Felicity Arbuthnot: The Nobel Peace Committe's Collective Insanity!

When Kissinger won the Nobel Peace Prize, satire died, satirist Tom Lehrer memorably commented. The Former US Secretary of State was awarded his Nobel for negotiating the Vietnam Peace Accords. In fact, he had been involved in oversight of the secret bombing of Laos and Cambodia, both neutral countries. In nine years more than two hundred and sixty million bombs were dropped. He had also supported the murderous regimes in Chile and Argentina, where the disappeared are seared in to the national psyche. UK Human Rights campaigner Peter Tatchell, in an application for a warrant for Henry Kissinger's arrest, also referred in his submissions at London's Bow Street Magistrates Court to: indiscriminate bombing raids, the use of toxic defoliants and pesticides, causing mass death and suffering to the civilian population and severe long term damage to the natural environment. Further: According to the US Senate Sub committee on Refugees, from March 1968 to March 1972, in excess of three million civilians were killed, wounded or made homeless. In 1973, Kissinger was awarded the world's most prestigious Peace Prize. To date Mr Tatchell has failed in his attempts at arrest. The people of Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam are still paying the price in lives and deformities fro Agent Orange. Twenty one million gallons were sprayed on South Vietnam alone, with other horrendous toxins. Adrian Salbuchi has presented an admirable rogues gallery of Nobel Peace Laureates, but this year Mr Lehrer must be pondering on the extent to which he underestimated the death of satire. Alfred Nobel's 1895 will, dedicated his gift 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 holding the promotion of peace congresses!