THE GOLDEN CHAD

Ceci n'est pas un Prix, c'est un morceaux non decoupe' doree

Though struck from an equally hefty slug of solid gold, the Nobel Peace Prize has little in common with the science and literature awards. While handed out by Sweden's King, it is awarded by Norway's parliament, the Storting.  Whoever wins a seat can nominate whom they please for the award, but its disconnect from  the more soberly considered science and arts Nobels hardly tarnishes its luster.  As you watch Hollywood's savvy Greens transform the awards ceremony into  media event on a par with the Oscars or American Idol recall that past gongs have gone to designers of the Iron Curtain and the lobotomy. This is not the Florida election -- no court figures in the race for this golden chad

The method of electing the winner ensures a political outcome. Other Nobel prizes ar assigned by committees of experts in the orbit of the Swedish Academy of Science, but the peace Prize winner is determined by a committee reflecting the current strength of Norwegian political parties. The parliamentary committee of five  to whom Democrat Gore owes his prize includes three drawn from the Socialist Left, Labour, and Progressive parties forming Norway's ruling coalition, and one Conservative, a former Minister of Trade. Were the anti-immigrant Progressives in power, Gore might have found himself short listed with Pat Buchanan, for as Francis Sejersted, past chairman of the committee points out:  “Awarding a peace prize is, to put it bluntly, a political act.”

And all politics is local. None of the other worthy Peace Prize nominees one might list, from Burmese monks to the embattled opponents of tyranny in Uzbekistan and Zimbabwe, can increase the value of Norway's oil and gas reserves. Giving a prize that amplifies the credibility of the world's foremost advocate of carbon taxes most assuredly can.

Investing $750,000 in Al's power to pontificate on behalf of his ( and Lehman Bros.) carbon trading business should pay Norway  and OPEC handsomely. If  Al's crusade to double coal's cost by taxation hikes  lower carbon  North Sea oil and gas prices proportionately, Oslo stands to gain a cool trillion Kroner on its multi-billion barrel  state owned reserves. Not a bad return on a 206 gram disc of gold and some chump change from a Swedish foundation.

So my congratulations to Mr. Gore, and kudos to the Oslo committee, whom I hereby place in nomination for the Nobel Prize in Economics, for awarding the Peace Prize to Al.

It is a gift in the best Viking fiscal tradition .Expropriating a neighbor's purse often avoids the recrimination that attends rapine, pillage,looting and burning. Especially the last --nowadays, a Viking's loot might not cover his carbon offsets.

Comments

[Darrell Van Wagner]

Oops, sorry Russell. But Norway's not part of the ECC and they still trade in Kroners, not euros.
Response :

Though they contract in Kroner today, I made that choice of word because future payment for most of their reserves will likely be made internationally . But oK- I 'll change it- trillions it is

[W. Kiernan]

So! The key to understanding the entire dark Swedish Conspiracy lies in the factoid that Brent crude has a whole one-point-five percent less carbon content than the world average crude, and in order for the Swedish fiends to make the best economic advantage of this crucial, fact the Nobel committee has been suborned to the interests of the Conspiracy! Ver-r-ry interesting!

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RESPONSE
Poor Mr. Kiernan , do try to keep out of the noonday sun--I'll have a word with the Gnomes Of Zurich about sending off to Singapore for some real tin tinfoil to sooth your feverish brain :

The price multiplier in the punitive carbon taxation regime Gore favors would be based on the % of carbon in _coal_ divided by that in Brent, which given Norway's gigabarrel equivalent reserves @ $98 or so ,indeed equals a trillion Kroner rebate differential.

Al seldom wears hats but his firm is fully vested in Eurocarbon permits.

Skol!

[Chuck]

Sounds great to me BTDWIHK