To release news of Kim Jong Il’s death, North Korea’s government stuck a woman newsreader in front of a TV camera, where she sobbed and wept her way through the announcement. In coming days we can expect to see a lot more North Korean wailing and weeping. For such lamentation over the death of a monster, North Koreans at least have the excuse that they have been bombarded all their lives with Kim’s propaganda, and if that didn’t do the job, they could be shipped off to the North Korean prison camps, with their families, to be starved and beaten into a more acceptable posture of deference. Whatever their private views, they have plenty of reasons to weep.
The rest of the world has no such excuse. Nonetheless, CNN’s all-night all-North Korea coverage has already been featuring a parade of commentators warning that we must be tactful with North Korean feelings at this “delicate” time. I fear that we are about to witness a diplomatic outpouring of condolences to North Korea on the death of Kim. Already, reports the AFP, the Japanese government has done exactly that — issuing a statement that “We express our condolences upon receiving the announcement of the sudden pasing of Kim Jong Il, the chairman of the National Defense Committee of North Korea.”
Please. There are moments when diplomatic lies have their uses. The death of Kim is not one of them. He was a mass-murdering tyrant, a cosmic cheat whose brand of power entailed abductions and terrorist killings, proliferating missiles and nuclear plans to other rogue powers, running narcotics and counterfeiting rackets out of his embassies, stunting his own country, maintaining Stalin-style prison camps and starving to death an estimated million or more of his own countrymen.
There are some nations whose governments may genuinely regret the death of Kim, for the reason that he was a handy business partner in their missile and nuclear proliferation ventures, or a convenient irritant and menace to the West. Iran and Syria will surely send flowers. China and Russia will likely make some ritual display of grief. And there are some that in their quest for solidarity, or perhaps for business, apparently have no shame. The same Korean Central News Agency web site now reporting Kim’s death still features such recent news items as the goodwill visit just made by Kim Yong Nam, president of the Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly of North Korea, to Tanzania — where he was reportedly received by the president.
But for any self-respecting free nation, or for that matter, any multilateral crew that pretends to defend human rights and dignity (the United Nations comes to mind) there can be no excuse to send condolences to North Korea on the death of Kim. Far from gaining the goodwill and cooperation of whomever, or whatever, now takes power in Pyongyang, any show of respect would only help to preserve Kim’s monstrous system. If condolences should be sent, they should be sent not to the government of North Korea, but to North Korea’s 23 million people — and they should be condolences not for the death of Kim Jong Il, but for his long and ruinous life.
KJI should have been executed the way Hussein, Bin Laden, or Gaddafi was executed. Too bad. The baby snake, Kim Jong Eun, is I hear as bad or worse than his father snake. He executes innocent people with fun as his father snake did.
The fight must go on until the day these evil snakes are no more. In the mean while, congrats and thanks to you, Claudia! Still cannot believe that evil is no longer around to kill my people.
May his family’s loss be his country’s gain.
Well, knowing this administration, they will send all forms of condolences to North Korea, trying to get on their “good” side, as if that will make a difference. Maybe Obama will even send Hillary Clinton to the funeral? I heard Kim liked blonds. Pathetic how we always seem to kowtow to these maniacs.
There’s really nothing good you can say. Lil’ Kim will most likely be succeeded by his favored (third?) son, Mini-Kim, and the policies will likely continue.
Yes, I know Mini-Kim was “educated in Switzerland”. I also know that three decades ago, we were supposed to believe that ex-KGB honcho and newly-designated Soviet premier Yuri Andropov was some sort of “reformer” because, to quote the pundits of the day, he liked jazz. (Big deal; so did Al Capone.)
I suspect Mini-Kim became the favorite precisely because he was the most like his father. Which means it’s unlikely that any changes will be made, short of a coup d’etat of some kind or other.
clear ether
eon
Maybe Obama will be the first US president to visit the new glorious leader – and can give him a “welcome to the dictatorship” bow (who knows, Obama might even grovel if the new leader promises to give up nuclear weapons).
I wonder if the crying masses are conditioned to perform for regime video cameras.
Are the dead leader and the new leader the only fat people in North Korea ?
What a great chance for Barry to practice his brand of diplomacy – please give us a photo op from the funeral ! Would Republicans know what to do with it ??
Yes,yes, send Barry to the funeral. Maybe he would bow so low that he would fall into the grave and they could bury him too!
good riddance to lil kimmie
Cut the guy a small break. After all’s said and done, he was ronery. So ronery.
Suggested funeral music: “I’ll be glad when you’re dead, you rascal you”
Hillary Clnton has offerd the DPNK our prayers?????????
I don’t believe that KJI was a Roman Catholic.
As for Hillary offering them our prayers , she can speak for herself, I am glad this POS is dead. Thanks to Hillary and her ilk we are now bribing this govenrment with food so they will back off on their nuc program.
I will save my prayers for the men who were on the ” PUEBLO “
The Bloody History of Communism (1 of 14)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIeics8jHUY