CNN can go **** itself

[C0ckney]

Sava,

Uh...okay.

You?

Or maybe you think a lunatic like Kim will somehow develop some sense and play nice? No chance he will pop a cork and do something incredibly stupid? Thinking maybe his Generals will stop him...assuming their body parts aren't all over Pyongyang?

Just curious why you think this doesn't speak to his mental instability and if you do, why you don't think this is news.

it is more likely to be a show of strength, that is to say, that kim feels insecure and needs to demonstrate his power and cow some members of the elite. that would be my guess. but then again who really knows what's going on there.

[PLATO]

it is more likely to be a show of strength, that is to say, that kim feels insecure and needs to demonstrate his power and cow some members of the elite. that would be my guess. but then again who really knows what's going on there.

I agree. Still though...it is a worry when a lune like him controls that much military hardware.

[C0ckney]

that's true, but i don't think there's any signs that he plans, or crucially has the ability, to go beyond the usual north korean fare of ridiculous threats and provocations.

[N35t0r]

Yeah, that was our fear with Bush Jr.




More seriously though, he doesn't seem to be more unstable than his predecessor, and China and South Korea can probably keep him in check...

[PLATO]

You know... I agree with all of what Cockney and N35t0r are saying. I feel like I am in a position of devil's advocate here now...but I will say...

The point that he appears to be unstable and the fact that he is executing senior Generals could easily be argued to make both your points moot.

[N35t0r]

Senior generals are probably his most immediate threat to power, so keeping them in check is surely a priority?

[PLATO]

Senior generals are probably his most immediate threat to power, so keeping them in check is surely a priority?

Senior Generals are also probably his greatest inhibitor to doing something stupid...getting rid of them paves the way to anarchy.

Plus...the reason the guy was executed? He fell asleep while Kim was speaking. I mean...really?

[N35t0r]

Public humilliation is the worst humilliation.


[edit:] I also doubt that, after all this time, levelheadedness rates particularly high on the DPRK military hierarchy.

[PLATO]

Public humilliation is the worst humilliation.

[C0ckney]

yes, i'd say that executing senior generals shows that he's concerned about internal opposition, and this no doubt limits any foreign designs he may have. however, as i said, it's hard to know what is really happening and there is plenty of room for different interpretations.

[Dinner]

Executed by AA guns is such a specific piece of intel. I kind of wonder how that gets screwed up.

The original claim came from South Korea's intelligence. The retraction also came from South Korea's Inegligence service. This isn't the first time they've gotten bad I formation as just last year they reported Little Kim had his uncle executed by throwing him in a pit with starving dogs. It turned out the uncle was executed but not by a pack of dogs. That bit was just part of some skit on a Chinese late night talk show and for some reason the South Koreans thought it was real.

[Proteus_MST]

IIRC Kim-jong-il and Kim-il-sung are seen as gods in North Korea ...
with other words. said general fell asleep when the son of a god spoke.

This can clearly be seen as blasphemy.

Well, even the bible says that the punishment for blasphemy is death

[Kidlicious]

Maybe he wasn't actually killed for falling asleep. Maybe he was executed because Kin is paranoid.

[Sava]

Sava,

Uh...okay.

You?

Or maybe you think a lunatic like Kim will somehow develop some sense and play nice? No chance he will pop a cork and do something incredibly stupid? Thinking maybe his Generals will stop him...assuming their body parts aren't all over Pyongyang?

Just curious why you think this doesn't speak to his mental instability and if you do, why you don't think this is news.

Seems like you should stop watching cable news.

[Sava]

Today a train got hit by a rock.

CNN says we need to reorganize the federal government and create a federal rail agency.