Randall Hoven frequently presents a "graph of the day." As I see it, the purpose of the graph is to expose the mainstream media slant on the news with facts and data.

In this piece, Mr. Hoven takes on Paul Krugman's assertion of how well the socialist countries of Europe are doing: Graph of the Day for May 29, 2010

If one did not know Mr. Krugman or his fellow Nobel Laureates, one might think Mr. Hoven foolish to take on a Nobel Laureate in his field of "expertise." But, before we nominate Mr. Hoven for a new Nobel Prize (either Foolishness or Bravery, depending upon your take), it might be useful to look at some of the Nobel Laureates. Here is a list of the Top 10 Worst Nobel Peace Prize Winners according to Human Events:

1. Yasser Arafat (1994): This murderous thug shared the prize with Israeli Prime Ministers Yitzhak Rabin and Shimon Peres.

2. Al Gore and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2007): Their global-warming alarmism is a recipe for global-economic disaster.

3. Jimmy Carter (2002): His post-presidential meddling in the international arena made diplomacy that much harder for his White House successors.

4. UN and Kofi Annan (2001): Lucky they got the award before the Iraqi oil-for-food scandal broke.

5. Henry A. Kissinger and Le Duc Tho (who refused to accept the award) (1973): Their Paris peace agreement to end the Vietnam War ended up in shambles and the U.S. suffered a humiliating defeat soon thereafter.

6. Barack Obama (2009): Gives nice speeches but has done absolutely nothing to deserve the award.

7. Woodrow Wilson (1919): His great achievement -- The League of Nations -- proved ineffectual in preventing World War II.

8. International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (1985): Their stance on nuclear disarmament gave comfort to the Soviet Union.

9. Amnesty International (1977): This group has been a constant source of anti-American rhetoric.

10. Mikhail Gorbachev: (1990): The greatest peace achievement of the 20th Century -- the dissolution of the Soviet Empire -- should rightfully be credited to President Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher and Pope John Paul II.

That is quite a list. What a "target-rich" field of questionable intellects!

I don't know Mr. Hoven but do admit to reading and enjoying his articles. However, in light of the above, I might have to re-assess his "bravery." In grammar school, we used to describe such one-sided encounters as bullying. From this perspective, it appears that Mr. Hoven might better be chastised than rewarded.

Mr Hoven, please pick on someone your own size! You are embarrassing the "elites."

Monty Pelerin www.economicnoise.com