A Harmonious Whole

Those who are anointed as supreme leaders from birth are rarely tempted to be human beings.

North Korea plans to launch a rocket between April 4 and April 8, a few days from now, under the pretext that it's a test for a future satellite launch. It's designed to carry a warhead as far as Alaska.

Even though the planned launch would contravene U.N. Security Council Rules, North Korea has given international agencies notice that the rocket's planned trajectory will take it directly over Japan, dropping booster stages along the way.

Gee whiz, that's mighty neighborly of them to give advanced warning.

Japan occupied Korea during World War II. When the war ended in 1945, Korea was divided at the 38th parallel with the USSR controlling the north and the USA controlling the south. The Koreans were not consulted.

While the Korean people were happy to be liberated from the Japanese, they objected to foreign rule being imposed over the peninsula. To make matter worse, the Soviets and Americans were unable to agree on a joint trusteeship over Korea. Thus, in 1948, separate governments were established in the north and the south.

Tensions and border skirmishes eventually led to the Korean War in 1950 when the North Korean Army stormed across the 38th parallel in an attempt to reunify the country under their communistic political system.

In 1953, an armistice was signed by North Korea, China and the United Nations thereby ending the conflict. A demilitarized zone was established at the 38th parallel, separating North Korea and South Korea ever since.

North Korea was led by Kim Il-Sung from 1948 until his death in 1994. He had delegated domestic matters to his son, Kim Jong-Il.

In 1997, Kim Jong-Il was named General Secretary (leader) of the Korean Worker's Party.

According to the official North Korean news agency, "The Korean people regard it as their most worthwhile life to uphold Secretary Kim Jong-Il and live in perfect harmony with him. He is the great teacher who teaches them with the noblest political integrity and a tender-hearted benefactor who brings their life into full bloom. As they are in harmonious whole with him, they are enjoying a life based on true conscience and obligation."

Gee whiz, North Korea sounds like a wonderful place to live. It's too bad they had to kill an estimated two million civilians and imprison 200,000 "dissidents" in slave labor camps, where they are tortured, starved, raped and murdered, in order to create a perfectly splendid environment.

In a closed-society, adhering to universal truths and seeking individuality become acts of treason. Such is life in a harmonious whole.

Officially, North Korea is the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). However, it's anything but democratic. It's a totalitarian state, dominated by the Korean Worker's Party which embraces Marxism-Leninism. Elections are held every five years for members of the People's Assembly. To avoid confusion, in every district voters are offered only one candidate.

Kim Jong-Il has been the leader of the DPRK ever since his father died in 1994. He stands 5'2", four inches shorter than Napoleon, but wears platform shoes and whips his hair skyward to make himself appear taller.

While building the fifth-largest military in the world, he ravaged the economy with political mismanagement, creating famine, fuel shortages, lack of electricity, etc. To make up for it, mass "performances" involving throngs of people participating in parades or choreographed dance routines have been introduced to foster national unity.

To generate income, the DPRK encourages opium cultivation and invested $10 million in an intaglio printing press, the same type used by the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing, which produces $15 million per year in counterfeit U.S. currency. The drugs and counterfeit currency are passed through foreign nations via diplomatic pouches.

As the leader of the DPRK, Kim Jong-Il has amassed a personal fortune of $22 billion. Although his people are dying of starvation, he dines on fresh lobster shipped in from Japan and enjoys fine cognac. He also loves children's cartoons, especially Daffy Duck, and has one of the largest collections of pornography in the world.

While grooming one of his sons to take his place, he has seized and confined all triplets born in the DPRK in special state facilities to be closely monitored because he believes a triplet may someday topple his regime.

It doesn't take a genius to realize that Kim Jong-Il is an arrogant, creepy, delusional, paranoid, deranged lunatic.

On July 4 of 2006, the DPRK launched several test missiles and made verbal threats against the USA.

In August of 2006, the DPRK pronounced the armistice of 1953 "null and void" and declared war on the USA.

On October 9, 2006, the DPRK conducted a nuclear test in defiance of worldwide condemnation.

In early April of 2009, the DPRK will propel a missile over Japan and enjoy a gigantic choreographed dance to celebrate their supreme achievement.

Creating a harmonious whole on planet Earth is a daunting task these days.

The first step would be to strap Kim Jong-Il to the nosecone of one of his missiles and lob him into the deep end of the Pacific Ocean.
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Quote for the Day – "Nationalism is power hunger tempered by self-deception." George Orwell
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Bret Burquest is a former award-winning columnist and author of four novels. He lives in the Ozark Mountains with a dog named Buddy Lee and in a harmonious whole with his surroundings. His blogs appear on several websites, including www.myspace.com/bret1111
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