an intelligence-led uniformed presence between ports of entry.” The plan which is a land-based version of the Shiprider program was scheduled to be deployed this summer. Allowing U.S. agents to cross the border and pursue suspects into Canada poses a threat to sovereignty and could infringe on personal privacy laws. The pilot project is part of the process of acclimating U.S. policing activities in Canada and could later be expanded.
Last month, the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency established a pre-clearance initiative pilot project on import re-inspection activities for fresh meat. This is tied to the Beyond the Border deal and is aimed at streamlining meat inspections at the U.S.-Canada border. Just as the joint program was being rolled out, XL Foods in Alberta, Canada announced a massive recall of meat products due to E. coli contamination. This came on the heels of a letter from the Safe Food Coalition to the USDA citing concerns that food safety could be compromised and requesting that the border inspection pilot be halted. Some of the potential tainted meat could have been shipped to at least eight U.S. states. In a press statement, the Executive Director of Food & Water Watch, Wenonah Hauter pointed out that, “the Obama Administration and the Harper Government in Canada have been plotting to eliminate the very border inspection program that tipped off authorities that there was a major problem brewing with the products originating from the XL plant.” Plans to further deregulate food safety inspections could lead to more trouble in the future.
In September, Transport Canada and the United States Coast Guard launched a pilot project that will include joint Port State Control inspections of non-Canadian and non-U.S. flagged vessels in the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway. Rear Adm. Mike Parks, Commander of the U.S. Coast Guard Ninth District described how, “This initiative is in keeping with President Obama’s and Prime Minister Harper’s Beyond the Border Perimeter Security Initiative protecting the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway region, which provides common access to the heart of North America. Our goal is to make vessel inspections more efficient and facilitate American and Canadian business on both sides of our shared border.” The program is outlined in the Regulatory Cooperation Council action plan and establishes a, “safety and security framework for the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway that will align the two countries’ regulatory requirements. This pilot project will look for efficiencies in order to reduce duplicate inspections and impediments to trade.” When completed, recommendations will be made on whether to form a permanent binational foreign vessel inspection program.
NAFTA partners, in conjunction with multinational corporations and influential think tanks are pushing for deeper North American integration. As far as the upcoming U.S. election goes, Barack Obama and Mitt Romney are both committed globalists and have no intentions of upholding the constitution or protecting what is left of American sovereignty. The notion of real choice is now even more of an illusion. Minus the Democrat and Republican rhetoric, it’s essentially the same policies, same agenda, and the same team. It doesn’t matter who wins the presidency, the path towards a North American Union will continue.
Related articles by Dana Gabriel
Paving the Way for a U.S.-Canada Economic and Security Perimeter
Laying the Foundation for a North American Security Perimeter
Implementing Beyond the Border Perimeter Security Initiatives
A Perimeter Approach to Security and the Transformation of the U.S.-Canada Border
Dana Gabriel is an activist and independent researcher. He writes about trade, globalization, sovereignty, security, as well as other issues. Contact: beyourownleader@hotmail.com Visit his blog at Be Your Own Leader
Brookings Institution’s “Which Path to Persia?” Report
Land Destroyer
October 3, 2012
US corporate-funded Brookings 2009 report conspires against the nation of Iran. Plot includes using terrorists, provoked war, economic warfare, and covert military and political subversion against the Iranian people.
Update: October 4, 2012 Brookings has moved around their documents, leaving dead links for anyone who cited them over the years. All documents cited by Land Destroyer will now be hosted online using Scribd, and linked to that way.
Editor’s Note: October 3, 2012 – Brookings has taken down their .pdf reports, leaving dead links. The “Which Path to Persia?” report has been so frequently referenced it would be impractical in the short term to fix all the dead links. Instead, the report is being presented in full below, via Scribd.
For a full analysis of the document please see “Which Path to Persia?” Part I and Part II.
“Which Path To Persia?” Report: http://www.scribd.com/doc/108902116/Brookings-Institution-s-Which-Path-to-Persia-Report
Press For Truth Presents: “The Turning Point” (Official Trailer) [video]
Press For Truth
October 8, 2012
Support independent media and pre-order the DVD: http://www.pressfortruth.ca/pft-shop/dvd-the-turning-point/
You have been selected to attend the 60th Bilderberg conference in Chantilly, Virginia from May 31 – June 3, 2012. This conference brings together leaders of business, economics, media, finance, politics and military in a forum which will allow for open and off the record discussions of current events and global issues.
I must stress that this meeting is SECRET and by invitation only. We operate under Chatham House Rules, meaning you are not permitted to discuss anything that is said during the conference to members of the media or otherwise.
Please keep all of your arrangements confidential, including all of the information included herein. In recent years we have lost much of our control over the dissemination of information due to the rise of independent media sources and internet-based journalists. We intend to correct this problem and plan to discuss it at this year’s conference.
The Turning Point – A Press For Truth Production
Produced and written by:
Steven Davies, Bryan Law and Dan Dicks
Edited by Steven Davies and Bryan Law
Music by Dan Dicks
The Turning Point on DVD contains a behind the scenes look at the making of the film and the making of the soundtrack. We are releasing this film for free on youtube. We’re offering a DVD of this film for under $10 to those who would like to support our work. We fully encourage you to make copies of the DVD to give to friends, family and strangers: http://www.pressfortruth.ca/pft-shop/dvd-the-turning-point/
You can also support independent media by joining Press For Truth TV: http://pressfortruth.tv/register/
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Dr. Barbara Ehrenreich interview – “Bright-Sided” – #053 – Gnostic Media [audio]
by Jan Irvin
Gnostic Media
Released November 22, 2009.
What are the negative consequences of “positive thinking”? Is positive thinking a good thing, or does it have the potential to be used as a tool for mind control and manipulation? Is positive thinking responsible for the financial meltdown? Who really gets rich from the positive thinking movement? Does the human mind have the ability to directly manifest thoughts into reality? What is the difference between positive thinking and critical thinking?
Today’s guest is Dr. Barbara Erhenreich who is the author of more than a dozen books, including Nickel and Dimed and Bait and Switch. Today she’ll be on to discuss her latest book Bright-Sided, How the Relentless Promotion of Positive Thinking Has Undermined America.
Website: www.barbaraehrenreich.com
Order Bright-Sided:
http://astore.amazon.com/gnosmedi-20/detail/0805087494
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:07:18 — 30.8MB)
PN 