In a tragic story this week, University of Virginia student Otto Warmbier, who was recently a political prisoner in North Korea, was released to his parents custody. The tragedy though, was when he was released, he was brain dead and was released so his parents could watch him die.
He was returned to the US last Tuesday, with North Korea saying it was on humanitarian grounds.
North Korea said he had been in a coma for a year after contracting botulism but his family say he was subjected to "awful torturous mistreatment".
A team of US doctors have also disputed North Korea's version of events.
What was the reason that Mr. Wambier was in prison to begin with in North Korea? Was he CIA? a Spy? What crime could Mr. Warmbier, have committed against the totalitarian,crazy dictatorship of North Korea that would lead to torture?
Otto Warmbier, 22, was serving 15 years hard labour, accused of attempting to steal a propaganda sign from a hotel.
Mr, Warmbier, grabbed a poster off a wall, to take home and display in his dorm room. That "crime" turned out to be punishable by death.
Then I realized that this story sounded familiar. I remembered the story of April Smith. April Smith is a Milwaukee area teacher, who in the summer, at a county fair, after a couple drinks, ripped up a Scott Walker (propaganda) sign.
While it is just a piece of cardboard, she was (probabky rightly so) given a disorderly conduct ticket. Which basically amounts too, you should not have done that, pay us some money and let's all move on.
Well for our right wing friends, that was not enough. Local "media member" Matt Kittle, following along the lines of Kim Jong-un, had decided that a simple ticket was not enough,. Mr. Kittle wanted blood. Kittle, working for right wing blog watchdog,org at the time, wrote no less than 7 columns, over three years, to make sure that Ms. Smith paid the ultimate price.
Kittle put so much pressure on, that Ms. Smith actually was suspended from her job(which had nothing to do with her actions), for months while this incident was "investigated" . I would equate it to 15 years of hard labour but being a kindergarten teacher was harder labour than anyone in the system could sentence her too.
However the mental and fiscal torture on Ms. Smith, was very real.
Luckily, after a considerable amount of time, with Ms. Smith on paid leave, she was reinstated.
A quick note, where is Matt Kittle now? After Watchdog canned him he took advantage of Wingnut welfare and is now working for MacIver "news" service!
Apparently, being ideologically aligned with Kim Jong-un was appealing to Brett Healy!
Is this really the society we want to live in?
One where our so called media works hard to make sure anyone who would disagree with a far right wing agenda would be punished and punished severely.
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