A Hero Passes

Diogenes · 08-17-08, 01:57 PM

A hero like this deserves to be recognized.

Link: snopes.com: Irena Sendler

Quote:

There recently was a death of a 98 year-old lady named Irena. During WWII, Irena, got permission to work in the Warsaw Ghetto, as a Plumbing/Sewer specialist. She had an 'ulterior motive' ... She KNEW what the Nazi's plans were for the Jews, (being German.) Irena smuggled infants out in the bottom of the tool box she carried and she carried in the back of her truck a burlap sack, (for larger kids.) She also had a dog in the back that she trained to bark when the Nazi soldiers let her in and out of the ghetto. The soldiers of course wanted nothing to do with the dog and the barking covered the kids/infants noises. During her time of doing this, she managed to smuggle out and save 2500 kids/infants. She was caught, and the Nazi's broke both her legs, arms and beat her severely. Irena kept a record of the names of all the kids she smuggled out and kept them in a glass jar, buried under a tree in her back yard. After the war, she tried to locate any parents that may have survived it and reunited the family. Most of course had been gassed. Those kids she helped got placed into foster family homes or adopted.

Last year Irena was up for the Nobel Peace Prize ... She was not selected.

*Al Gore won, for a slide show on Global Warming.

Vader · 08-17-08, 03:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Diogenes

A hero like this deserves to be recognized.

Link: snopes.com: Irena Sendler

Rest in peace, Irena!

Infinite Chaos · 08-20-08, 11:29 AM

An amazing story and an amazing woman - a shame politics and Al Gore had to be brought into the story. Her story came out (according to the snopes page) in 1999 thanks to some resourceful kids - plenty of time in which she could have been nominated for the Nobel Prize. The other thing that jumps out about the ulterior motives of whoever created the quoted text - from SNOPES again -

Quote:

Irena Sendler was reportedly a candidate to receive the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize, but that honour was not awarded to her. (It's difficult to state categorically that she was "nominated" for the award, since information about Nobel Prize "nominations, investigations, and opinions is kept secret for fifty years."

Also from the NOBEL pages -

Quote:

Nominations for 2008
197 names were submitted for the 2008 Nobel Peace Prize, 33 of which are organizations. The Nobel Committees in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature and the Prize Committee for Economics each usually receives 250-300 names every year. The names of the nominees cannot be revealed until 50 years later.

Furthermore - from the Nobel pages - explanation why she won't be able to win the prize in future...

Quote:

Is it possible to nominate someone for a posthumous Nobel Prize?
No, it is not. From 1974, the Statutes of the Nobel Foundation have stipulated that a prize cannot be awarded posthumously, unless death has occurred after the announcement of the Nobel Prize. This happened in 1996 when William Vickrey died only a few days after the announcement of the Prize in Economics.

Before 1974, the Nobel Prize has only been awarded posthumously twice: to Dag Hammarskjöld (Nobel Peace Prize 1961) and Erik Axel Karlfeldt (Nobel Prize in Literature 1931)

So, again - a great story about a fabulous human being but someone has been up to mischeif somewhere. Probably to discredit Al Gore - which he can do very well all by himself.

Diogenes · 08-20-08, 02:42 PM

I suggest that awarding the peace prize to Gore for his science-fiction slide show brings much more discredit upon the Nobel committee than it does to Gore.

rathi · 08-20-08, 06:28 PM

I'd certainly say she is more deserving of the peace price than Gore. The Nobel committee has a tendency to pick celebrities and political figures over people who actually just worked for peace. Ever since they picked Kissinger, its hard to have much trust in the system. Still, it at least attempts to reward people who push for peace.

Diogenes · 08-20-08, 06:55 PM

I gave up on them when the old terrorist Arafat got a "Peace" prize.

Infinite Chaos · 08-21-08, 06:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Diogenes

I suggest that awarding the peace prize to Gore for his science-fiction slide show brings much more discredit upon the Nobel committee than it does to Gore.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Diogenes

I gave up on them when the old terrorist Arafat got a "Peace" prize.

Fairly standard views for American posters on nearly every message board I've ever been on. The other "golden standard" is the universal US views on the UN.

Strangely, very few other nationalities feel the same about the Nobel prizes - says something about the American psyche maybe? (just asking)

Infinite Chaos · 08-21-08, 06:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rathi

I'd certainly say she is more deserving of the peace price than Gore.

Well, maybe the real question if you consider WW2 was over in 1945 it took till 2007 and just before she died for her to be nominated?

Guess not. It's better to bash Gore for whatever local US political reasons..

Diogenes · 08-21-08, 07:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Infinite Chaos

Well, maybe the real question if you consider WW2 was over in 1945 it took till 2007 and just before she died for her to be nominated?

There are some Baltic and eastern European states who argue that WWII wasn't over until 1991.

rathi · 08-22-08, 10:10 PM

Quote:

Well, maybe the real question if you consider WW2 was over in 1945 it took till 2007 and just before she died for her to be nominated?

Guess not. It's better to bash Gore for whatever local US political reasons..

I'm not bashing Gore. He did important work, but the prime reason he was chosen among the other candidates was because of his celebrity status. If Gore had release his worked as a complete unknown, he wouldn't have won. Its a criticism of the noble peace system, not Gore himself. Big name figures tend to win over people who did more for peace. Thats not to say that the more popular figures didn't honestly work for peace (although that occasionally happens), but that they weren't the most qualified to win the award.