Sanctions target Kim Jong Il's taste for bling

[T_i_B]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,1960099,00.html

Kim Jong Il enjoys the fine things in life. Unlike his repressed subjects, the diminutive North Korean leader has a well-developed taste for fine wines, gourmet foods and western electronic goods.

But now the US administration, showing a previously unappreciated subtlety in its determination to bring rogue nations to book, has decided to take away the Dear Leader's toys.

Sanctions announced by the Bush administration include a list of luxury goods that have enabled Mr Kim to both enjoy the good life and distribute favour among the 600 families who are thought to run the state of 23 million people.

No more will Mr Kim be able to cruise around his official residence on a Segway electric scooter, listening to music on his iPod while checking the time on his Rolex. Nor, should US sanctions be effective, will he be able to jump on his Harley-Davidson or knock back a bottle of Hennessy XO cognac. Cadillacs, plasma TVs, jet skis ... all gone under the tough new regulations, the first time the US government has used trade sanctions to personally target a foreign president.

[NOLADEM]

1. Yes, as we all know, luxury goods keep North Korea running (sarcasm)

This is in the top ten DUMBEST FUCKING THINGS I have ever heard of.

In addition to the idea being stupid on its face, the very idea that sanctions could keep Kim from having an Ipod or motorcycle when sanctions couldn't keep him from having a fucking NUCLEAR BOMB and delivery system is outrageously funny and stupid.

[T_i_B]

2. Luxury goods keep Kim Jong Il running

so therefore it's not a dumb idea at all. Target the morons who've caused all the misery in North Korea rather then the peasants who are already suffering enough.

You've got to admit that it's more then a little perverted when the people running a communist state live in vastly superior conditions to the people they lord it over. Kinda makes you glad to live with capitalism if that's the alternative.

[0007]

3. Not the dumbest of dumb ideas? You gotta be fucking kidding me!!

[PrimeRibGuy]

10. I agree...

But I have to imagine he will just get all of this shit from some other place.

I actually thought this was kind of funny.

[brentspeak]

4. Well, he does look like a twisted version of Las Vegas Elvis

[Henny Penny]

5. Why its a great idea!!!

Some people were beginning to get the idea that sanctions were killing untold numbers of innocents by depriving them of necessary food and medicines etc.

But now we can be told the truth... its only the nasty leader and his friends who'll suffer... Hurrah!!!!

Its good to see that the much maligned press picked up on this fact, because it is rather burried...

"Sanctions announced by the Bush administration include a list of luxury goods..." lesser mortals might have been distracted by the question "What constitutes the bulk of the items under consideration?????"

So yes... much to cheer here..



:bounce: :toast: :bounce:

:puke:

[clixtox]

6. More Propaganda...

The whole focus on North Korea is another example of creating a crisis in a teapot. North Korea is not a viable threat to anyone, including South Korea. The boogy-man scenario in regards to Kim Il Jong is all about directing our attention away from the more germane problems facing the world, many of our own creation.

All of the "bling" and luxury items that the "upper-crust" in North Korea can consume, or drape on their petite bodies, are worth much less than is spent by our feckless leader on one overseas jaunt on Air Force One, while we have people starving and homeless here in the USA. The hypocrisy implicit in our dealings with North Korea, our concern about their possible WMD in particular, while we throw our weight around, backed by the deadliest arsenal of all time and a history of dropping nukes on defenseless cities in Japan, is scary, no terrifying, to those in the rest of the world not drinking the Kool-aid most Americans seem to be drinking.

In the real world people understand that when any state is the victim of the sorts of threats, calumny and dissing that North Korea has to face from the USA and our "allies", they have to respond and having a nuke of your own is the only real deterrence there is. It is all about being an effective bully, which has been our position, our politics and the basis of our "foreign relations" since WW2 and not wanting to lose that power to intimidate. How else can we continue to gobble up and/or waste a disproportionate percent of the worlds resources?

Let's face it, we are not the "good guys" anymore, if we ever were. The USA is a rogue state, currently engaged in war crimes in Iraq for economic gain at the price of many dead Iraqis, and also, poor underclass Americans. For what? What could the North Koreans do to come close to the terror, death and destruction that we in the USA inflict on innocent people EVERY DAY!

[rocktivity]

7. "Kim Jong Il enjoys the fine things in life...(un)nlike his repressed subjects...

...Sanctions announced by the Bush administration include a list of luxury goods that have enabled Mr Kim to both enjoy the good life and distribute favour among the...families who are thought to run the state of 23 million people."

And the difference between Bush's administration and Kim's is...?

:shrug:
rocknation

[MGD]

8. I think targeting the mechanisms by which he exercises his authority would be more effective

That means making it impossible for him to reward his secret police enforcers. Once his personal gestapo is no better off than the starving plebes, his ability to repress will end. That, unfortunately, probably means a total blockade of everything for several years.

[clixtox]

9. What a Dreamer...

You have to come back down to Earth! The Max Leader(KJ) of North Korea(NK) is not staying in power by sharing Beluga caviar, Fracas perfume and Petrus wine with his important minions or anyone.

Basically we are keeping KJ in power by isolating NK and forcing the country to maintain itself on ready alert with a huge army to protect itself from the USA and our allies. That is the main reason that the country is so poor.

We created the NK royalty with our stupid, counter-productive foreign policies in the region and they couldn't stay in power for long without our ignorance and intransigence.

This whole situation could be turned around in a few weeks with a reasonable stance on our part!

Really!!!

And I am not a dreamer at all.